What Are The Differences Between Hard Water and Soft Water?
 

A group of products that help soften water is called water softeners. Water that contains minerals such as calcium and magnesium is called hard water. The concentration of these minerals will create hardness in the water. Hard water is safe to drink and will not cause serious health issues but it will create a bunch of problems to water appliances in your house.

If you look at the water you will not be able to tell if it's hard or soft but you can tell by the feel of the water and what it does to your washing machine or other appliances.

Effects of hard water include:

- Soap will be reacting with calcium and they will form a soap scum and you will feel a film on your hands after you wash them. You will also need to rinse your hands longer when you have hard water.

- You will see spots on the glasses or silverware that's coming out of the dishwasher and these are deposits of calcium carbonate.

- Because of the "harshness" of hard water the clothes that you wash will wear off more quickly.

- You will have less water pressure in your house because mineral deposits will form in the pipes and it will shrink the interior diameter of the pipes and reduce the water flow that way.

The way that water softeners work is by reducing the concentration of those minerals from the water. They replace high levels of calcium and magnesium with higher levels of sodium.

Effects of soft water include:

- You will see a healthy lather when you're washing clothes or dishes.

- Clothes will be much cleaner because there will be no mineral stains and less damage will be done to the clothes.

- You will have normal water pressure in your house

- Even though in some cases there will be differences in water taste but most people will have a sodium taste in drinking water.

If you drink water that is hard you will not have any serious health issues. But you will experience other problems such as dry skin and hair. When you're washing your hair with water that is hard your scalp will feel itchy. The pH balance of your skin will be changed because of these minerals and it will be weaker and more exposed to bacteria and infections.

Drinking hard water can contribute to your daily intake of calcium and magnesium. But if you're eating a diet that is rich in these minerals or you take supplements, you will be fine drinking water that is soft.

Soft water is much better for cleaning because it doesn't cause soap scum or mineral stains.

The bottom line

Most people will be able to drink hard or soft water without any side effects.

If the high sodium levels in soft water are concerning to you then you can get a potassium-based softening system.

You can also drink bottled water and use soft water in your house for dishwashing, bathing, and laundry.

Before buying a water softening system you need to talk with a plumber to see how it can affect the plumbing system in your house. You will also need to check the maintenance requirements of a water softening system before you decide to get one.