Water, water everywhere…..and not all of it is the same.
That’s right, a number of factors — such as geographical location, the condition of your area’s plumbing system, and how the water has been treated — determine the kind of water that you receive in your pipes at home. Now, if you, like us, also value the importance of a refreshing and calming shower, you’ll know that hard water tends to ruin the experience.
So, let’s find out how you can change hard water to soft water for your shower.
What is Hard Water? Why Is It an Issue?
To understand why hard water is an issue, let’s figure out exactly what hard water is. It's important to know the difference between hard water and soft water!
Essentially, water that contains high levels of calcium and magnesium salts — along with other minerals and metals — is known as hard water. These minerals can cause a variety of problems, such as making it tough to get soap to lather due to soap scum, leaving hard-to-remove deposits on plumbing fixtures, causing allergies, and making it difficult to clean clothing efficiently.
While hard water isn't exactly harmful to your health (it can often be safe to drink!), it can undoubtedly be a nuisance when it comes to bathroom-related activities. In particular, hard water can cause skin and hair issues, such as allergies, rashes, and dryness.
The calcium in hard water settles on the skin and clogs pores, leading to several of the issues we just listed out. It can also make the hair lose its natural lustre and softness.
Besides, with hard water, you will need to make use of more soap in order to properly clean yourself. Water with such high mineral content can also damage your bathroom fittings, shower accessories, walls, tiles, and floor.
All in all, hard water makes it hard to enjoy a soothing shower!
It’s also important to know that there are two types of water hardness — temporary hardness and permanent hardness.
Temporary hardness is due to calcium and magnesium carbonates and bicarbonates; this type of hardness can easily be dealt with. On the other hand, permanent hardness is caused by calcium and magnesium sulfates and chlorides and is tougher to combat.
Finally, soft water is water that has been treated and is largely devoid of the minerals mentioned above. In fact, soft water is the preferred option in most homes, commercial spaces, and industrial setups because it doesn’t cause damage to equipment or leave behind buildup.
A shower with soft water is certainly better than a shower with hard water, as the former is gentle on skin, hair, clothes, and plumbing.
How to Turn Hard Water into Soft Water
Rest assured, there are various ways to turn hard water into soft water for your shower or bath. We’ve delved into some of them below. Go through all the methods, and see which one suits your requirements and conditions the most.
1. Boil Water Before You Shower
This step is certainly the least practical, but it works for the temporary hardness of water. However, if the water supplied to your house is permanently hard, then boiling will, unfortunately, be of no help. To determine the kind of hardness that your water supply falls under, simply buy a hard water testing kit. Test the water before and after boiling to determine whether the hardness has reduced. If it is a case of temporary hardness, boiling can be helpful.
2. Add Baking Soda to Water
A temporary fix, but one that works. In a bathtub, add around ½ cup of baking soda. Although baking soda cannot soften the water fully, it, being alkaline, changes the pH of hard water to make it more suitable for skin and hair. Of course, the problem with this method is that you won’t exactly be able to enjoy a shower, since you’ve to make use of a bathtub.
You can also use baking soda to descale your dirty shower head and clean your glass shower doors.
3. Use Apple Cider Vinegar
This step will help you combat the effects of hard water post showering.
Take bottled water and add around two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to it. Use this as a final rinse for yourself after showering. Apple cider vinegar is highly acidic, good for skin and hair, and great at removing the buildup left behind by hard water. Additionally, you can also add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to your bath. And don’t worry about the pungent smell, it evaporates after a while!
You can also use vinegar to clear your clogged shower heads!
4. Install a Water Softener System
A home water softener system will combat hard water — yes, especially water that is permanently hard — for you every day. Although this purchase will leave your wallet considerably lighter, it’s an effective way to turn hard water into soft water. You can either choose an ion-exchange water softener, which is the most commonly used system, or a salt-free system, often called a water conditioner. Reach out to your plumber to decide which system will work best for you.
5. Install a Shower Head with a Hard Water Filter
To get soft water in your shower, it’s best to tackle the shower head itself. Installing a high-quality shower head with an in-built hard water filter will ensure that you get soft water every time you shower. Clearly, having a shower water softener inside the shower head is the easiest way to deal with hard water. This will help you embrace soft skin, healthy hair, and clean a bathroom environment whilst saving you lots of time and money in the long run.
And who knows best about multi-function shower heads if not StoneStream?
The Best Way to Combat Hard Water
By now, you must have realised that successfully dealing with hard water is no small feat. It is incredibly challenging to find easy and convenient ways to turn hard water into soft water at home for the shower.
However, we assure you that StoneStream shower heads are truly the best way to combat hard water in the shower. So, if you’re for a water softener shower head, you’ve come to the right place.
The three types of germanium stones inside StoneStream shower heads create an effective filtration system that softens hard water, giving you a soothing experience every time you hop in for a shower.
With our filtered shower head for hard water, you can truly experience spring-like water wherever you are. No more wasting of soap, no more flaky skin, no more brittle hair, no more pesky limescale, and no more unsightly water spots!
Additionally, StoneStream’s Universal Shower Hard Water Filter is one of the best shower filters for hard water and makes use of a 15-stage filtration process so as to expertly get rid of impurities such as chlorine, bacteria, dirt, rust, sand, limescale, and heavy metals.
We prioritise efficiency and affordability, so you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank. Plus, StoneStream shower heads are eco-friendly — you can enjoy soft water whilst saving water. Seriously, our shower heads are way better than traditional shower heads!
Check out our website today for a high-quality hard water shower head and say goodbye to hard water in the shower forever!