five stage water filter

Hard Water vs. Soft Water - Which Products can I Buy?

Sep 11, 2024

Many people who live in cities across the UK are not aware of the problems that hard water can cause in the home. In case you have never heard of it, hard water is water that is rich in a variety of minerals, including Calcium and Magnesium which makes it very hard to lather - you can use lots and lots of soap without getting any suds. There are additional problems that are caused by hard water:

You have to scrub very hard to get things clean. One by product of hard water is Lime scale - it forms rings on items, and you have to use expensive products to remove them.
Hard water causes massive damage to plumbing systems - it can lead to build up that blocks pipes or worse, holes that lead to major leaks.
Hard water causes skin and hair problems - if you bath in it often you will end up with dry skin and lifeless hair. People who suffer skin problems like acne, eczema and psoriasis are especially advised to avoid it.
You will never have shiny glasses if you wash dishes with hard water - it leaves ugly greyish-white marks that are impossible to get rid of without the use of expensive products. It has the same effect on bathroom tiles.
Your budget for cleaning products will always be higher if your home has hard water - you always use more soap and other cleaning products.

How can you soften hard water?

There are products available on the market that can help you soften hard water and the one that you choose will depend on the severity of the hardness. One is a salt based ion exchange hard water softener. It uses 2 tanks, one which contains special resin beads and the other a salt water solution.

Another is a salt-free water softener, which uses a Potassium Chloride salt substitute. This kind of softener is a good idea for people who are worried about Sodium levels in their blood. These systems typically need to be recharged and this is usually done at night when water isn't needed. Just to be safe you can buy a dual tank water softening unit that can provide you with soft water during the recharge period. Hard water is not bad for your health - in fact it is recommended. That said, if you are worried about the high levels of some of the minerals that it contains you can buy a water filter jug. This is a special type of jug that has a filter that traps all minerals leaving water pure for drinking. It also strips other microorganisms that may cause health problems. One of the best vendors of water filter jugs in the UK is Culligan ZeroWater, and you can see some of their products on their website.

We strongly recommend this brand. Their water filter jugs use a five-stage ion exchange filter that helps soften your drinking water. Culligan ZeroWater's water filter jugs remove contaminants such as Calcium, Magnesium, Mercury and almost all Nitrate compounds. As water flows through the Culligan ZeroWater water filter, it is purified, and most Mercury is removed.