If you have ever lived in a place with hard water, you know how great a water softener can be. Hard water is so, well, hard on your skin, your hair and everything it touches. The calcium deposits that build up in your sinks, baths and showers and on your faucets are almost impossible to get rid of and always end up coming back. Growing up, we would leave a pitcher of water sitting out in order for chlorine removal to take place before drinking it. I’m still not sure if that really worked. Drinking water from the tap is the most convenient way to go but without a water softener, it tastes absolutely terrible. A whole house filtration system is available even if the area where you live typically has hard water. Let’s look at the benefits of having a water softener.
- Have you ever ran your dishwasher or hand washed your dishes and set them out to dry? Of course, we all do that. However, if you have come back later to put them away and found a cloudy residue all over your glassware, you probably are suffering from hard water. Soft water leaves glassware and silverware cleaner and shinier and actually see through! The same goes for mirrors, tiles, cars and anything that you would want to have a shiny finish. Hard water dulls it down.
- You’d be surprised at what an effect water has on your skin and hair. A hairdresser stated that she can tell by the feel of someone’s hair if their home has hard water or if they have a water softener. Hair washed in hard water is coarse, brittle and dry whereas hair washed in soft water is clean, smooth and bouncy. Skin also is clearer, softer and in need of less moisturizer when cleaned with soft water.
- The curd that is produced from hard water can make cleaning very difficult and it will feel like it’s never ending. If you clean your house from top to bottom but just don’t feel that shiny and bright feeling resonating from your floors and fixtures, you probably are cleaning with hard water. Soft water makes cleaner far easier and it needs to be done less often.
- Soft water allows your soaps and shampoos to lather properly when used so you only have to use the recommended amount. Hard water tends to trap the properties in cleaners and shampoos and soaps and cause them not to lather up until you have used way more than you need. Often times when you rub the shampoo into your hair, it will not distribute properly because of the elements of hard water.
- If you are washing your clothes in hard water, the minerals can get trapped in the fabric causing them to look faded and dingy faster. Whites won’t stay white for very long and you will have to substitute detergents for vinegar and bleaches in order to clean your fabrics. Soft water eliminates all of those problems, simply by not giving off any hard minerals to get caught in the fabric fibers.
- You will notice that if you have a water softener, your appliances will start lasting longer than they did when they had hard water running through them. Especially the appliances that actually use water to function like coffee machines, ice makers, blenders, water heaters, washing machines and dishwashers. The process will become a lot more efficient as you begin to use the soft water.
- Do you buy bottled water because your hard water is so bad for you? Essentially you are paying for water twice; tap water and drinking water. It would be so much better if these could be one in the same- that’s exactly what soft water is. It comes from your pipes and is exactly like bottled water.
You may feel that the initial investment into a water softener may be a hit to the bank account but as you see your energy bills go down and are not spending money buying extra water as well as saving money on cleaning supplies and toiletries, you’ll realize the simple fact that a water softener will soon pay for itself entirely. Meanwhile, you and your family can reap the benefits of having soft water.
