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.
The majority of Canadian homes are supplied with hard water from private wells and municipal water treatment plants. Hard water is less desirable because it can cause a number of problems in the home, including laundry stains, wear and tear to appliances, damage to the plumbing system, and more. But, what about the effects of hard water on your bathing routine? In this article, we will investigate whether soft water is better for bathing.
Hard vs. Soft Water
Hard water is water with a higher concentration of dissolved minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, and iron. This is a natural phenomenon; water falls as rain, soaks into the ground, and passes through layers of rock, soil, and sand. Water is an effective solvent, and as it passes through these layers, it dissolves them and adds those characteristics to its makeup. The water then makes its way to an aquifer or waterways, and eventually, it arrives at our homes. Municipal water treatment plants do not remove hardness, and private well users must remove the hardness themselves.
Hard water creates scale; that’s the white buildup of minerals that you may see on the surface of your plumbing fixtures. But, there are hidden accumulations of this material on the inner surfaces of your plumbing pipes. Over time, the scale will become thicker, the diameter of the pipe will be reduced and this will lower the water pressure. Another scale related issue is that it tends to coat the heating elements of appliances. This means that your water heater, dishwasher, washer, and high end plumbed-in coffee maker will have to work for longer and harder to heat water. Generally speaking, overworked appliances tend to fail more often, and they have a shorter useful lifespan.
Soft water can occur in nature, but it’s very rare in domestic environments in Canada. If you want soft water for your home, you need to install a water softener system at your own expense. There are a few methods to remove hardness from water, but the most reliable is the ion-exchange process. This system passes the incoming water through a resin bed where the ion-exchange process takes place. The mineral ions are exchanged with sodium or potassium ions that are kinder to you and your home. Both sodium and potassium are salts. If you’re sensitive to salt, potassium is the better choice, but it costs a little more. Softer water feels slippery and silkier to the touch, it’s easier to get a lather, and it’s kinder to your skin. Let’s take a look at how hard, and soft water affect your bathing experience.
Bathing in Hard and Soft Water
When you bathe in hard or soft water, the experience can be very different. Many people are surprised at how much better they feel when they make the switch to soft water. Let’s compare them to see how they differ:
Hard Water Bathing
One of the more annoying aspects of hard water is that the mineral content causes an insoluble conjunction when combined with soap. This is typically known as soap scum; this is the waxy material that’s hard to scrub away in your tub and shower stall. Soap scum prevents the easy lathering that you need to unlock the cleaning power of your soaps, shampoos, detergents, and other soap-based cleaning products. Many people try to compensate for this lack of lather by adding more soap, but this doesn’t work.
Soap scum is hard to clean away, the material creates grimy stains on surfaces, and it’s an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. You can remove soap scum with vinegar, baking soda, and elbow grease, but it always returns. Until the underlying problem (hard water) is rectified, the soap scum will continue to be formed.
Many people bathe in hard water, yet they don’t feel clean, and there is a good reason for that feeling. The soap scum and scale that you can see in the tub are also present on your skin after bathing in hard water. When the water has evaporated away, this material is left behind, where it clogs pores and tangles in hair follicles. This can leach moisture away from the skin, making it feel dry and sore, and it can exacerbate pre-existing skin conditions. Some people experience breakouts when their pores are clogged, and it can make hair feel dull and lifeless.
As a temporary solution, you can add bath salts to your bathing water, and this does improve the situation. Bath salts contain sodium and potassium ions which are released from the salt when they come into contact with water. It will be easier to achieve a lather with soap, the essential oils help your skin, and the salt is beneficial. Essentially, you are creating a temporary state which is a little similar to using soft water. But, this will not help in other areas of your home which are still at risk from the damaging effects of hard water.
Soft Water Bathing
As you may have surmised from the tone of our article, we absolutely recommend the use of soft water when bathing. When you add essential oils or use various gel products in your bath, they have reduced efficacy with hard water. A soft water bath is different, any products you choose to use will work well, and you won’t feel like you’re wasting money.
One area where you definitely will save money is on soaps and shampoos, which will lather easily, and you will need less of them to get clean. Many people making the switch to soft water for bathing have reported that they need 70% less soap with no loss of cleaning potential!
Another major benefit is that your skin will feel squeaky clean, and soft to the touch. The skin pores are not clogged, and this allows your skin to moisturize itself naturally. Many people report that their skin conditions ease and even clear up entirely when they bathe regularly in softened water.
If you want to install a water softener in your home, contact your local water treatment specialist today.