Is your soap not lathering properly? Do you notice crusty white buildup around your faucets? These problems are often signs of hard water in your home. As Omaha’s trusted water treatment experts, we help homeowners across Nebraska and Iowa identify and solve hard water challenges.
Hard water contains high levels of calcium and magnesium minerals, and sometimes iron. In excess, they can affect everything from your morning shower to the lifespan of your appliances. Understanding what hard water looks like can help you take the right steps to protect your home and improve your water quality.
Let’s explore the most common indicators that you have hard water and what you can do about it.
What Is Hard Water?
Pure water from a virgin spring on a remote island consists of exactly one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms. However, well water or highly treated municipal water flowing through man-made pipes to your home may contain a great many contaminants. Some of these are safe to consume, while others can negatively affect your health and appliances.
Water is “hard” when it contains excess minerals. Groundwater often filters through natural limestone, increasing calcium and magnesium deposits. Water may also pick up elements from the soil or even plumbing systems. Some water supplies also include manganese, iron, and aluminum.
These minerals are not inherently bad, and in controlled amounts, can even offer some health benefits. Problems occur when these elements accumulate.
They can create mineral buildup in pipes, instigating the growth of potentially harmful bacteria. Research from the School of Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University in 2014 specifically linked hard water scaling to bacterial growth in residential drinking water.
Hard water is also notorious for causing many issues throughout the home, from dry skin to damaged dishwashers. Below, we go into some common side effects of hard water and how to resolve the problem.
Think you have hard water in Nebraska or Iowa? Schedule a free water test today!
How To Know If You Have Hard Water: 8 Common Signs To Be Aware Of
1. Odd Smell or “Funny” Flavor
Clean, clear water has a mild to neutral scent, so an unusual odor is a good indicator that something isn’t right. The smell of sulfur, like rotten eggs, or an unpleasant metallic flavor and smell, both point to water quality issues. Earthy, musty smells or flavors are also abnormal.
These signs may not indicate you have hard water. However, water supplies with such issues often contain high amounts of hard minerals as well as other contaminants. If you’re noticing any off-putting smells or flavors in your water, it’s time to schedule a water test.
2. It (Doesn’t) All Come Out in The Wash
Hard water can contain high levels of iron. Red or brown stains on your clothing, sinks, and toilet tank or bowl are often from iron deposits or rust from old pipes. With a great deal of elbow grease, vinegar, or harsh chemical solvents, you may be able to remove the stains. However, they will always return until you solve your hard water problem.
3. Soap Scum
One way to know if your water is hard is the appearance of white marks or film on glass and dishes. This is because soap reacts poorly with the minerals in hard water. This results in hard-to-clean soap scum on dishes, sinks, shower curtains, and glass shower doors.
4. It’s Not the Pipes That Are Bad— Yet
Hard water can cause limescale buildup in pipes and in and on plumbing fixtures. As this scale becomes thicker, it constricts the flow of water and can lead to backups. Once the scale becomes thick enough, the only solution is an expensive call to your plumber.
Copper and PVC pipes are less susceptible than steel pipes to this issue. However, over time they will accumulate mineral buildup, too.
5. Dirty Laundry
You use detergent to wash your clothes, but if your water can’t rinse that soap off, you’re left with laundry that comes out dingy, scratchy, and rough. If your clothes don’t look or smell clean, you might add more detergent, use hotter water, and run more cycles.
This is often what happens when you have hard water. Soap and detergent use skyrockets, and your clothing begins to wear out much faster than it should. This is because hard water affects how soap lathers. The minerals also react with it, preventing soap from being rinsed away.
Hard water may also be the culprit behind whites turning yellow. If your water contains a lot of iron, it can oxidize and create rust particles that settle on fabrics.
6. Malfunctioning Appliances
Hard water takes a heavy toll on your home appliances, leading to costly repairs and early replacements. When scale builds up in your dishwasher, ice maker, or water heater, these appliances have to work harder. They also use more energy, driving up your utility bills.
Appliances in homes with hard water can wear out 30%-50% faster than those using soft water. Homeowners with hard water spend much more each year on increased energy costs, frequent repairs, and premature appliance replacement.
7. Irritated Skin
What does hard water feel like on your skin? The answer is: Uncomfortable.
Hard water can make your skin feel dry, itchy, and irritated since it strips away your body’s natural oils. Symptoms are often mistaken for simple sensitivity. For people with eczema or genuinely sensitive skin, hard water can worsen their condition.
Another sign of hard water on skin is a film that sits on the body or a “grimy” feeling when you step out of the shower. This may happen because minerals can prevent soap from rinsing away completely. The soap scum you see on your shower door is essentially the same thing that can happen to your skin. Mineral deposits in your shower head can also ruin your water pressure, making it difficult to rinse off properly and feel clean.
8. Dry Hair
Hard water can turn your healthy hair into a dry, difficult-to-manage mess. When you wash your hair in hard water, the dissolved minerals can build up on your scalp and strands, making your hair feel stiff and look dull. You might notice your hair becomes harder to brush, tangles easily, or feels weighed down even right after washing.
Many people use more shampoo and conditioner to try to combat these effects. However, this can make the problem worse since minerals make it harder for hair products to lather and rinse out properly. Mineral buildup can also make it difficult for hair dye to absorb evenly, leading to uneven color and faster fading.
How To Deal With Hard Water
Now that you know what causes the hardness of water and its side effects, it’s time to dive into solutions.
There are a number of ways to treat the symptoms of hard water. You can pay a plumber to replace pipes or run harsh chemicals through your system to clear out some of the mineral buildup. You can purchase soap, clothes, and new appliances more frequently. You can even buy bottled water to wash your hair.
However, there is only one solution that will get to the root of your problem: Install a water softener in your home.
Water softeners effectively remove calcium, magnesium, and iron from your water supply. This stops the problem at its source.
This type of investment saves you money, time, and endless headaches in the long run. You might also consider a drinking water filter system, which purifies water and removes harmful contaminants that softeners can’t.
If you’re ready to put an end to hard water issues, or if you have questions about your options, contact us today. Our water softening systems are designed to effectively address poor water quality and protect your home from the effects of hard water. We even offer water softener salt delivery so you can make sure your system is always ready to go!
Reach out to our experts at Futuramic’s Clean Water Center when you call (402) 453-5730!
FAQs About Hard Water
Q: How do I know if I have hard water?
A: You may notice signs like:
- Soap doesn’t lather well
- White spots on dishes
- Scale buildup on fixtures
- Dry skin after showering
- Stiff laundry
- Plumbing issues
Q: What does hard water feel like on the skin?
A: Hard water can make your skin feel sticky, dry, or filmy after washing.
Q: How can I test if I have hard water at home?
A: Fill a bottle with tap water, add a few drops of soap, and shake. If it doesn’t lather well, you likely have hard water.
For more information about hard water and other water quality issues, check out our FAQs page!