Soft Water Could Be The Eco Friendly Way To Wash!
photo credit: comedy_nose
If you live in what is called a ‘hard water’ area, you may consider changing to ‘soft’.
Now it’s not like you can change the bedrock of your house, so it would mean fitting a water softener to your existing water pipes to make the change.
But why would you go to that trouble and expense if you didn’t really have to – I mean the water still runs like normal, is clean to drink and washes dishes etc?
But there is a massive difference between the 2 types of water – and the soft water option can help you to live a more eco-friendly life.
How Can It Really?
Well, hard water contains magnesium and calcium that it picks up from the rocks on it’s path from falling as rain until it reaches your tap. And these minerals can cause some serious damage to your plumbing and smaller white goods in the kitchen – not to mention your boiler and washing machine!
This build up of minerals in the water is then transferred into your pipes as it sits there waiting to be used – and can reduce the amount of water getting into an appliance, and cause permanent damage to the pipes as well. Replacing either is a squeeze on natural resources and a costly exercise to boot!
And, with the capacity for water flow reduced, this can sometimes cause the appliance or boiler to have to work harder to keep the same level of function – or use more energy but give a poorer performance!
Soft water doesn’t contain any of these minerals, so leaves your pipes clean and working at their best!
How Can I Tell The Difference?
It isn’t immediately obvious which water you have got based on watching your boiler or feeling your clean clothes – but just using the water from your tap will show which water you have.
These minerals show themselves in water residue in the form of ‘lime scale’, so if you have a white patchy deposit on your shower head, grey residue left on your glass shower curtain, blobs of white ‘chalky’ stuff in your kettle, the list goes on…..
Sound familiar?
Now think of all the chemicals, cloths, scourers and time you have to spend keeping your bathroom and kitchen clean – then think of all that chemical waste!
And, think about washing your hair, hands and body. Washing in soft water creates a lather more readily using less toiletries – and gives a more thorough clean. People say that washing in soft water makes their skin feel better and hair look shinier!
How Big Is A Water Softener?
They will easily fit under your kitchen sink in smaller flats, or anywhere in a larger home – even a garage will do.
Basically it works on the main water pipes going in to your home or offices and changes the composition of your water before it enters your home.
Most water softeners are easily fitted and will pay for themselves within around 5 years due to the better efficiency of your heating and hot water systems, as well as in the reduced reliance of cleaning chemicals and toiletries!
And your appliances will last longer and stay efficient throughout that lifespan – and don’t worry about your appliances if you have been using hard water – as the softened water running through will eventually clear all the existing limescale!
So, taking the minerals out of your water could save you a lot of time and money.