THE DOWN AND DIRTY ABOUT GETTING CLEAN IN HARD WATER
Taking a shower is about more than washing away dirt and oil, it’s about washing away the worries of the day. The warm water gives you time with your thoughts, but what happens when those thoughts quickly turn to your dry scalp, itchy skin, and hard to clean tub? Is the very water you’re relaxing in causing some of the anxiety you’re trying to wash away?
Hard Water Makes it Harder to Shine
Hard water contains minerals like magnesium, iron, and calcium, which leave a residue on you skin, making it tight and itchy. Additionally, these elements bind to soaps, shaving cream, and shampoos to create a film that actually keeps dirt and oil trapped against your skin.
It’s possible that you’ve been showering in hard water for so long that you no longer notice this reaction, but take a look at your bathtub and shower walls. If you notice a thick, scaly residue that’s difficult to scrub away, remember that your skin is dealing with the same mineral build up.
The Level is in the Lather
An excellent way to test the hardness of your water is by assessing just how hard it is to obtain a rich lather. The minerals in hard water do more than weigh down your hair, they weigh down your soaps and detergents, making it difficult for suds to form. The harder your water, the more soap you’ll need to use before it has any effect at all.
Using this much soap isn’t just expensive, but it can be really hard on your skin and hair. That squeaky clean you get after a shower is actually your body’s natural and essential oils stripped away, and replaced with a residue of soap and minerals.
The first few showers after installing a water softener, however, you may notice an entirely different feeling. Some of our clients describe it as feeling slick, or even slippery. Others equate it with the feeling of having just applied lotion. This is what healthy, clean skin feels like. It may take some getting used to the fact that you don’t have to use so much soap, and that you don’t need lotion 3 times a day to avoid dry, itchy skin, but it’s worth the adjustment!
Washing Problems Right Into Your Hair
Have you ever noticed that your hair looks different after staying in a hotel, showering at the gym, or visiting the in-laws? That’s because most water sources have very different levels of water hardness, and many places employ water softeners to avoid the wear and tear on commercial plumbing systems.
Common issues hard water causes for your hair include:
- Dullness
- Faded Color
- Frizziness
- Unmanageable or Difficult to Style
- Tangled
- Gummy
- Flaky
- Greasy
- Weak, Easily Broken, or Falling Out
All of these issues can be a sign of very hard water. Mineral deposits keep hair lifeless, while residue and buildup make your hair feel gummy and heavy. Dry skin flakes around the follicles, causing dandruff to collect in hair and on your clothes, which can quickly become embarrassing.
If hard water collects on weakened hair long enough, calcium buildup at the follicles can not only cause hair to break just as fast as it grows, but can also hinder future growth. As clogging and damage to the follicle occurs, the hair loss can become permanent.
Hard Water, Skin Deep
If you washed your entire body in shampoo, you might notice “dandruff” on your whole person. As it is, different soaps and detergents cause slightly different reactions with the hard water. Instead of thick, oily flakes, your body experiences a host of other issues
- Peeling
- Chalkiness
- Clogged Pores
- Tightness
- Chapping
- Patchiness
- Ashiness
- Exacerbated Eczema, Dermatitis, and Psoriasis Flare-Ups
If you already suffer from a skin condition or have sensitive skin, even wearing clothing washed in hard water can cause flare ups of a number of skin conditions. If your children complain about their clothes being itchy, tight, or uncomfortable, it’s very possible they’re experiencing a reaction caused by hard water and soap residue being held against their skin by their clothes.
Not only are the clothes uncomfortable, they aren’t actually clean. Hard water reduces the efficacy of soap, and the dirty water you’re washing your clothes in is actually just redeposited on the fabric, then bound into the fibers by the chemical reaction of hard water on suds.
Easy Solutions to Hard [Water] Problems
There are special detergents that promise to counter the effects of hard water in your washing machine, and vinegar solutions to help chip away at the residue on your tub. There are harsh solvents that can reduce the build up in your pipes, and plumbers come equipped with a number of tools to counter the effects of hard water in your plumbing.
The best way to deal with hard water issues, however, is to simply remove the minerals that are causing all of these problems before they have a chance to build up!
Your home is subject to cold in the winter, so you had a heater installed. It’s subject to heat in the summer, and so you have an air conditioner. 85% of the homes in the United States are subjected to hard water, and installing a water softener is an excellent way to keep your home cleaner and more comfortable!
Call Futuramic’s Clean Water Center today at 402-453-5730 to arrange water testing, or click on the links below to learn about the brands Water-Right trusts in our homes and business!