Scum accumulation in your bathtub, white marks left behind on your sink, and discolored clothes are telltale signs that hard water has entered your home – yet its actual side effects often go overlooked.
Hard water can wreak havoc with your plumbing systems and appliances in your home, creating issues in both processes and appliances that run your household.
Do you want to learn more about the harmful effects of hard water? Continue reading to get started. Afterward, you can click the following link to take a look at the ultimate list of water softener benefits from the team at Diamondback Plumbing and Cooling.
1. Soap Scum
Water becomes hardened as it passes through rocks and soil, picking up minerals such as calcium and magnesium from rocks and soil, then reacts with soap to form soap scum – this necessitates homeowners using home remedies such as vinegar and scrub brushes when cleaning their bathtubs and showers.
2. Scale Build-Up
An unsightly white build-up on faucets and bathtubs can be more than merely unsightly; scale build-up can also be a telltale sign of hard water in your home.
As water moves through rocks and soil, it dissolves naturally occurring calcium and magnesium minerals found within soil and rock layers, transporting these dissolved mineral deposits through your pipes to your house where they reach kitchen appliances, showerheads, and even coffee makers where hard water deposits look like white chalky crust.
3. Discolored Clothes
If your white clothes seem to be fading or wearing out more quickly than expected, hard water could be to blame. The minerals in hard water prevent soap and detergent from properly rinsing away residue build-up, leaving behind discoloring residue that discolors fabric and discolors it further.
Home testing kits allow you to determine the hardness of your water, while professional plumbers offer many ways of fixing it. One such way involves installing a whole-house water softener that removes minerals that cause issues while providing hydration for skin and appliances.
4. Dry Skin
Over time, calcium and magnesium deposits dry out the skin, clog pores, and cause itchy patches – leaving an irritating, irritated, or prickly feeling on your body. To remedy the situation, use skin-friendly soap or hand sanitizer with aloe in it regularly and moisturize regularly!
5. Water Heater Damage
Mineral deposits that stain plumbing fixtures and clog pipes can also accumulate in your water heater, decreasing efficiency and hastening its demise much more quickly than expected. This leads to higher energy bills in your home due to appliances using boiling water, like your hot water heater, having to work harder than is necessary.
6. Higher Utility Bills
Water softeners help lower costs by clearing away mineral deposits from pipes and household appliances that accumulate over time, slowing the water’s flow and leading to clogs that reduce efficiency, thus leading to higher energy bills.
Signs that your water is hard include spots on dishes, film on shower doors and windows, difficulty lathering soap and higher utility bills due to reduced flow due to mineral deposits in your hard water supply.
