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.
Water quality has a direct impact on our general health and wellbeing. While hard water is not classified as harmful to health, there are a number of ways that switching to softened water can benefit your family.
What’s the Big Deal About Hard Water?
Hard water is a common water problem, causing issues around the home. The hard water minerals can accumulate inside pipes, fixtures, and water using appliances, reducing water flow and energy efficiency, eventually compromising the lifespan of the device. Hard water can also create problems washing dishes, clothing, and our skin and hair. The minerals interact with soaps and detergent, creating a film that makes the skin and hair dry and clothing looking a little dull.
Unfortunately, hard water can also be problematic for our health. Hard water contains high concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and iron, which can increase the risks of mineral imbalance, cardiovascular problems, and waterborne illnesses.
Therefore, it is a good idea to address your hard water issues with the aid of a water softener. If you’re still not convinced, we’ll explore some of the softened water benefits in more detail below.
Eliminate Unwanted Contaminants
While water softeners are designed to remove hard water minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and iron, they can be paired with filtration stages to eliminate any other unwanted contaminants.
Even if you live in an area with an excellent water treatment facilities, dirt and other contaminants can enter your water supply as it travels through the network of pipes to your home.
An example of this is lead that can contaminate water supplies from old pipes, fixtures, and solder. Lead is highly dangerous and has been linked to slow physical and mental development in children. Lead can also accumulate in the organs, causing permanent damage.
Your water treatment system can be configured so that any unwanted contaminants are eliminated before your water is softened. This will leave great tasting, safe water for the whole family to enjoy.
Soft Water is Better for Your Skin
Healthy, soft skin requires proper hydration, but the water hardness can also play a role. As we touched on above, the higher mineral concentrations can interfere with soap, but it can also reduce the ability of your skin to retain water. This can make the skin lose moisture and elasticity, which leads to dry skin and wrinkles. Softened water will be far better for your skin, ensuring it remains looking good, and you look youthful for years to come.
More Manageable Hair
Using hard water when you bathe can make it more difficult to wash your hair. The hard water minerals reduce lathering, which means that you may end up using more and more product. In addition to this, there is a residue that is difficult to rinse from your hair, which will leave it looking dull. You may even develop a dry, itchy scalp. Soft water doesn’t react with soaps and shampoos in this way, so your hair will have a more sleek and shiny appearance.
Reducing the Risk of Waterborne Illness
There are some studies that suggest hard water may also carry disease causing microorganisms. These waterborne disease can be dangerous and can range from mild cases of stomach upsets through to serious illnesses, including cholera, dysentery, and typhoid. Water treatment can help to eliminate these potentially harmful microorganisms from your water, so you and your family will be safe.
Improve Your Hydration
Proper hydration is crucial for our overall health and wellbeing, but when your water is unpalatable, it can be difficult to drink sufficient amounts of water. Depending on the mineral content, hard water can have a chalky or chemical taste. If there is a high iron content, you may even find the water tastes metallic. Additionally, these flavors will carry over into any beverages you make with water. So, your tea, coffee, lemonade, and other drinks may have a nasty aftertaste. When you soften your water supply, you will eliminate that unpleasant taste, so all your beverages will taste great.
Encourage Efficient Kidney Function
Kidneys process waste through the body and create urine. This ensures that toxins are removed from the body, but to function efficiently, a constant supply of water is needed. Drinking poor quality water can create an imbalance and affect the normal function of your kidneys. Soft water has a correct pH balance, so it makes it easy for your kidneys to effectively excrete waste.
Keeping You Energized
Fluid is used to transport nutrients and oxygen to all of the cells, tissues, and muscles of the body. If you don’t have the correct fluid balance, it can cause low energy production, making you feel fatigued, particularly during exercise.
Drinking softened water will help you to feel more energized. Since the hard water minerals will not interfere with your hydration, you should feel in the right mood to exercise, and you may even be more productive at work.
Look Your Best
Finally, softened water will help you to look your best. In addition to softer skin and smoother hair, washing your clothes in softened water will help them to retain their appearance. Hard water can be very tough on your laundry. The hard water minerals can agitate the fabric fibers, increasing the wear and tear. Additionally, the increased detergent needed to counteract the hard water will make it difficult to rinse soap residue from your clothing. This can leave a grimy film on your clothes that makes them look dull, particularly bright colors, whites, and black clothing. So, that crisp, white shirt you just bought won’t stay bright white for long.
When you wash in soft water, you can use less detergent and wash at lower temperatures while still enjoying great cleaning results. This will not only reduce your energy consumption, but will help you to always look your best.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of installing a water softener in your home, be sure to speak to a water treatment technician. An experienced professional can check your water hardness and test for contaminants before guiding you through the appropriate treatment options.