It’s hard to live in a house with water hardness problems. Not only is hard water costing you money, but it also makes life uncomfortable. There are so many cons that you’re just looking for a way to get rid of them. The solution is easy. You need is a water softener. The benefits of water softener devices are many.
You may hear that water softeners are not safe to use. They remove necessary minerals like calcium and magnesium from your water. Some have added features that take away metals like iron and zinc from our water supply as well.
But we get these minerals in the foods we eat every day. And if we want, we can increase our mineral intake with supplements.
You may also hear that water softeners are bad for the environment. But trust me, there are ways to use water softeners without causing harm to you or your surroundings.
Let’s find out how you can get the best out of your water softener.
Table of Contents
Water Softener Benefits For Cost-cutting
Why do you use a water softener? The answer seems so simple. You use a water softener to soften your water supply. But the benefits of water softeners are so much more than that.
The water softener advantages we look at here help you cut spending. Don’t we all want to save money?
You may spend $300 to $3500 on a water softener, depending on its softening capabilities. But it won’t be long before you see returns on that investment.
It also helps that water softeners these days do not need as much maintenance as earlier kinds. You only need to clean them out about five times a month.
Water softeners are also a great home and life quality improvement tool. So let’s jump into the top 15 benefits of a water softener.
Makes Lathering Easy
Hard water is makes lathering hard for soap. When I say soap I mean bath soaps, body wash, dish detergent, laundry detergent, and shampoo. You end up using more soap and water in one use than you would if your water is soft. That means you go through soap much faster and spend a lot more money.
Soft water makes lathering easy. You will get all the frothy bubbles you need to get your body, hair, and laundry clean while using less soap.
Benefits Of Water Softener On Water Use
Is it true that water softeners waste a lot of water when the tanks need cleaning?
Depending on the hardness of your water, cleaning may use up to 25 gallons of water. Multiply those numbers by the average of five cleaning cycles a month for a final total. It seems like a lot.
But I know that water softeners help to lessen the amount of water your home uses. How do they do that? Because you spend a lot less time cleaning your home when you have a water softener.
Think about it. Water hardness causes soap scum to collect on surfaces where you use a lot of soap and water. These surfaces include bathrooms, tubs, faucets, toilets, and sinks.
Soap scum and scale are sticky and hard to clean. You will spend a lot of time and water trying to get rid of it.
Water softeners remove the parts of hard water that make soap scum and scale. Your showers, tubs, sinks, and toilets stay cleaner longer. So, you won’t have to clean as often. When it is time to clean, the process is quick. You may not see it right away but over time, you end up using a lot less water.
What Are The Benefits Of Water Softener On Skin?
You know how after you wash your hands or take a bath, your skin feels hard and dry. It may even sound squeaky. You may also notice a white film on your skin and cracking dryness.
Your soap or body wash is not responsible for your dry skin troubles. Your skin problems begin with hard water.
Your water contains certain minerals that make your skin unhealthy. You may suffer from clogged pores and dry, flaky skin. These may create more skin problems like rashes, itching, and other skin irritation.
And to counter the effect of hard water on your skin, you may spend a lot of money on beauty regimens.
There is an even better and more permanent solution to your hard water skin problems. If you want to have a healthy glow with softer-looking skin, then get a water softener today. If you wish to cut costs on beauty products, it makes sense to invest in a water softener.
Water Softener System Benefits On Hair
Not all your hair problems have to do with your genes, the weather, or hair products. Like your skin, your hair also feels the terrible effects of hard water.
The minerals and other deposits in your water mix with the shampoo you use, and the result is dull, damaged hair.
By removing the minerals that cause residue buildup, you will improve the health of your hair. Healthy hair means better shine and feel. It also minimizes breakage.
The first step to getting the shine and glory you want for your hair is softening your water. The second benefit of this is you spend less money on shampoo and conditioner.
No More Dingy Clothing
Every detergent manufacturer advertises cleaner, brighter fabric. But it’s a lot harder for a laundry detergent to do its job when your water does the opposite.
Hard water dims the fabric of your clothes because it makes lathering difficult. So, you do not get as much bang from your laundry detergent as you will with soft water.
The second part of that has to do with stains. I have had this experience myself. Mineral deposits seep into the fabric of your clothes and stay there. It takes a lot to get those stains out. Some of them may never go away, so you end up with dingy-looking clothes.
One of the benefits of water softener devices is brighter-looking clothes. Your whites will shine, and your colors will pop when you use soft water to do your laundry.
Longer-lasting Appliances
When you buy appliances, you expect them to last a certain amount of time. With proper care, you should get the most from them. But hard water can get in the way of you getting all that you can from your appliances.
Hard water shortens the life span of your costly appliances that use water to work by about 30%. These appliances include
- coffee machines
- washing machines
- dishwashers
- kettles
- even water heaters
Minerals buildup in these appliances making them much work harder. Because of that they use more electricity and run up your bill.
But that’s not the only problem. Mineral deposits also cause clogging inside these machines. Soon, you will either have to spend money to repair or replace them.
A water softener removes the minerals that cause deposits to build up in your appliances. By getting a water softener, you give these devices a chance to work at their best. You reduce the cost of your bill. You reduce the cost of repairs. And at the same time, add at least three years to appliances that would last ten.
Less Maintenance On Pipes
Mineral deposits do not buildup in your hair, clog your pores, and cake up inside your machines only. They do the same to your plumbing. Your clogging problems may not be an issue with your pipes. The culprit could be hard water.
Water softeners remove mineral deposits. Because of that, you do not have to worry about scale buildup in pipes. That also means that you spend less time and money fixing your plumbing system.
More Efficient Water Heating System
Does the heating system at your home use water? If it does, soft water is better for energy efficiency. One of the selling points of water softeners is lower energy use.
Hard water deposits build up in a heating system that uses water at a fast rate. These deposits make your heating system work harder than it should. That extra work means that it is using up a lot more energy.
You will feel the effects of hard water in your electric bill and maintenance costs for your system.
So, another of the benefits of water softeners is lower electricity costs.
Shaving
I know this seems simple, but it is true. Water softeners make shaving a better experience. How do they do that? Well, first, water softeners get rid of the parts of your water that make shaving blades rust. Your razors will last a long time and save you money.
Second, the quality of water you use improves. Your skin improves, and so you get a smoother shave.
From here, we move away from the cost-saving benefits of water softeners. Now we will look at how they improve your home and quality of life.
Water Softener System Benefits On Home and Life Quality
Environmental Benefits
With an efficient water heater and appliances that work better, you lower how much energy you use. Saving energy is good for the health of the environment.
Using less electricity reduces the demand your home has on carbon-intensive energy plants. So, another of the water softener system benefits is less carbon dioxide in the air.
Negative Effect Of Water Softeners On The Environment
Earlier I mentioned the effects of water softeners on your body and the environment. Let’s take a moment to address the negative environmental impact of water softeners. We will also look at how we can reduce those effects.
Without proper wastewater removal, sodium water softeners can harm the environment. They release sodium and chlorine into the soil. That water may drain into lakes, streams, and other freshwater bodies. It is not good for plants or aquatic animals.
There are two solutions to this problem. The first I already mentioned. Do away with wastewater in a manner that is safe for the environment.
Or
You can switch to potassium instead of sodium in your water softener. You do not need to get a new one. Potassium is very good for the soil.
Better Water Flow Rate
Hard water cripples the flow rate of your water.
A study was done by the Association responsible for water quality. The results show that 85% of homes using hard water lost 75% of the water flow rate in eighteen months. That’s because hard water blocks pipes and pipe heads.
If you have hard water, a water softener helps maintain the pressure of water in your home.
No More Water Spots
Hard water leaves streaks and spots on glass surfaces, metal utensils, cars. If you leave the water to dry on its own after cleaning any surface, the mineral deposits stay behind. So even when your glasses and cutlery are clean, they still look dirty.
To get rid of those water spots, you can stand and dry utensils and glasses with a towel. Or, you can buy a water softener. The softener gets rid of minerals that leave spots behind when you finish doing the dishes.
How A Water Softener System Benefits Your Health
At the beginning of this article, I mentioned that hard water contains minerals. These minerals are healthy to consume. But minerals are not the only thing hard water carries with it into your home.
Pollutants and contaminants also travel in your water supply. Have you ever noticed that hard water smells like rotten eggs? That’s a gas named hydrogen sulfide.
What about those ugly rust stains on your pipes, in your sink, tubs, toilets, and even utensils. A regular water softener won’t take care of these problems. But there are water softeners that come with extra features to take care of the contaminants.
Your water will taste better, which means your food and the drinks you make will have a better flavor too.
These specialized water softeners may cost a few extra dollars. But in the end, the benefits of a water softener that treats your water are worth it.
Not to mention, you will make that money back in the long run.
Better Tasting Food And Drinks
It is never a good idea to make drinks or prepare food using hard water.
Why is that?
Because hard water does not have the best taste or smell to it. The awful odor and flavor can affect how meals you prepare and the drinks you make taste and smell. Trust me when I say I have had this experience. It is not a pleasant one.
If you cannot live with the funky odor and poor taste of hard water, you want to get a water softening device.
Your drinks and food will have the wonderful aroma and flavor they should.
Conclusion
Are water softeners worth it? We’ve given you fifteen solid reasons why they are. Most, if not all those reasons can save you a lot of money.
A quality softener has the potential to last you at least fifteen years. Buying one may be expensive. In the end, the benefits of water softeners make the extra effort worth it.
