With more than 30 years’ experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Mark Nelson is a Class 1 Drinking-Water Operator and a CBWA (Canadian Bottled Water Association) Certified Plant Operator. As founder and president of Nelson Water in Ottawa, Mark focuses on dealing with challenging water treatment system designs for problem water. He also heads the largest water bottling plant in the city of Ottawa with a delivery network throughout the Valley.

It’s estimated that the average family uses 300 gallons of water or more every day. But, many people are not using the right type of water for tasks around the home. There are certain types of water that are better for cleaning, bathing, cooking, making beverages, and more. We rely on a steady supply of water to stay clean and healthy, so it’s important to get the most out of this valuable resource. Let’s take a look at three ways you can optimize your water use with the right kind of water.

  1. Beverages, Baking, and Cooking

Water is an incredibly important, but often underestimated ingredient in any kitchen. But, if you have hard water from a private well or a municipal source, it can affect the quality of your drinks and food. Another key factor is the presence of chemicals that are used to disinfect the water and make it safe for use. Most water treatment plants use chlorine or chloramine (chlorine combined with ammonia) to treat water. This often imparts a “swimming pool” odor that is more pronounced if you live closer to the water treatment plant.

Aside from the changes in taste that can mask the true flavors of your favorite foods and beverages, there are other causes for concern. Hard water contains elevated levels of mineral content that will alter the structure of gluten. This will mean that your yeast will not function as expected, and dough could be rubbery and tough. So, if you’re muffins are flat and unappealing, it may be the hardness in your water that’s causing the problems.

If you enjoy brewing beer, you need to have good quality water to get a good brew. The presence of too much calcium and magnesium in hard water will affect the quality of your home brewed beer. Other contaminants, such as chloride, sulfates, sodium, and others, will alter the alkalinity and thus the flavor of the beer. The appearance of beer will also differ; you may notice that the clarity is affected, making the brew look cloudy.

Many of us love a coffee to start the day, and a steady infusion can help us to get through the entire day. A large part of the entire coffee experience is the aroma, coffee strengths may vary, but the smell contributes a lot to the taste. Coffee enthusiasts are in agreement that hard water degrades the taste of their favorite brew. When it comes to making beverages, baking, and cooking, you need a neutral tasting water that is clean. Installing a reverse osmosis (RO) filter will give you water that’s perfect for creating delicious drinks and food.

  1. Bathing and Showering

For many people, a hot shower is the only way to start the day, and it’s an ideal way to relax when you get home from a hard day. If you have more time, a bubble bath is a great way to unwind, and it’s a fun way to get the kids clean. But, the minerals found in hard water, such as calcium and magnesium, degrade the quality of your bathing experience. These minerals actually inhibit the formation of soap suds that are needed to create the cleaning power that you need. People try to compensate by adding more soap, but this doesn’t work, and it simply wastes more soap.

After bathing and showering in hard water, it isn’t uncommon to feel dry or sticky. The minerals are left behind on the surface of your skin after the water has evaporated. This is the same hard, chalky scale material that you can see on your plumbing fixtures. The scale will block skin pores which exacerbates skin conditions and causes acne. The stickiness is caused by the formation of soap scum which is typical when soap is mixed with hard water.

If you have hair that’s hard to manage because it tangles easily, this could be caused by hard water. The mineral content becomes wrapped in the hair follicles after the water has evaporated, leaving scale behind. This can dry out your hair, making it feel frizzy and coarse to the touch. Even your nails can feel brittle, and they may be more prone to cracking.

Switching to soft water can fix these problems and help you to save money at the same time. Soft water causes soap to form suds easily, and you find that you need less soap to get the same or better cleaning results. Many people with dry skin or hair that’s hard to manage are surprised at the improvement after they start using soft water. Installing a water softener will improve water heater efficiency by around 29%, and the shorter showering times will save energy too.

  1. Washing Your Car

Keeping your car paint clean is a great way to protect it, and many people like to wash their cars at home. Washing a car by hand is the best method, and most Americans use between 40-140 gallons to complete this task. But, the type of water that you use to wash your car will have an impact on the final result. Even soft water contains a certain amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) that can affect car washing. Many professionals prefer to use RO water because any TDS in soft water is removed. This will improve the performance of products, such as pre-soaks, spot cleaners, detergents, and even your favorite car wax.

When you wash your car with soft water that’s been filtered through a RO filtration system, you may be surprised at the difference, The detergent will form soap suds easily, and cleaning is possible with far fewer cleaning products. This will ensure that you can remove dirt, oil, and other debris to protect the paint. If you want the best results, dry the car with a soft clean towel and follow up with a good quality car wax.

In Conclusion

If you want to have the best quality water for your home, it’s a great idea to install your own water treatment systems. This will ensure that you have the best quality water for drinking, cooking, baking, cleaning, and many other tasks around your home. Contact your local certified water treatment specialist for expert help and advice today.