5 Signs Your Home Needs a Water Softener Now
Hard water can quickly turn into a problem for homeowners. Before you panic, there are no negative side effects to drinking hard water. In fact, mineral-rich hard water can actually be good for your health, providing magnesium that can have positive health benefits for your heart. However, the same can’t be said for your appliances or your plumbing.
Calcium build up can cause your pipes to drain slowly or contribute to clogging. It can also ruin kettles and shorten the lifespan of appliances like your dishwasher or your water heater. Hard water can also make showering uncomfortable, as it affects the way soap lathers.
If you’ve noticed things like limescale build up in your bathtub or your kettle, you may be wondering if your home needs a water softener to mitigate the effects of hard water. These are 5 tell-tale signs that your home could benefit from a water softener:
#1 Grey and Fading Clothes
Are your whites turning grey and your colors fading quickly? Faded laundry is usually a sign that you’ve got hard water. Your clothes may also feel stiff or scratchy, the result of the extra minerals that have been left behind after washing. Some other side effects include yellowing, stubborn soil build up, and weakening fibers that tear quickly.
A water softener is the most effective way to prevent your clothes from fading, but you can also use a water softening detergent in the meantime.
#2 Scale Build Up
Is there scale on your kettle, coffee pot, or appliances? Scale build up is a sure sign of hard water, and the fact that it can also build up and clog your pipes should have you concerned. Not only can hard waste water shorten the lifespan of your water heater, it could also leave you with defective plumbing.
Scale or limescale is a chalky substance left by calcium and magnesium in your water treatment.
#3 Dry Skin and Dry Air Quality
Particularly noticeable in the winter, dry skin and dry air in your home are also signs that you need to invest in a water softener. The minerals hard water softener system leaves are technically salt free water softener.. They will dry out your skin, soaking up any moisture. Hard water also makes it harder for soap to remove the build up.
Your skin can become irritable and leathery or even tarnished. Hard water can also block pores and result in black heads or inflammation. Do your skin a favor and invest in a water softener.
#4 A Higher Water Bill
If your water bill is rising at an alarming rate, it could be a sign that your pipes are working harder to get the same quantity of water through. Fortunately, you should be able to contact your water company to do a sample analysis and give you a definitive answer.
#5 Bathtub Stains
Stubborn stains left behind in your sink or bathtub are often the result of hard water. The deposits can resemble plaster and they are a pain to scrub away. You can use vinegar to effectively remove these types of stains, but until you invest in a water softener, they’ll keep coming back.
If you’ve noticed any of these signs in your home, there’s a good chance your home needs a water softener. Thankfully there are plenty of options to choose from, and it’s easy to learn about the latest water softeners on the market. Your family members and your appliances will thank you!