Many of us fail to notice the true benefits of using water softeners in our homes. To many of us, it seems like luxury spending, however if we looked closely at its life-enhancing benefits, we may give water softeners another look. Investing in water softeners could be one of the best decisions you will ever make.

What is ‘hard’ water and ‘soft’ water?

When water is described as being ‘hard’, it means that it contains more minerals than normal water. The most notable minerals are calcium and magnesium. When more calcium and magnesium dissolves, the water becomes harder. If there is a significant amount of calcium and magnesium, it is called hard water. Water softening is used to remove the ions that cause the water to be hard, which usually involve removing calcium and magnesium ions.

Reduction in carbon emissions

Water softeners are not only great for the home, but they are also environmentally friendly, helping to reduce carbon emissions by removing the build up of scale that forms insides pipes and heating systems. The improvement rate was 5.6% according to some tests carried out by the government.

A further benefit to the environment is that using a water softener enables the home user to use less soaps and cleaning products. Water softeners help increase the life-span of various appliances around the house. They also help reduce the number of visits by service engineers to maintain and repair the appliances from the damages of limescale.

Some commentators have questioned the real benefits of water softeners. They call them time-wasters because they use water to regenerate. However it is argued that this is not the case today. The water softener regenerates the effectiveness of the resin used to soften the water by washing it with brine, usually once a day.

In addition, great effort has been made by leading manufacturers to improve its ability to operate on less water usage. Most of the contemporary water softeners meet the Building Research Establishment’s (BRE) Code for Sustainable Homes specification for acceptable performance, which is for regeneration to use no more than 4% of the total amount of softened water the softener produces.

Improvement in lifestyle

Once you begin using water softeners in your home, you will notice a dramatic difference in your general lifestyle. For instance, your shower will not block anymore and your sinks are likely to stay cleaner for longer periods of time. You will notice a reduction in scale, which will keep your boiler running efficiently. Furthermore, your overall hours spent in cleaning will be dramatically cut down as your shower cubicle will stay clean for weeks and need limited polishing up.

Savings in the home

Installing a water softener can enable you to save vast amounts of money on various cleaning products, such as scale removers, shower cleaners, and floor cleaners etc. The most substantial, but perhaps less obvious savings you will make will be on your hot water heating system by removing its scale.

Finally, you should bear in mind that water softeners will not just benefit you economically and environmentally. Once you have experienced the true luxury of washing and showering in scum free water, you won’t be able to go back.