Hard Water vs. Soft Water
Do you have hard water vs. soft water? If you live in the U.S., your water probably contains a high concentration of dissolved “hard” minerals like calcium and magnesium. In its pure form, water is naturally soft and does not contain such minerals. However, as it passes through the ground and rocks such as limestone, it picks up dissolved minerals not removed by public water providers.
Soft water, in contrast, contains little to no extra elements. Soft water can occur naturally or be produced using water treatment equipment.
What Is Hard Water?
“Hard water” describes water containing dissolved minerals like calcium, sulfur, magnesium, or iron. These minerals occur naturally in water that percolates through limestone, chalk, and gypsum deposits.
Water with more than 7.5 grains per gallon (gpg) of dissolved minerals is considered hard, a level that makes up approximately 85% of water in the United States.
What Is Soft Water?
Soft water has less than 7.5 gpg of dissolved minerals. It can occur naturally but is more often the result of water-softening systems in the U.S.
How to Test Water Hardness
If you’re on a municipal water supply, your water provider’s latest water quality report should include local water hardness levels. This information only reflects water hardness as water leaves local treatment facilities; conditions between the treatment plant and your home can still affect the hardness of water from your tap.
The best way to test for hard water is to have the water tested in laboratory conditions, which is expensive. Here’s how to tell if you have hard water using a simple home test with a clear bottle with a tight-fitting cap:
- Fill the bottle ⅓ of the way with tap water.
Add 10 drops of dish soap to the bottle. Use pure liquid soap without any added detergents. - Seal the bottle and shake for 10 seconds. Set the bottle down and observe how well the soap foams.
Hard Water vs. Soft Water: Identifying the Differences
If the soap in the bottle foamed up quickly, with the suds sitting atop clear-looking water, you have soft water. If the water is cloudy and shaking the bottle produces only a shallow layer of soap suds, you have hard water.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Hard Water
Humans need calcium and magnesium, so drinking hard water can help you get the recommended daily intake of these minerals. This benefit may not outweigh the disadvantages of hard water, which include:
- Dull and/or greasy hair
- Dry, itchy skin
- Visible white stains or chalky buildup on sinks, faucets, and bathtubs
- Mineral accumulations in plumbing pipes and appliances that cause clogs and malfunctions
- Difficulty getting soaps, shampoo, and detergents to lather up
- Starchy, itchy clothes that do not look fully clean even after washing
- Increased accumulation of minerals and “sludge” in water heaters
- Spots on glassware and dishes
- Less efficient water heaters, dishwashers, and washing machines with shorter working lives
- Unpleasant water taste and odor
Advantages and Disadvantages of Soft Water
Like hard water, soft water is safe for most people to drink. The water softening process adds a small amount of sodium to water, but softened water does not taste salty. Water softening does not remove bacteria, viral, or parasitic water contaminants. If these are a concern, you can combine water softeners with other filtration systems.
The benefits of soft water include:
- Better tasting water
- Less mineral accumulation on plumbing pipes and appliances
- Healthier skin and hair
- Cleaner clothes and dishes
Is Hard Water Bad for You?
While it may taste unpleasant, hard water is not usually harmful. The calcium and magnesium found in hard water help people get their daily recommended amount of these minerals and may have a protective effect on cardiovascular health, although the evidence for this is currently under debate.
Hard water may aggravate existing skin conditions because of the soap scum left on the skin after washing. The National Eczema Association reports hard water can worsen eczema conditions and may lead to “atopic skin conditions early in life.”
Soft water lacks calcium and magnesium, which should be considered. People who drink soft water may want to discuss mineral supplements with their doctors. While the amount of sodium added during water softening is extremely low, people on low-sodium diets or with high blood pressure should consult with their doctors before installing a water softener.
Environmental Impact
Several factors need consideration regarding the environmental impact of hard water vs. soft water. Hard water’s negative effects on plumbing and appliances can result in frequent repairs and replacements, which consume resources. Appliances affected by hard water mineral accumulations must work harder and use more energy. The use of increased amounts of soap and detergent also has an environmental and financial impact.
Soft water has its own environmental considerations. Salt-based water softeners have regeneration cycles that produce large amounts of salty wastewater, which can cause salinity problems for water treatment plants. Salt from water softening can also accumulate in aquatic environments, harming fish and other wildlife.
Solutions and Treatments
Salt-water softeners are not the only options on the market. Salt-free water softeners that use potassium chloride instead of salt have less environmental impact but are best suited for low-water-use households. New options, such as magnetic water softeners, claim to pull dissolved minerals out of water using magnetism, but the efficiency of such systems has yet to be proven.
The expense of extra soap, appliance replacement, and plumbing repairs due to mineral scaling can offset the cost of a water softener and balance out its environmental impact. Roto-Rooter installs top-quality whole-house water softener and filtration systems for homes of all sizes. We offer Standard, Plus, and Premium level systems to fit every need and budget. We’ve even added under-sink systems that provide triple-stage filtration (Plus System) or Reverse Osmosis (R.O. water), which go many steps further to deliver the gold standard of high-quality drinking water from a dedicated kitchen tap.