3 Disadvantages of Hard Water and How to Overcome Them
Are you tired of cleaning hard water stains on your windows, drinking glasses, etc.?
One of the problems with hard water is that it leaves stains on glass surfaces. You’ll have to clean these stains often. Otherwise, they’ll permanently stain anything in your home that has a glass surface.
Besides leaving unsightly stains, there are also some disadvantages of hard water. Here are some of them, plus the ways to combat them.
1. Health Disadvantages of Hard Water
Beyond hard water stains, hard water comes with certain health effects–some good and some bad.
Because hard water is rich in minerals (e.g., calcium and magnesium), drinking it could help you get your recommended daily intake of essential nutrients. Unfortunately, these minerals don’t exactly make hard water taste great.
In fact, those who drink hard water complain about its weird odor and strong metallic taste. It can also irritate the skin, causing dandruff, eczema, and other dermatological problems. Your hair could also suffer from dryness if you often shower or bathe in hard water.
2. Hard Water Effects on Appliances
Aside from water spots, hard water causes limescale buildup on appliances, including dishwashers, refrigerators, and water heaters.
Any water-using appliance that gets clogged with scale is susceptible to leaks, reduced water flow, and other operational issues. Left alone, you may need to pay for expensive repairs, more so if the appliance requires parts replacement.
Also, if you keep using appliances with limescale buildup, your energy bills could increase. That’s because these appliances have to work twice as hard to do their jobs.
3. Other Downsides of Using Hard Water
Glass surfaces, appliances, and fixtures aren’t the only ones affected by hard water. Your home’s plumbing could suffer, too.
You see, pipes with scale buildup won’t function as they should, and if the problem is quite extensive (i.e., reduced water pressure, burst pipes, etc.), you may have to pay for expensive plumbing repairs.
Hard water is also hard on fabrics. To avoid soap scum on clothes, you need to use more detergent, more fabric conditioner, and of course, more water.
From Hard to Soft Water
If you decide to soften your water, your best option is a water softener. Now, there are different types of water softeners, such as dual-tank, magnetic, salt-based, etc.
You can research which option is suitable for your home. Additionally, you can also opt for water softener alternatives.
These include a reverse osmosis system, template-assisted crystallization, and so on. Again, it helps to do your homework here, as some options are better than others.
Hard Water Doesn’t Have to Be a Hard Problem to Solve
Now that you know some disadvantages of hard water, will you invest in a water softening system?
If yes, don’t forget to research your options. You can start by checking our other articles related to hard water.
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