Owning a home comes with a lot of responsibilities and decision-making. One decision a large influx of homeowners are making is the choice to switch to soft water. The water in your home ultimately comes from one of two places: groundwater sources and surface-water sources. Groundwater refers to the many types of wells that pump water from the ground. And surface-water sources refer to rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Both of these water sources offer hard water that is OK for consumption and use in household chores like laundry and dishwashing, however, it isn’t the ideal choice.

Hard water, while safe, imposes short-term and long-term effects on your home. Hard water refers to water that is full of minerals. While hard water is not necessarily dangerous to your health, it can be dangerous to your water-dependent appliances. This covers washing machines, dishwashers, water heaters, and more. Hard water is created as it flows from its original source through the ground and into your home’s pipes. As water breaks down the rocks, sand, and soil it flows through, minerals that make up the rocks, sand, and soil enter the water. According to the US Geological Survey, water is considered moderately hard when it has 61 to 120 milligrams of minerals per liter of water. As the number of milligrams of minerals per liter of water increases, the water can then turn from “moderately hard” to “hard” to “very hard”.

Without any type of filtration system in your home, this hard water travels through your pipes and to your home appliances. As hard water enters appliances, it deposits minerals over the components that make the appliance function. Hot water increases the number of minerals that can be deposited among the appliance’s components. These minerals are called limescale and oftentimes make the appliance not only work harder but shorten that appliance’s lifespan. Years of limescale buildup can become extremely costly to homeowners. Some plumbing systems get so clogged with limescale that they need to be completely re-piped and replaced.

Not only is hard water tough on your appliances but it can be tough on your skin and usually isn’t very pleasant to drink. Hard water can cause a soapy residue that remains on the skin, leaving you to feel like you’ve soaped up and forgot to rinse. This soapy residue can result in dry skin and a dry scalp, increase skin irritation, and even split ends. When it comes to drinking hard water, some people experience an unpleasant taste too. The minerals in hard water can make the water taste chalky and leave it with an appalling smell.

Soft water can rid your home of all the pain points that come with hard water. Switching to soft water, through the installation of a water filtration system, gives your home an endless supply of clean, filtered water proving beneficial for both your family and your home’s appliances. Water softening utilizes a process called “ion exchange” to remove dissolved hard water minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese. Water softeners have resin beads that hold onto sodium, and as the hard water flows through the resin, the sodium is swapped for the hard water minerals. The hard water minerals are then trapped in the softener.

Soft water can help extend the life of your dishwasher, washing machine, air conditioner, water heater, and refrigerator by lowering the amount of mineral buildup in the components of your machines. Additionally, your skin will thank you for switching to soft water. Soft water can be helpful in the treatment of acne and other conditions where it is vital to minimize any form of skin irritation. Soft water not only makes it easier to rinse off any soap you may have used on your body or hair, but it also prevents excessive skin drying and is less likely to clog your pores.

A call to Culligan Water of Kansas City is the first step to getting your home dazzling soft water. Not only do our water softener professionals offer installation services and maintenance, but they can also schedule a time to test your home’s water quality. Knowing where your water stands before installation, can help navigate the best and most cost-effective solution for your home.

Culligan Water offers both rentals and purchases of water softeners, allowing you to find the best solution for your needs. Culligan Water Softeners are easy to use and maintain. Culligan Water’s advanced regeneration technology reduces overall salt use and when it is time to add more salt, the system will let you know, offering little room for error. Additionally, Culligan Water now offers the Culligan Connect app, that links data from your high-efficiency water softener to your phone. Through the Culligan Connect app, you can access real-time information on water usage and salt levels and send yourself alerts for unexpected changes in flow. The right water softener for you is out there! Contact Culligan Water today to join the long list of homeowners choosing soft water.