Do I have hard water? If your home relies on small water supplies using groundwater, you may encounter high levels of hard water. Poor water quality at home can impact how you clean and cook, but it can also damage your health. Water described as hard contains significant amounts of dissolved calcium and magnesium, and although some people would argue that a high intake of calcium and minerals in water is not detrimental to our health, it certainly becomes frustrating when it comes to washing clothes, taking a shower and maintaining plumping. Limescale can quickly build up, ruining the look of your home and adding to your chores.
Problems With Hard Water
When we talk about hard water, we are also referring to the high levels of magnesium found in tap water. According to the World Health Organization, drinking water with a high level of magnesium and sulfate, above 250mg/I, can have a laxative effect. (1) So we do know that hard water can negatively impact the body, but what else can it do! There is also research that indicates that hard water can cause skin irritations and trigger Eczema. Using tap water is an essential part of many American’s skincare routine but if the water from your tap is hard, it could actually be damaging your skin and causing breakouts. In fact, women from Paris claim to use micellar water over tap water at home during their skincare routine, due to the city’s poor water quality, and Korean women apparently use sparkling bottled water to achieve a youthful glow. (2)
In the US, many water sources are being polluted by companies, yet no action has been taken to stop this from happening. According to a recent article, over the past three years, two businesses in Iowa have repeatedly informed the state that they’ve exceeded the amount of pollution allowed to discharge into the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, yet a national environmental group claims nothing has been done to clean the water or take action against the businesses. (3) Could you imagine cleansing your face with this water, or brushing your teeth! Thankfully, most water in the US comes from a groundwater supply, which means the water has passed through soil, rocks and stones. When this process takes place, small amounts of naturally-occurring minerals can dissolve into the water, making it hard.
Not only can hard water cause problems with our skin, but it can also prevent soaps and body wash from lathering, cause shower screens to become cloudy and allow limescale to easily build up on kettles, showerheads and taps. If you think the water from your tap is hard and contains a high level of calcium and magnesium, you should first investigate using the water hardness scale and taking a look at a water map.
How To Measure Water Hardness
Hard water as we’ve just mentioned is caused when compounds of calcium and magnesium and other elements are present and dissolved in water. This can happen
The guidelines to identify whether you have hard water are as follows:
O to 60 mg/L (milligrams per litre) is soft water.
61to 120 mg/L is moderately hard water.
121 to 180 mg/L is hard water.
181 mg/L or more is considered very hard water.
So ideally, you should have 0 to 60 mg/L flowing from your taps at home for a good quality of water to clean, cook and drink. Anything above this will be considered hard water.
Check Poor Water Quality By Postcode
To test poor water quality, you can contact the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Do this if you experience a bad taste, notice a strange color or odour, or you have a limescale problem. If your home is using a private water source, it’s recommended that you test your water every year to ensure it’s not contaminated from bacteria, nitrates and high concentrations of calcium and magnesium.
Alternatively, you can also take a look at the EPA, interactive water map, My Waterway. This clever interactive water map has been designed to provide the general public with key data in relation to local waters based on the states, federal, tribal, local agencies provided to EPA. Water quality information is free to access and you’ll be able to search using your address or zip code. This simple and free to use water map will help to give you a good indication on whether your state, city or town has hard water or soft water.
How To Change Hard Water To Soft Water
So, let’s say you use the interactive EPA water map and discover your area has poor water quality. What can you do to resolve the issue yourself and what are your options in terms of a long term resolution to improve hard water? First, we’ll address some simple tricks to remove calcium from your water and improve hard water at home.
1: Boil hard water in a kettle or pan. This is a quick solution while you’re trying to figure out how to improve the poor water quality, and it will at least help you to drink and cook with softer water in the meantime. Boiling hard water will help to remove some of the calcium, but not all. It should also help to slightly improve the taste too.
2: Use distilled white vinegar. To help remove hard water stains around your bathroom and kitchen. Apply a little distilled white vinegar using a damp cloth to remove limescale and scum.
3: Add washing soda to the laundry. When cleaning clothes, use washing soda to help make your water softer and cleaning clothes more effective.
For a more permanent solution to treat poor water quality, you can invest in a water softener system, which can be installed in your home to provide soft water at all times. At FilterSmart we specialise in helping American families enjoy clean, clear, soft water. Our powerful water filtration systems can replace old salt-based softeners, or upgrade your home with a brand new water softener system so that you can drink, clean and wash with mineral-rich, no sodium water. You can say goodbye to soap scum, limescale and breakouts, and enjoy how water is supposed to be! For more information about our natural coconut shell filtration system, visit our website.
References:
1:https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/hardness.pdf
2: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/skincare/a32738982/can-tap-water-damage-skin/
3:https://eu.desmoinesregister.co
