If you live in London, East Anglia or central and southern England, hard water is a fact of life. Though some counties have harder water than others, in general, households in the eastern half of England have to deal with the consequences of hard water on a daily basis. Not only can hard water damage your fixtures and fittings, it can also have an impact on your health. Keep reading to find out what hard water really means for your home and how you can banish it forever.

What is hard water?

Water is an incredibly good solvent. As it percolates through the chalk and limestone hills that dominate the south and east of England, it picks up calcium and magnesium carbonates. As this ‘hard water’ runs through the pipes, taps and showers in our homes, deposits of these minerals are left behind to form a hard white coating.

Implications of hard water

Like Brian Oram says: “hard water interferes with almost every cleaning task from laundering and dishwashing to bathing and personal grooming”. Hard water can cause mineral deposits to build up on kettles, sinks, taps, bath tubs and shower walls. Hair washed in hard water can look dull and feel sticky, dishes and glasses can appear spotted even when they’ve been thoroughly washed and clothes may not wash as efficiently in hard water areas.

As a result of mineral deposits, the flow of water in pipes can be reduced causing clogged drains. What’s more, as it takes more energy to heat pipes covered in mineral deposits, hard water can have an impact on your electricity bills. People living in hard water areas often find they need to use more detergent in their washing machines and the water can often irritate skin conditions like eczema.

How to tackle hard water

If you live in a hard water area, there are ways to minimise its impact and ensure it doesn’t negatively impact your lifestyle. A good quality water softener will remove many of the mineral deposits contained in your mains supply, leaving you with soft, lime scale free, water to enjoy.

These water softeners can be connected to your mains system, giving you soft water in all your appliances and freeing you from the problems associated with hard water areas. If you’d like to find out more about how a water softener can benefit your life, or if you’re interested in the impact of hard water, explore our site or get in touch with a member of our team.

[Photos by com77380 and tookapic]