What are the Benefits of Having a Water Softener?

Hard water is water that has a lot of minerals, primarily magnesium and calcium, but it can also contain limestone and chalk. The chances are, you live in a hard water area and although hard water is safe to drink and use in cooking, it can also cause problems for your household items, which use hot water. To combat these issues, you may want to consider water softener installation. This method, which can either be carried out by plumbing professionals or yourself, can prevent a number of issues brought about by living in a hard water area. Here are five ways that installing fixtures, such as a water softener or filter, can benefit you.

Softer skin

Hard water, or more specifically, the minerals found in hard water, can cause dry skin and even irritate existing skin conditions, such as dandruff and eczema. Known as Hard Water Dermatitis, the pH level, combined with other elements found within the water, can cause your skin to itch and flake. In addition, the hard water is often inefficient at washing away soap and other cleaning products; this can dry on our skin and later irritate it. As we wash our hands, bodies and hair in hard water every day, the skin in consistently exposed to it and therefore, it’s difficult to get rid of it with moisturisers alone.

Products go further

If you have plumbers install a water softener in your home, you’ll be able to enjoy the benefit of many of your cleaning products, both household and toiletries, going further. The lack of minerals in the water encourages the product to lather up better, meaning you don’t need to use nearly as much to achieve the desired result as you did with hard water. If you have particularly expensive products, this can be particularly useful as you won’t have to ration them as strictly and can enjoy them free of guilt.

Cleans better

Not only do your products go further with water filter installations and similar plumbing installations but they also clean better. Hard water has trouble washing your items properly and can often leave behind a white residue, which is a mixture of soap and the minerals in the water when it dries. It can leave items, especially kitchen utensils, looking as if they haven’t been cleaned properly when in fact they have. Soft water doesn’t do this and will leave your cutlery and crockery sparkling clean.

Goodbye limescale

Limescale is formed when hard water evaporates leaving behind the minerals – often calcium and magnesium – which will harden. Not only can this look unsightly around our taps but it can form inside anything that uses warm water where the water itself can evaporate, such as kettles. It can affect the way they work and deposit limescale flakes in your drinks. Although soft water isn’t recommended for consumption, hiring plumbers for a water filter installation in your water jugs and kettles can help to get rid of any minerals in the water.

Save money

When limescale builds in your appliances and your boiler particularly, it can affect the efficiency of the item and require more energy to make it run properly. In extreme cases, you may have to call out residential plumbing services to deal with a boiler breakdown and similar home repairs. Therefore, by having a water softener fitted, you’ll prevent limescale build-up and ultimately save money by not having to use excess energy in your home, and not having to replace your boiler or have it fixed by a professional plumbing service.