How to Fix Hard Water

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The best ways to soften water and why you'd want to do it
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Hard water refers to water with an excess amount of magnesium and calcium in it. It’s extremely common for a home’s water supply to contain hard water, so don’t worry if you have it. Hard water may make cleaning your bathroom and kitchen slightly more difficult and soap doesn't lather as well in hard water, but drinking it water is good for you. Read on, and we’ll show you many ways to soften your hard water with or without a home water softening system.

How to Soften Hard Water

The best way to fix hard water is to treat your home’s water supply by installing a water softener. However, you can also spot-treat hard water by boiling it or installing an ion filter on the faucet you want to treat.

Section 1 of 5:

How to Soften Water with DIY Treatments

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  1. Boiling water only removes some types of hardness ("temporary hardness"), so it will not work for all homes. Try this once to see if it works for you: [1]
    • Bring the water to a boil for a few minutes.
    • Let it cool for a couple of hours. White minerals should settle to the bottom of the pot.
    • Siphon or scoop up the top of the water, leaving the minerals behind.

    Tip: Before drinking, remove the "flat" flavor by pouring the water back and forth between two containers to aerate the water.

  2. Buy a small ion exchange filter for each faucet. Some models attach to a kitchen faucet, while others come in pitchers for you to store drinking water. The softened water often has a better taste, but the effect depends on the exact minerals in your water. [2]
    • This "filter" does not actually remove most contaminants, unless the device has a secondary filter (such as carbon filter or reverse osmosis). [3]
    • Most coffee fanatics dislike the taste of soft water coffee. Look for a faucet model with a switch-off valve, so you can keep your hard water brew.
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  3. Add non-precipitating water conditioner to your laundry. These products trap some of the minerals in your water during the wash. Make sure the product is "non-precipitating," which won’t leave stains on fabric or washing machines. Once you've picked a product, add it to laundry as follows: [4]
    • Add the conditioner to the wash cycle according to the product’s instructions. If you don't know your area's exact water hardness, add conditioner until the water feels slicker than normal and suds appear during the wash.
  4. Cleaning expert Andrii Gurskyi says that distilled white vinegar is the best way to remove hard water spots. Apply plain or dilute with an equal amount of water, scrub away the problem, then rinse. This temporary solution can get tedious if limescale builds up quickly. If your water is only slightly hard it might be a cost-effective approach.
    • Towels can also become stiff due to hard water. Treat them the same way.
    • Vinegar can bleach some types of fabric and damage stoneware.
    • Some people add ½ cup (120mL) vinegar to the rinse cycle in their water, while others claim this can damage the rubber seals on your machine. Consider checking with your machine manufacturer.
    • Alternative: Cleaning specialist Erik Bakirov recommends using Bar Keepers Soft Scrub for especially tough stains.
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Section 2 of 5:

Installing a Water Softener

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  1. Purchase some water hardness testing strips and follow the directions on the label to test your water . Typically, you just set the strip in a small cup of water and wait for it to change colors. Use the chart that came with the test strips to determine how hard your water is. If you’re unclear, here are the ranges: [5]
    • Soft: <1.0 grains per gallon (gpg) (or <17 parts per million (ppm))
    • Slightly hard: 1.0-3.5 gpg (or 17-60 ppm)
    • Moderately hard: 3.5-7.0 gpg (or 60-120 ppm)
    • Hard: 7.0-10.5 gpg (or 120-180 ppm)
    • Very hard: >10.5 gpg (or >180 ppm)
  2. Most test kits in the United States measure the hardness in grains per gallon. Multiply this result by the gallons of water your household uses each day, on average (according to your water bill). This is the number of "grains" of hardness the device would soften each day. Choose a softener labeled for about 10 times this number of grains. This means the softener will work for about ten days before it needs some downtime. [6]
    • The average US resident uses 100 gallons of water a day (or 70 gallons if you're only softening indoor water use). [7]
    • For example, your household water hardness has 9 grains per gallon. You use 300 gallons per day, so 9 x 300 = 2,700 grains per day. A softener in the 27,000 grain range (2,700 x 10) is about the right size.
    • How much will a water softener cost? Depending on the size of your home, expect to spend $1,100-3,000 on a whole-home water softener. [8]
  3. Ion exchange softeners are by far the most effective home softener. Most other devices are much less effective, or even just scams. [9] Ion exchange softeners come in two types:
    • Sodium chloride : the most common and most effective type. This adds a tiny amount of salt (sodium) to your water.
    • Potassium chloride : it’s less effective, but it’s a useful option if you can't have sodium. Talk to your doctor before installing a potassium-based water softener if you have heart or kidney issues. [10]
    • If you don't want sodium or potassium, pick either type and install a reverse osmosis (RO) filter as well to remove the sodium/potassium after softening.
  4. Once you've narrowed down the choice to some good models, look at the details. Many softeners refill themselves automatically, going offline for a while during this time. Some do this whenever the softening resin drops too low. Others can be set for a specific time once a week, so you're never caught with hard water unexpectedly. [11]
  5. You can buy the softener in one go or lease it for a monthly payment. Besides reducing the upfront cost, leasing it usually comes with a professional installation, so you don't have to do it yourself. Try to get at least two quotes on the installation and lease. [12]

    Tip: When comparing prices, check for a certification seal as well, such as the NSF or WQA marks of approval. This doesn't guarantee top quality, but it separates the proven machines from the scams.

  6. If you decide to install the softener yourself , follow the instructions provided in the manual. If you want to save yourself some headaches or you aren’t comfortable doing plumbing work yourself, hire a contractor to do it for you. [13]
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Section 3 of 5:

What is hard water?

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  1. The water you drink, shower with, and use in your home is never “pure” H2O—water normally picks up all kinds of nutrients and minerals from its original source, the pipes, and the water filtration plants. The two most common minerals that end up in water are magnesium and calcium. Water “hardness” refers to the levels of these minerals, so “hard water” is water with an elevated level of both magnesium and calcium. [14]
    • Around 85% of the United States’ water supplies contain hard water. [15] Water hardness in the US is especially high in the Midwest, Great Plains, and Southwestern United States. [16]
    • Picture water hardness as a spectrum similar to pH levels. There are degrees of severity, in other words. While hard water is extremely common, very hard water is not. [17]
    Learn the science behind hard water. "I appreciated how this article explained the science logically, covering topics like temporary versus permanent hardness. The detailed info helped me grasp why some solutions work on certain types of hard water but not others. I gained a deeper understanding of water chemistry." - Cathie J.
    Find effective solutions tailored to your needs. "With the range of options given, from boiling water to installing a whole house system, I could pick the best hard water solution for my situation. For now, I'm using a laundry additive to reduce scaling on my clothes. But down the road, I may invest in a household softener." - Nasrin H.
    Avoid scams thanks to insider knowledge. "Now I know to watch out for scam water softeners that use questionable methods like magnets or electric pulses. This insider advice will help me spend my money only on proven softening systems. I feel armed with the knowledge to make smart purchases." - Anant N.
    Understand well water challenges as a new owner. "As a first-time well owner unfamiliar with hard water, the explanations here really helped me. I learned why the feel and taste of my water changed and how I can improve it. The guidance gave me confidence in maintaining my well." - Wanda R.
    Did you know that wikiHow has collected over 365,000 reader stories since it started in 2005? We’d love to hear from you! Share your story here .
Section 4 of 5:

Signs of Hard Water

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  1. The calcium and magnesium ions in hard water tend to stick to (or combine with) inert molecules. This tends to create a lot of water spots whenever you use the water, and it makes soap especially “sticky,” which creates soap scum. If your shower walls and floor tend to be very slick, sticky, or dirty, you probably have hard water. [18] Other signs of water hardness include:
    • Poor-tasting, “flat,” or metallic-tasting water. [19]
    • Trouble rinsing shampoo, conditioner, mud, debris, or dandruff out of your hair.
    • Poor dishwasher or washing machine performance.
    • White spots on surfaces.
    • Potential skin irritation in people with preexisting skin issues. [20]
      • Hard water shouldn’t bother your skin if you don’t have a skin condition. It does appear that the excess magnesium and calcium can irritate the skin of people with atopic dermatitis (eczema). [21]
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Section 5 of 5:

Is hard water a problem?

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  1. The vast majority of people do not get enough magnesium and calcium in their diet. [22] If you have hard water, drinking it will actually improve your overall mineral consumption, which is a good thing! [23]
    • This isn’t to say that drinking soft water is bad for you, just that it’s not as nutritious as hard water.
    • Isn’t hard water bad for your hair? There is some anecdotal evidence that hard water might dry out your hair, but there’s no scientific evidence this is true. It very well may be, but no study has proved it yet. [24]
  2. Especially in the bathroom, kitchen, and shower, hard water can cause some serious headaches. If you’re dedicating serious time to cleaning up the soapy residue and water spots left behind by hard water, it’s completely reasonable to seek out a fix for hard water.
    • You are not going to do any serious harm to your health by getting rid of hard water. You can always get more magnesium or calcium from your diet or supplements if your doctor thinks you’re running a deficit.
    • It’s also completely reasonable to get rid of hard water if it’s irritating your skin.
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  • Question
    How do you get rid of hard water build up?
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    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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    Usually, vinegar will be all that you need to remove hard water build up. Dilute it in a spray bottle and rub off the build up with a paper towel or cloth. For more difficult stains you can let the vinegar sit on the area for 5-10 minutes before wiping it off.
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    Is it safe to drink hard water?
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    It's perfectly safe to drink hard water, it just becomes a problem because it can cause build up on faucets or shower heads and cause soap or detergents to work less effectively.
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    What is the chemical used to soften hard water?
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    The chemical will vary depending on the process (and some processes do not use chemicals at all) but it could be lime, salt or lye, among others.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.hartwater.co.uk/blog/how-to-soften-hard-water/
      2. ↑ https://extensionpubs.unl.edu/publication/g1491/na/html/view
      3. ↑ https://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water-education/quality-water-filtration-method.htm
      4. ↑ https://www.michigan.gov/fyit/housing/tips-for-getting-stains-out-of-your-laundry
      5. ↑ https://extension.psu.edu/water-softening
      6. ↑ https://www.apswater.com/how_to_select_a_water_softener.asp
      7. ↑ https://www.epa.gov/watersense/pubs/indoor.html
      8. ↑ https://www.architecturaldigest.com/reviews/home-improvement/water-softener-system-cost
      9. ↑ https://extension.psu.edu/iron-and-manganese-in-private-water-systems
      1. ↑ https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/guidance-potassium-water-softeners/page-4-guidance-potassium-water-softeners.html#b21
      2. ↑ https://www.apswater.com/how_to_select_a_water_softener.asp
      3. ↑ https://www.hometips.com/buying-guides/water-softener-systems.html
      4. ↑ https://extension.psu.edu/iron-and-manganese-in-private-water-systems
      5. ↑ https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/hardness-water
      6. ↑ https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/hardness-water
      7. ↑ https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/map-water-hardness-united-states
      8. ↑ https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/gw/quality.html
      9. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/plumbing/hard-water-guide/
      10. ↑ https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/gw/quality.html
      11. ↑ https://nationaleczema.org/blog/hard-water-eczema/
      12. ↑ https://nationaleczema.org/blog/hard-water-eczema/
      13. ↑ https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/magnesium
      14. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3775162/
      15. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3927171/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To soften hard water, start by trying to boil the water and letting it cool before straining out the minerals left behind at the bottom of the pot. If your water is still too hard, try using a small ion exchange filter that you can attach to a kitchen faucet so you have better tasting water. To do laundry with hard water, add a non-precipitating water conditioner into the wash cycle to soften the water and allow the laundry detergent to suds up. For tips on how to soften water for your entire house by installing a water softener, read on!

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