So, full disclosure: we’re talking about hard water, as it relates to your washing machine, which, truth be told, is an appliance that is fairly fool-proof. When it works as it is supposed to, water, detergent, and dirty laundry go in, and—half an hour later—clean laundry comes out. However…when dirty, dingy or heavily-worn clothing comes out, you have a problem. Trying more or less detergent, hot water or a heavy cycle don’t solve the problem.
The fault is not in your machine; more than likely, it’s your household water. Hard water has the reputation of being associated with rural wells, but, in reality, more than 80% of water in the U. S. qualifies as “hard”—a condition caused by minerals like magnesium, iron, and calcium in the water supply.
What Is One to Do, When
Clothes Don’t Come Clean?
Hard water reduces the efficacy of detergents and soaps because the minerals prevent detergent from dissolving and creating a cleaning solution with the water. This leaves a film of dirty soap scum on your clothes, much like the hard water stains that plague your shower, sinks, and dishes. Your laundry often comes out of the wash looking dirty, as anything that was initially rinsed off was made into a scum soup and redeposited on your clothing. Once your clothes have gone through the dryer, the scum will cook into the fabric and you will find yourself with dingy clothes until you finally give up and throw them out. Ugh.
And Then
There’s RUST.
Red and yellow stains on your laundry are often caused by iron oxide—more commonly referred to as “rust”—in your water. The iron deposits on your laundry and reacts adversely with the chlorine bleach that you are counting on to make your whites brighter and whiter, leaving them instead several shades of brown and red.
Fabrics Fade
Faster in Hard Water.
The deterioration is significant, and hard water deposits are to blame. To make matters worse, you’ll find yourself using more expensive detergent to clean your clothes, which wear them out in both the color and at the seams. Your clothes will not only look faded, but will fall apart well before their time. It’s a vicious, unattractive cycle.
Not only does hot water make your laundry less esthetically appealing, the rub also delivers roughness, resulting in towels and stiff sheets that take the comfort out of bed and bath time. Mineral deposits literally harden the fabric, and leave your towels less absorbent over time.
Skin Sensitivity Should
Also Be Considered.
It’s common, and easy, to blame one’s diet for issues like sensitive skin and eczema. While a change in diet may be what the doctor ordered, perhaps the problem is as simple as water. Your washing machine has a rinse cycle for a reason, and that’s why detergent is not meant to be worn on the skin. When your clothes don’t wash clean, that very detergent is smothering your skin, causing chafing, redness, dryness, and inflammation. Applying lotion only traps the irritation on your skin, increasing redness and triggering your body’s natural immune response.
What About Cost?
Using extra detergent, naturally, costs more up front, but replacing the clothes that get worn out before their time isn’t cheap, either. Overusing hot water and rerunning futile cycles add to your utility costs; too, the adverse effects of harsh chemical detergents take an environmental toll that has yet to be tallied.
A water softener removes or neutralizes hard minerals like calcium and magnesium with ionized sodium and potassium. It’s a cleaner clean, a softer wash, and a more environmentally (and pocketbook) friendly answer to your dirty laundry.
Enter FUTURAMICS!
We will be happy to discuss with you further the many ways a water-softening system will deliver a multitude of benefits for your household. It’s an informed choice for enhancing water quality and overall well-being in your home. Say goodbye to harmful hard water and hello to pure water that will be kind to your washing machine!
While you’re at it…say hello to the professionals at FUTURAMICS, the area’s most experienced experts in the filtration and purification of water systems. “Water” you waiting for? Contact us today, and we’ll be happy to help send you—and your household—on the way to better water!