Have you ever wondered why your dishes seem dirty even though you washed them? How about why your bathroom is still dirty even though you spent hours cleaning it? Have you ever washed your clothes only to have them look dingy and smell bad? Well, you are not alone, 85% of the households share the same problem. In the next few minutes, the answers to those questions will come to light.
Why is Hard Water a Problem?
Hard water is water with a high mineral content such as calcium, magnesium. It can leave a white powdery residue on anything it comes in contact with after it evaporates or is rinsed out. Not only does it make your home look dirty but it is impossible to get rid of. It can even cause you a lot of damage. There are three reasons why hard water can make your life difficult.
It Can Leave Unsightly Stains
Although hard water is safe to drink, it is a nightmare to deal with. For one thing, it leaves unsightly stains. After operating your dishwasher, you may wonder if the wares are clean with all of the cloudy glassware and spots on the dishes and utensils. It doesn’t help that odd odors are blasting you in the face. Another sign of hard water is the grotesque-looking brown streaks decorating the toilet bowl. It looks like rust and no matter how hard you try, it lingers like a bad stink. It will keep coming back until you get rid of the hard water.
Cleaning Can be Troublesome
Hard water causes soap scum to cover your bathtub and shower curtains, making your bathroom look dirty. It is a real hassle to scrub for hours only for it to creep back within weeks. Bacteria love living in this powdery residue, so you will be engaged in a never-ending battle that will have you pulling your hair out.
Good luck with washing your clothes. The minerals in the water making it very hard to rinse the detergent out. This causes the clothes to wear out faster and still not be properly washed. You will need a lot of detergent and water to even have a chance of getting your clothes clean. Even then, your clothes will probably be rough and itchy.
Hard water can make it hard to shower. Soap and the minerals in the water do not work well together. It will be difficult to wash the soap off of your body and you will still feel dirty and grimy after your shower. It can also result in skin irritation and breakouts such as eczema. It is also known to cause dry and flat hair that results in brittle hair and “bad hair days”.
It Can Cost You Money
Probably the worst thing about hard water the damage that it can cause. Clogged pipes can happen because the minerals in the water do more than build up on your faucets, toilets, and showers. They also build up inside of your pipes and can affect water pressure, damage the metal in your pipes, and cause a host of problems. Then you will shell out a small fortune for repairs and maintenance. Even worse, water can damage your appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, and water heaters by making them work harder and break down even faster than it should. Not only does it cost to replace them, but it also gives you a hefty water and electricity bill because of the extra energy needed to run them.
What to do About It?
As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” You can lose an uphill battle by trying to constantly remove mineral buildups every time you see them, or you could improve your entire home’s water quality by investing in a water softener or conditioner. You would do yourself a great favor to research and evaluate your options.
You’re probably familiar with water quality options such as faucet-mounted filters or pour-over carbon filter pitchers. While these are great for removing off-flavors from drinking water, they do little to address the broader problem of hard water throughout the entire home. For this purpose, a whole-home water softener is a more comprehensive solution.
Whole-home water softener systems are typically professionally installed at the source of a home’s water supply, so they work their chemistry on all of the water entering a home’s pipes. In addition to softening the water that comes out of every faucet, this ensures that the home’s pipes benefit from softer water as well. While water softener systems like this are much more of an investment than store-bought water filters, they can be worth the money for those living in areas with problematically hard water like Texas.
More Tips from Your Water Softener Experts
Interested in learning more about how you can combat hard water in your home? Find more articles like this in our blog, or contact our water softener experts to learn how we can help improve your home or business’ water quality.
