Water softening has a wide range of benefits for any home – and for the people in it – but most might not consider this until they start experiencing various issues throughout their day-to-day life. Dry skin, stains on appliances, and faded clothing can all begin to mount and leave you wondering what exactly the issue is.
Well, if you’re experiencing any or all of the above on a regular basis, there’s a good chance the culprit is hard water – and that a water softener can provide the solution.
How does a water softener work?
The science behind water softening is fairly complex, so for our purposes, we won’t go into too much detail here. In short, water softeners eliminate minerals from our water that cause it to be hard (which in turn causes it to be destructive to our bodies and household items).
Softeners do this by storing resin beads and sodium in a tank that interact to attract the hard minerals, thus removing them from our water before it exits the tank and makes its way to our faucets, showerheads, and appliances. This process softens the water and allows it to perform more effectively in many different aspects of our lives, from drinking and dishwashing to bathing and doing laundry.
Here are five signs it’s time to improve your life through the magic of softer water.
1. You have dry skin and hair.
When you bathe and wash your hands with hard water, the mineral deposit buildup can cause your skin and hair to dry out, leaving you feeling itchy and flaky. Hard water also blocks up your pores and can cause skin inflammation, blackheads, and a range of other blemishes.
The beauty of soft water is that it actually nourishes and hydrates your skin and leaves you feeling fresh throughout the day.
2. You’ve been noticing stains and limescale.
In addition to affecting your skin and hair, the minerals in hard water can also leave stains on household surfaces like sinks, toilets, and bathtubs, causing an unpleasant appearance more than anything else. This takes place when the hard water evaporates and calcium and magnesium are left behind to dry and solidify.
Hard water can also cause scale (or limescale) to develop in appliances and even in your plumbing, which can hamper your home’s ability to efficiently pass water through its pipes. Soft water removes these issues and leaves your surfaces clean and your pipes flowing.
3. Your bills are increasing.
As scale builds up in your pipes, your house’s plumbing system has to work harder to transport water, thus increasing the costs of your water and energy bills. If you’ve noticed a recent increase in the cost of your utility bills, hard water may be what’s causing it.
A water test can help determine the contents of your water and can help decide whether or not you need a whole-house water filtration system.
4. Your laundry is fading.
If your once-vibrant clothes and linens are now beginning to look gray and faded, it could be due to hard water buildup in your plumbing system. Hard water can also cause clothes to become rough and scratchy against your skin.
Outfitting your home with a high-quality water softener is one of the best ways to ensure bright, comfy clothes and linens from the first wash to the 50th.
5. Your glassware is cloudy and brittle.
Similarly to how hard water minerals tarnish surfaces and appliances, they also cause dishes and glassware to become stained and cloudy. Hard water buildup can even make dishes more prone to chipping and breaking, leading to additional replacement costs and opening you and your loved ones up to potential injury.
A water softener is the best way to keep your dishes sparklingly clean and solidly intact.
So you have hard water. Now what?
Get a water softener! Water softeners prolong the life of your appliances, save money on your energy bill, and lead to softer skin, cleaner dishes, and brighter colors in your laundry.
Culligan Water offers both rental and purchase options for our water softeners to provide a solution that best suits your lifestyle and budget. We also offer professional water testing and salt-free water conditioners – and we even sell and deliver bags of salt directly to your door.
Find the Culligan dealer nearest you today to start experiencing the difference of better water.