Living with Hard Water

When we moved from the PNW to Utah I had no idea what hard water was. I thought that our rental home at the time had a contaminated or broken freezer because every time we would have ice in a drink, the ice would melt and there would be giant flakes floating around in the drink. Eventually we realized that what we were seeing were in fact hard water particulates being released from their frozen form.

Hard water is excess build up of magnesium And calcium in city drinking water. Hard water is completely safe for human and animal consumption. however it does create quite a few problems around the house. Hard water leaves white build up on shower and sink heads and any appliance that uses hot water or heating coils to heat water. I have to spray and clean my pots and pans, dishwasher, Keurig, tea kettle, combs & brushes, shower head, and sink heads with a vinegar solution a few times a month. My hair begins to form a thick layer of, for a lack of better word, clay which is easily visible on my brushes and combs.

Living with hard water means that I have to be more vigilant about always using rinse aid in the dishwasher so that calcium doesn’t start collecting on the dishes as they dry. It means I have to be sure to check the dishwasher spray arms for calcium build up which leads to water occlusions and dirty dishes. I have to deep soak and clean everything with vinegar!

What Does and Does Not Work for Hard Water…

#1. Filters- Fail

I understand the thought processing of “ I am just going to buy a filter for my shower head”. Like many I too had this idea however I have since learned that what doesn’t work in hard water situations is installing FILTERS! See a filter uses a carbon based disk, cylinder, rocks, etc.. inside of a container that water passes through. These carbon FILTERS are designed to only catch large debris and not the smaller sized magnesium and calcium.

While Water softeners do successfully remove the hard water particulates they also create an enormous salt contamination into the soil which eventually can be carried back to the city drinking water. Water softeners work by exchanging ions between the salt and the hard water particulates thus removing them from the water and replacing it with the salt ions. Therefore filters will never and can never truly “soften” water or remove hard water, that just isn’t what they are designed to do.

A great example of Carbon filters are the very ones commonly found inside of your pets circulating water dish. The filters work great at catching fur and food debris. Carbon filters can also be found inside of the inline refrigerator water supply line filter. Filters are intended to improve the taste of water by removing large contaminants or debris. Anyone living with hard water and uses a fountain based pet water dish can agree that the hard water build up is not stopped by the use of a filter! In fact I stopped using my pet fountain until we can subscribe for water delivery free from hard water contaminants.

#2. Hard Water Removal Hair Treatment-Success

Update: I may never have to buy Malibu again! See my Shampoo Bars experience.

To wash my hair I have been using a weekly hard water shampoo treatment, Malibu, which seems to help but also creates a lot of packaging waste. Eric showers and washes his hair daily thus leaving me with a disproportionate amount of conditioner to shampoo. He can use an entire bottle of shampoo in just under a month while the conditioner lasts around 6 months.

If you find that you have a layer of clay or grease to your hair then hit the “Reset” by using the Malibu shampoo, conditioner, and hard water remover packets. I have used this product for over a year and it descales my hair every time. I have gone three weeks between uses but during normal times when I am washing my hair four times a week I have to use this on a weekly basis.

#3. Soap based Shampoo Bars-Fail

I ignorantly bought shampoo and conditioner bars on sale without giving much thought to what I was buying. After looking at the Ingredients list I realized that they lacked surfactants and weren’t going to work at cleaning our hair any better than our current shampoos. The bars I bought contain palm oil and Shea butter which are two products that are in my regular shampoos and conditioners and are horrific for those of us living with increased hard water levels. These Ingredients act as a magnet and attract the hard water particulate build up in the hair and scalp. This leads to the clay like residue found on combs and brushes and the increase in oily looking and feeling hair.

These “natural” based products will in fact leave one feeling dirty and greasy!

#4. Daily Shower Cleaning Spray– Success

This has been a huge success at combating hard water build up on my shower tile. Soap scum from body wash, shampoo, and conditioners seem build up quickly in a hard water shower. Since deep cleaning my shower and tub we have used this after every shower and it has led to a dramatic reduction in the frequency of cleaning. I noticed a huge improvement combating the soap scum build up.