Have you recently noticed white spots on your laundry or scaly build-ups on the kitchen and bathroom taps? The build-ups and white spots are all outcomes of hard water. Dealing with these build-ups and stains can be a tiresome job.
Therefore it is imperative to turn hard water into soft water to avoid the negative implications of hard water. Let us look at the various ways that help in the effortless conversion of hard water to soft water.
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Why is there a need to make hard water soft?
Hard water contains a large content of minerals, especially caladium and magnesium. The excess amount of minerals in the water results in various issues. Hard water results in limescale deposits in the household water systems.
The limescale build-up of the water system clogs up the pipeline, creating a blockage for proper water movement. Moreover, the limescale build-up also negatively impacts household machines such as washing machines. The limescale build-up inside the washing machine adversely affects the functioning of the machinery. Hard water decreases the lifespan of various appliances such as geysers, dishwashers, and washing machines.
Apart from damaging electrical appliances, hard water results in a negative impact on our skin, nails, and hair as well. The high content of minerals in hard water leaves our hair rough and brittle. It is essential to make hard water soft to avert these harmful adverse effects of hard water.
Common ways to make hard water soft
Ion Exchange
Ion exchange is one of the most common ways of making hard water soft. This process replaces hard water minerals such as magnesium and calcium with sodium. An ion exchanger comprises an effluent vessel, a granular material bed, and a flow distributor which collects the products.
The hard water passes over artificial resin beads in an ion exchange water softener. The resin beads feature a negative charge, while calcium and magnesium are positively charged minerals. When the positively charged minerals come in direct contact with the negatively charged resin beads, the hardness from the water gets removed.
Boiling
The boiling method is another standard yet the temporary method of turning hard water into soft water. It is a simple process wherein you must boil the water for a few minutes and then allow it to cool down at room temperature.
Boiling helps separate calcium and magnesium minerals from the water, settling down at the bottom of the utensil. After the water cools down completely, you need to slowly pour the water into another vessel, ensuring that the minerals settled at the bottom do not get disturbed.
Water softener
Hard water softeners are the best practical solution for treating hard water effectively. The minerals present in hard water leave tough stains and build-up on the kitchen and bathroom faucets and taps.
A hard water softener consists of essential elements such as ammonia, borax, or trisodium phosphate in conjunction with soda ash or sodium carbonate—these elements aid in removing the deposits from water.
Moreover, in the case of washing machines, a hard water softener inlet can be used. While the water gets dispensed into the laundry, the water softener instantly turns hard water into soft water. You can even opt for a liquid water conditioner while washing clothes in a washing machine as an alternative to a water softener inlet.
With baking soda or vinegar
Baking soda is alkaline, while vinegar has an acidic nature, and both are excellent water softeners. They work wonders in removing scaly coatings due to lime build-up caused by hard water.
To turn hard water into soft water, fill a tub or bucket halfway with water and add half a cup of baking soda or distilled white vinegar. You can also use three tablespoons of distilled white vinegar in three cups of water.
Water purifier
Along with the methods mentioned above, a water purifier is another full-proof way of turning hard water into soft water. A water purifier has several filters that effectively remove calcium and magnesium from water.
Conclusion
There exist multiple easy methods to turn hard water into soft water. The process of conversion depends upon your requirements.
If you wish for a hassle-free conversion method, you can opt for a purifier or ion exchange system, which comes preinstalled with all the mechanisms for removing the elements from hard water.
Those who wish to opt for an affordable conversion option can try the vinegar or baking soda method of hard water conversion. Even now, the market consists of several water softeners that remove calcium and magnesium deposits from water.
