5 Reasons Why Soft Water Is Better Than Hard Water

softened-waterMost home owners using hard water may not know about its heavy mineral content.

The minerals attach to anything, leaving clothes, glasses and plates looking dirty.

The residue even builds up in pipes, making them white but the solution is simple – it lies in making the water soft. 

Soft water is better for a variety of reasons, and if you live somewhere where you’ve had especially unpleasant experiences with hard water, water softener alternatives are nearly always available.

Here are 5 reasons why soft water is better for you, your home and the environment:

Better for your home

Hard water contains a high quantity of minerals like salt and iron that have an adverse effect on the plumbing system of your home, and can also leave an impact on appliances that rely on water such as washing machines.

A residue is left on everything that uses hard water when it’s heated due to evaporation. It’s also damaging to the copper and iron pipes that may be present in your home.

Soft water, on the other hand, doesn’t contain a high quantity of minerals and is gentle on the plumbing system as well as appliances that rely on water for functioning.

Better for your skin

Hard water leads to building up of soap on the skin.

Soft water leads to a healthier and softer skin as natural oils remain and there is no cover of mineral build up; plus the need for using soap is reduced.

Younger children benefit as they have delicate skin which is sensitive to minerals and irritants that are present in many toiletries. However, soft water reduces the need as the quantity required is drastically reduced.

Better for your hair

Rinsing hair with hard water after shampoo can result in dull hair which lacks shine and lustre. Soft water results in softer hair after wash and means you can use less products to get the same results.

Apart from the hair at the top of our head, soft water is also gentle on skin hair, especially when you’re shaving. It will make the process of hair removal easier, and leave the skin smoother in the end.

Better for the environment

A research study was carried out to find out the impact of soft water on appliances used in U.S homes. The results revealed that with soft water, 100 percent efficiency over a life of 15 years was maintained by all water heaters, while hard water lead to a loss of 25 percent efficiency along with an increase in energy usage.

When tested on tankless heaters, hard water had a 40-55 percent higher energy cost than soft water, and the functioning was also affected by hard water due to mineral build up.

Better for your clothing

Washing cycles that rely on hard water may require extra fabric softeners, which requires more time and also leads to an increase in cost. Furthermore hard water is damaging to the natural fibres of the clothes, plus, who wants to wrap themselves in a harsh towel after a shower!?

Soft water doesn’t require any extra fabric softeners and is gentle on your clothes. They’ll fade less and last longer. And you might find that products such as soap nuts work well which are better for your health and the environment.

2 Comments

  1. Charise @ I Thought I Knew Mama on March 26, 2013 at 7:48 pm

    Thanks for this info! We have hard water, and I absolutely hate it. I’m going to look into the water softener.



  2. Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking on April 4, 2013 at 12:11 am

    We got our first reverse osmosis water filtration system years ago and never looked back. It is awesome. We have the shower heads that take the chlorine out but are looking so forward to a whole house water system. Everything you have listed is so true.