Is Softened Water Environmentally Friendly?

11 reasons to go green and enjoy the benefits of a water softener

What comes to mind when the term “soft water” is mentioned? Most times it’s plush, fluffy towels and silky smooth hair. And even though these are a few of the great benefits that soft water households experience, there are also many environmental and cost-savings benefits as well.

Let’s begin by explaining a hard water system vs. a soft water system. Hard water systems contain minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which can cause calcium build up and scaling on your shower, faucets, and shower head. Hard water is also tough on your skin, hair, and clothing, which is why many households install water softeners (which infuse water with sodium ions in order to soften it) to eliminate hard minerals from the water.

Having an efficient water softener in your home will leave your hair soft, smooth, and bright and your skin soft, supple, and well moisturized. It will also drastically reduce the maintenance costs of your household plumbing and keep household appliances running well over the long-term due to less scale build-up. Do some research with some water softener reviews.

When you eliminate hard water by installing a water softener or soft water system in your home, all occupants will reap the health and cost benefits almost immediately.

Here are 11 reasons why soft water is more environmentally friendly for your home:

1. Clothes and linens washed in soft water come out of the laundry softer and cleaner due to reduction in mineral build-up.

2. You will also use less detergent as soap suds more effectively in soft water.

3. A water softener saves you money cleaning supplies—like soaps, detergents, and cleaning sprays

4. Soft water helps household appliances—like the washer, dishwasher, and coffee maker—run much more efficiently, which saves money on energy consumption and replacement costs, and reduces waste.

5. Soft water is gentle on your plumbing fixtures—such as kitchen and bathroom faucets—reducing in no calcium scale build-up.

6. Soft water usage reduces your household’s carbon footprint by increasing the efficiency of home heating technologies.

7. A water heater used with soft water requires significantly less energy compared to one used with hard water.

8. Reduced scale buildup resulting from soft water use greatly reduces your family’s risk of pathogenic microorganism exposure (from scale build up) and bacteria are literally washed down the drain.

9. Pathogenic microorganisms which build up and attach to faucets and shower heads in homes with hard water systems have been directly linked to pulmonary problems.

10. Soft water makes a dramatic difference everywhere you use water—i.e., you’ll have fewer instances of clogged pipes, less instance of tubs and showers covered in soap scum, water, and rust stains, and there will be fewer spots on dishes and glasses.

11. Overall, your house will take less time, chemical cleaning products, and effort to keep clean.

About The Author
Heidi D Dempsey is an environmental advocate, a dedicated mom of two boys, a loving wife, and a staff writer for ApronAddicts.com, a website dedicated to the love of cooking and looking good while you do it! You can often find her getting creative in the kitchen as she whips up something yummy in one of her flirty, color coordinated aprons.