What Problems are Caused by Hard Water?
• Hard water causes many household problems costing consumers millions of dollars annually in cleaning, maintenance, and replacement of pipes, fixtures, and appliances from scale corrosion and clogging. • In addition to limiting their life, SCALE build-up in hot water heaters decreases their efficiency by requiring more energy to heat the water. • Cleaning problems from detergents not fully removing dirt: Clothes feel rough; dishes and glassware are spotted; shower doors, walls and bathtubs retain soap scum; hair is dry and looks dull, and skin has a film of sticky soap curd. The film may prevent removal of dirt and bacteria and lead to skin irritation.
Hard water interferes with all types of cleaning tasks. Cleaning problems arise when cleaning agents do not fully remove dirt. Over time, clothes washed in hard water may look dingy and feel harsh and scratchy. White clothing continually washed in hard water will gradually show a grayish tinge. Dishes and glassware washed in dishwashers using hard water may be spotted when dry. Glass shower doors, walls and bathtub surfaces will become filmy. Hair washed in hard water may feel sticky and look dull. Regular soaps used in hard water combine with the hardness minerals to form soap curds or soap scum. Soap scum is difficult to remove from sinks and appliances. Household appliance performance may be affected by hard water use. For example, when heated, calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate are removed from the water and produce a scale buildup in the hot water heater. A large buildup of scale slows the heating process and requires more energy to heat water; water heaters with large accu
