So, you want to install a water softener in your house? There are certainly benefits to having soft water in your home and you might be asking yourself, well what are the advantages of soft water? In this article, we are going to be looking at just that.
What is soft water?
Soft water is created through a process known as ion exchange, using sodium to purify the water of any unwanted chemicals. This does mean that small traces of sodium can be found within the water, but it’s not enough to affect you in any way.
On the other hand, hard water, whether it is collected from a lake, river or reservoir will at some point come into contact with soil and rocks, when this happens the water will absorb high amounts of minerals such as carbonate and sulfate of calcium and magnesium. All though these minerals are not life-threatening, they can cause some issues in your day-to-day life, such as:
Does soft water clean better?
When the minerals found in hard water bond with soap or detergents it creates a greasy film, which as a result makes it harder to wash the soaps out because the minerals in the soap and in hard water do not mix well together. This makes washing, clothes, dishes, and even your own hair and skin harder than it should be,
Is it healthy to drink softened water?
Although hard water is completely safe to drink, one of the benefits of drinking soft water is that hard water travels through rocks and soil and as such collects minerals within itself. Minerals such as calcium carbonate and magnesium can lead to an increase in urinary calcium, which ultimately can cause kidney stones.
Soft water doesn’t cause limescale.
Over time the minerals found in hard water can clump together solidifying into what we know as limescale, not only is this a nasty surprise when enjoying a cup of tea, but it can also cause damage to your house or even your appliances.
Soft water benefits for the skin.
Hard water can weaken the barrier of your skin which can mean harmful bacteria and infections can attack your skin, this is because it changes the pH balance of your skin. Although not everyone will be badly affected by this, it can cause issues for people with skin conditions such as eczema.
Water softeners can save you money.
One of the major benefits of soft water vs hard water is that water softener could actually be saving you money. As we’ve already mentioned before hard water can make it harder to clean, with soft water you could be less likely to stick a load of washing back on or have to have a shower every day to feel cleaner. We also spoke about damages to appliances, and pipes around the house, and even help prolong the life of your boiler, which we all know could save you lots of money in the future.
Summary:
Whether it’s cleaner clothes, softer hair, or even saving you money, you can definitely see there are major benefits to installing a water softener in your home. Especially if your local area experiences the effects of hard water.