How To Soften Hard Water For Bathing (Tips & Tricks)

Hard water is not as good for bathing as soft water, but regrettably, most households have hard water. The reason for this is that hard water has a lot of calcium and magnesium ions, whereas soft water has fewer of these minerals.

The calcium and magnesium ions in hard water react with the soap, generating an insoluble combination known as soap scum, which can cause soap and detergent to fail to lather adequately.

This means you’ll need more soap to get clean, and the residual soap scum will leave a white dirty smear around the bathtub.

How to Soften Hard Water for Bathing

If you’ve become aware of these hard water-related issues and are seeking solutions, you might want to consider the following solutions:

Bath oil

Bath oil may also soften water. There is no need to purchase pricey or specialist bath oils when simple baby oil will do the trick. To avoid your hair and body being too oily, add a small amount of oil to your bathwater.

Bath oil has the added benefit of softening and moisturizing your skin. You can enhance this impact by applying bath oil to particularly dry parts of your skin before soaking in the tub.

Specialized bath salts

Some bath salts soften water as well. The package should state whether or not a product softens hard water. Bath salts that are specific hard water additives are manufactured by several companies.

This also has the added benefit of scenting your bathwater. Some data suggests that Epsom salts can also be used as a water softener. Epsom salts have other health benefits, such as reducing bruising and muscle stiffness.

Baking Soda

Adding baking soda to the bath water is one of the most basic methods for dealing with hard water problems. Depending on the hardness of the water, you’ll need anywhere from a teaspoon to a quarter cup of baking soda to effectively soften it.

You can either mix it directly into the bathwater or make a paste (by mixing it with water) first to help it dissolve faster.

Vinegar

Vinegar can also be used to soften the water in your bath. A cup of vinegar added to the bathwater can soften it and assist soften your skin. The disadvantage of using vinegar is that you will most likely smell like vinegar when you get out of the bath.

You can counteract this by rinsing with plain water, but this defeats the objective of preventing hard water from coating your body. You may make up for it by using a highly scented shower gel.

Some of the ways listed above may help your skin and hair feel less dry. However, keep in mind that these are simply temporary solutions. Do you want to have to add bath salts or baking soda to your bath to avoid hard water?

Will you be able to bathe every day, even when you’re pressed for time?

If you replied “no” to these questions and instead want to find a long-term solution that will soften your water throughout your home while maybe increasing your water pressure, then you may want to consider the following options.

Reverse Osmosis (RO System)

One of the most common methods of water filtering is reverse osmosis. To eliminate any silt, water is passed through an extremely thin mesh in this procedure. It is designed to filter out any sediments that cause water hardness.

It is typically used to store drinking water. However, it is increasingly being used on a bigger scale, such as in restrooms.

With varying stages of filtering, reverse osmosis filters water to the finest level. It is typically used in conjunction with baths or faucets. People nowadays; however, prefer to utilize it near water storage tanks and distribution pumps.

This offers soft water to at least 6 people in a home. This means soft water will be available for cooking, drinking, and bathing.

Ion Exchanging

Ion exchange is a non-chemical method of deionizing water. Electricity is utilized in this procedure to remove sediments. This procedure is mostly used for water softening. Furthermore, this process of filtering is thought to be perfect for large-scale filtering.

As a result, it is the finest option for eliminating hardness from bathing water. It is worth noting that this technology was not invented for commercial usage.

Household users, on the other hand, can benefit from this as well. These are designed to be installed near showerheads.

Chelation

Chelation is another way of water purification. This procedure is in charge of conditioning Ions and chemicals that cause hardness. In a nutshell, this approach normalizes the ions that are responsible for water hardness.

People frequently confuse ion exchange and chelation. Ion exchange removes the ions that cause hardness. Chelation, on the other hand, only conditioned hardness, resulting in ion. They are not removed in any way.

This is not a novel procedure. It’s already in use in factories, laundries, and restaurants. It is now widely used in the home.

This approach is also excellent at removing stains. As a result, it is the greatest in every manner. The best aspect about employing Chelation for water softening is that you may still enjoy the qualities of minerals without any negative consequences.

Washing Soda

One of the most cost-effective methods of water softening is to use washing soda. Washing soda is also known as sodium carbonate. Water dissolves sodium carbonate. Calcium and magnesium ions are removed from the water as a result of this process.

It is crucial to note that this procedure is laborious in that washing soda must be added to storage tanks every time they are used.

Furthermore, one must use caution in terms of quantity. 4 ounces per gallon of water can be added. As a result, each change in quantity might have a variety of outcomes.

The resulting solution will be colorless. Furthermore, utilizing washing soda for water softening has various advantages for both the person in the bath and the taps and other objects that may come into contact with the bathwater.

Faucet filter

Faucet filters are the most convenient bathroom accessories. To eliminate impurities or hardness-causing components, many technologies, such as mesh, chemicals, or other biological approaches, are applied. The faucet filter is a low-cost solution.

There are a variety of designs and sizes available to satisfy the user’s aesthetic sensibility. Filtration procedures can be used in a variety of ways.

Aside from a massive one built at the storage tank, this might be the second level of filtration. Faucet filters are best suited for small dwellings with few usage locations.

There is a disadvantage to employing this type of filter. The faucet filter simply protects the user’s skin. It cannot protect pipes from deterioration.

Conclusion

Are water softeners worth it?

Many of the problems that hard water can create in your house can be solved by installing a water softener.

It saves you money on appliances, home upkeep, clothing, detergents, and soaps over time, making it a wise purchase that may wind up paying for itself.

When deciding whether to rent or buy a water softener, the answer is simple: the longer you use your system, the more money you’ll save. If you only need the softener for a short period of time, renting is the ideal solution.

Alternatively, invest in the correct system and reap the benefits for as long as you live in your house.

Consider the following points if you are unsure about the water softening method to utilize.

Keep in mind that water filtering and water softening are not the same thing. Water filters can be used for softening, but only after much investigation.
Changes are noticeable after some time, so don’t be discouraged if you only use it once.
When installing a water softening system, make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Related Post:

Does Water Softener Kill Bacteria?

Bacteria might be hazardous to your health, but they can also be beneficial! Yogurt is formed of bacteria, thus getting rid of all bacteria isn’t always a good idea. Water softeners, sadly, do not eliminate bacteria, but this may not be such a terrible thing.

A water softener works by exchanging hardness-causing ions such as calcium, magnesium, and iron for softer sodium and potassium ions.

The hard minerals in water are not hazardous to your health, but they are an annoyance to the rest of your house.

Consider soap scum around faucets and sinks, faded clothes, straw-like hair, itchy skin, appliances that don’t last long, and utility bills that are more than they should be!

On the contrary, soft water provides so many benefits to your home that even if it does not eliminate bacteria, it certainly does not cause any issues for homeowners.

Does A Water Softener Prevent Water Spots?

Hard water minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium, will leave white patches on surfaces where water has been allowed to evaporate. Water softeners, contrary to popular perception, do not prevent white spots.

Don’t get us wrong: that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest in one, but if you buy a Vitamin C shower filter water softener solely to avoid hard water white spots, you’ll be disappointed.

Do water softeners reduce TDS?

You may be asking why a water softener, which removes minerals like calcium and magnesium, cannot reduce TDS.

Water softeners are intended to minimize the number of hard minerals in the water in your home. Water softeners, on the other hand, do not lower total dissolved solids (TDS).

Contrary to popular assumption, softening does not remove minerals from water. Rather, it trades sodium in almost equal parts for the hardness minerals calcium and magnesium. TDS is a measure of all dissolved materials in water, both inorganic and organic.

Water softeners remove ions such as calcium, magnesium, and iron, but there may be other dissolved substances in the water that leave a film or residue when the water evaporates (creating the water spots).

That means softened water has the same TDS as hard water.

Softened water is unquestionably better for cleaning and bathing and it will help to extend the life of household appliances. The spotting you see from soft water, on the other hand, could be sodium dots. Spots will still appear in softened high TDS water.

The good news is that sodium spotting is easily removed with a towel, whereas hard water spotting, such as soap scum and limescale development, takes hours to remove.

How do you sanitize a water softener?

If you already have a water softener and are concerned that it is contaminated with bacteria, follow these steps to clean it. To counteract hard water, a water softener employs salt stored in a brine tank.

The hardness ions accumulate on the bottom of the tank known as the Resin Bed as hard water enters the softener and runs over the salt bed.

Although salt does not destroy bacteria, you can remove all bacteria from the system by running a bleach or vinegar rinse cycle.

Is It Better To Rent Or Buy a Water Softener?

If you’re going to decide whether to BUY or RENT a water softener, you should know which system is ideal for your home’s demands, what continuing maintenance is required, and the overall costs.

Purchasing a water softener is a significant expense, and not everyone believes they can afford one. Fortunately, you can always rent a water softener, so you won’t have to spend a fortune to reap the benefits of a water system.

Is purchasing or renting the better option for you?

Advantages to Buying

Buying and installing a water softener increases the value of your home, which is significant if you plan to sell it in the future.

Furthermore, owning a water softener allows you to select a system that works for your individual water problems and to take advantage of additional features that make life easier.

Advantage to renting

Renting has the advantage of requiring less commitment if you relocate or dislike the type of system installed. In addition, the contract often covers maintenance and repair expenditures.

If you don’t have the money to put down and don’t want to finance a new water softener, renting may be a viable option.

Disadvantages to renting

You will almost certainly pay a larger overall cost over time. That is, you will pay more than you would have if you had purchased it at the start, yet you would still not possess the softener at the end.