6 Signs That You Need A Water Softener
Many municipalities have hard water, instead of the more desirable soft water. Hard water is water that has a lot of dissolved minerals in it, such as calcium and magnesium, while soft water doesn't have these minerals. Hard water isn't bad for your health, but it is bad for your plumbing, since these dissolved minerals build up inside your pipes. Here are six signs that you have hard water, and need to get a water softener.
Your soap doesn't make suds
Soap can't form lather in hard water. The soap reacts with the water to make soap scum instead of suds. This is a problem because soap is less effective when it doesn't make suds. Since it's less effective, you may notice that you don't feel clean after taking a shower. Your skin and hair may feel sticky; this is caused by the soap scum.
There's buildup inside your kettle
When you fill your kettle, do you notice a strange buildup on the inside? This white, chalky buildup is called limescale, and it's made up of the minerals from your water. When you boil water, the minerals separate from the water and stick to your kettle. This buildup is very hard to remove. If it's building up inside your kettle, assume that it's also building up inside your pipes. It's easy to replace a ruined kettle, but hard to replace your pipes, so get a water softener as soon as possible.
There's soap scum in your shower
Soap scum is what you get when you mix soap and hard water. This builds up on all of the surfaces in your shower: the fixtures, the tub, the walls, and even your shower curtain. In the short term, soap scum is only a nuisance, and makes your shower look dirty. In the long term, mold can form on the soap scum, and cause discolouration and odors.
Your clothes feel scratchy
Hard water doesn't just make your skin and hair not feel clean; it does the same thing to your clothes. When your clothes are washed in hard water, they will feel stiff and scratchy, and may look dirty. The minerals from the water attach to your clothes and are very difficult to remove. Over time, this can damage the fabric of your clothes.
Your glasses never look clean
Do all of your drinking glasses have white spots on them, even after being washed in the dishwasher? These white spots are the minerals from your hard water, which get deposited on the glasses during the washing cycle. Running vinegar through your dishwasher will temporarily remove these white spots, but they'll always be a problem until you get a water softener.
Your energy bill is increasing
Hard water causes deposits of minerals to form inside your pipes. Over time, these mineral deposits can partially clog the insides of your pipes, and decrease the flow of water into your house. Appliances that need water to run, like your dishwasher and washing machine, will not be as efficient as they should be. One study showed that hot water heaters are 48% less effective when you have hard water, instead of soft water. A water softener may be expensive, but it will a worthwhile investment in the long run.
Hard water is common, but it's not ideal. It builds up inside your pipes and appliances, and allows soap scum to form in your shower and sink, making your house look dirty. Hard water can even increase your energy bill. A water softener will remove the dissolved minerals from your water supply, and solve all of these problems, once and for all. If you notice any of these six signs, click here and have a water softener installed as soon as possible.
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