Hard water contains chemicals such as calcium, magnesium, and Iron. These have negative effects on your plumbing, clothes, hair, and dishes. These chemicals will clog your plumbing, causing it to work harder and use more energy.
Hard water does not lather easily, making you use more detergent, dish-washing liquid, and soap. It will form scales in your kettles and stains on your plates, glasses, and cutlery.
To counter negative effects of hard water, many households choose to install water softening systems in their homes. But are there health benefits to water softener system installation?
Sodium
Soft water systems work by exchange where they eliminate calcium and magnesium from the water while introducing sodium. Your body needs a certain dose of this mineral.
If you have a deficiency, it could be beneficial to your health to take soft water. Unless you are on a low sodium diet, drinking soft water will not harm you. In any case, the amount of sodium you take in when you drink the water is minimal.
Your Hair and Skin
Hard water will make it more difficult to keep your hair clean as the shampoo does not lather easily. Also, the chemicals from the water will lodge in your hair, making it coarse and hard to manage.
With soft water, you can wash your hair more thoroughly without leaving any chemical residue in your hair.
As far as your skin is concerned, hard water leaves scum on your skin after your bath. Over time, this will clog pores, making you prone to skin irritation and bacterial infections. Soft water will also reduce the effects of acne and eczema.
Mineral Deprivation
Contrary to popular belief, taking soft water does not deprive you of the calcium and magnesium that is found in hard water.
Some experts believe that the calcium and magnesium in hard water have no health benefit as it is inorganic. As such, it will first need to be taken in by plants before it can be beneficial to humans.
Disease
Soft water may help keep away disease. Though the results are still inconclusive, some studies have linked the use of hard water to Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
In the debate pitting hard, soft water against hard water, there are no clear benefits of hard water apart from calcium and magnesium intake. And even this claim is being questioned.
Soft water, on the other hand, offers benefits to your plumbing, energy and detergent costs but also to your hair, skin, and maybe more.