Life is messy, and some days it feels like you are spending more time cleaning up after it than living it! There are a number of issues that could affect your home’s water quality, and hard water is right at the top for making it nearly impossible to keep a clean home!
Hard water contains minerals and dissolved solids, which bind to soaps, ceramics, and metals in your home. This leaves scummy, slimy, or rusty residue wherever water flows in your home. When you’re counting on your water to help you clean, it can feel like an unending battle when water is what’s making your home look and smell dirty.
If you want your home to look its best, you have to deal with the source, first!
- Scum of the Earth
It’s on your faucets, tub, sink, shower curtains, and all over your skin. Soap scum is a sure sign that you’ve got hard water problems in your home! And everywhere you look, you’ll find marketing departments making millions by explaining that you just need a different detergent, a different scrub brush, and “innovative sponge technology” to get it clean. They’re working hard, but hard water binds to soaps and detergents to form soap scum, so the answer isn’t going to be “more soap”.
- Oh, the Iron-y!
Red stains on your toilet, plumbing fixtures, drains, and sink are a red flag that your home’s water is high in iron. While this isn’t a direct health threat, it does a lot to make your home feel old, dingy, and unclean.
There are special scrubs, cleaning hacks, and chemical compounds that can remove these stains with a bit of elbow grease! The bad news is that if your water is high in iron, the stains will return before you know it!
- See Spot, Rub
You scrape, scrub, and rinse your dishes before loading them into the dish washer, only to pull them out and notice… spots. Everywhere. Your glasses are cloudy, your flatware is spotty, and your dishes look less clean than when you loaded them! Not only does this look unappetizing and add a lot of unnecessary work to your busy day, but hard water is capable of etching, which is permanent damage that no amount of scrubbing can undo.
- A Laundry List of Problems
Remember how we told you that hard water binds to detergents? This can keep your detergent from properly dissolving in your washing machine. Your detergent then settles on your laundry, meaning your clothes are not only not getting clean, but they’re coming out with a layer of soap on them.
This can lead to the weakening of fabrics, itchy skin, and foul smells on your clothes, as well as staining! If your towels are scratchy, your sheets are smelly, and your shirts are itchy, it might be time to face the hard truth about your water!
- More is more
The standard response to clothes, dishes, and fixtures not coming clean is to use more soap. Not only does this quickly become costly, but it wears through fabrics quickly! If your laundry is wearing out faster than you can wear it, it’s likely due to improper washing. Between your clothing coming out dirty and needing to be thrown back into the washer, smells lingering on clothes, and an increased amount of detergent being used, not only are you spending a fortune on cleaning products, but you’re replacing your clothing and appliances far too often.
Washing your home, hair, and clothing in soft water actually requires about half as much product to achieve the desired result. That means less shampoo, less laundry soap, and fewer harsh chemicals in your home.
The Solution is Soft
You’ve tried using stronger, harsher, and more cleaning products. Now give soft a try. A soft water system is a safe, easy way to save time and money on cleaning products and appliance replacements. If you are concerned, or simply curious about your home’s water quality, clean water testing is available in your area!
If you help with your water needs please give us a call at 402-453-5730.