The Benefits of Owning a Water Softener: What’s in it for You?

Why should you bother with a water softener? What benefits do you gain? When you’re spending a significant amount of money on a product, these are two important questions.  Let’s look at the benefits of owning a water softener to help in your buying decision. Even if you know the benefits and you’re replacing a broken or old salt-based softener, you’ll still find some useful advice to help with your next purchase.  Water softeners are designed to tackle the problem of hard water in your home. This hard water causes a range of problems; inefficient household appliances, white scale build-up around shower heads and faucets, white spots on glassware and dishes, reduced effectiveness of soaps and detergents, clogged pipes and increased utility bills.Using a water softener gives you a range of benefits that will directly make your life easier and undoubtably save you money in the long run.  So what are these benefits? Well…

Would you like your expensive appliances to last longer?

The heating elements in all your appliances that heat water (water heaters, washer/dryers, dishwashers, coffee machines etc) end up covered in limescale caused by your hard water. This means the element has to work much harder to heat your water – increasing your electricity bills and significantly reducing the life of your machine.

Would you like to remove the ugly, crusty white scale around your home?

Limescale is so hard to scrub off. As the minerals deposit from the water out of your faucets and into your bathtub and sinks, you end up with ugly stains everywhere. It makes cleaning the bathroom and kitchen a nightmare. With a water softener you’ll no longer get these stains, you can spray and wipe clean with ease, saving you hours each week.

Fed up with embarrassing white spots on your dishes when guests visit?

We’ve all been there: you have guests for dinner and as you offer them a welcome drink you pull out a glass from the cupboard stained with white spots. You know it’s clean and that it’s the hard water stains, but you can’t help but re-rinse the glass or apologize and explain to your guests.  A water softener tackles that problem head on. Removing or neutralizing the minerals in your hard water will mean you can have dishes and glasses that sparkle when you wash them.

You’d like to spend less on soaps and detergents each year, right?

Hard water prevents soaps and detergents from lathering up properly, whether that’s when laundering clothes or when you’re in the shower. This means you need to use more of them to get the desired effect, costing you more money. Using a water softener means soaps and detergents work how they were meant to. And, using less of them is not just good on your pocket, it’s better for the environment too.

Do you wonder why your clothing seems to get that worn look so quickly?

Because soaps and detergents do not work as well in hard water areas, you either end up washing your clothes more often or at higher temperatures. Either way, it has the effect of reducing the life of your clothes. Before you know it they have that washed-a-million-times look and get chucked in the back of the wardrobe. With a water softener, your appliances and detergents will be more efficient so you can wash on lower temperatures. Clothes will keep that fresh out-of-the-shop look for much longer.

Did you know that hard water is clogging your pipes?

Not all the problems you experience because of hard water are visible. Like cholesterol plaque  builds up in your arteries unseen, hard water minerals collect on the inside of pipes, building up until they clog and restrict the water flow.  This agains makes appliances inefficient and can reduce the water pressure when you’re taking a shower. You’ve probably experienced that dribble of water masquerading as a shower, thin streams of water spraying off in odd directions. A water softener will stop this and give you the powerful and refreshing shower that you need to get you started in the morning.

Probably a stupid question, but do you want to spend less on your utility bills?

Of course you do. Who doesn’t. If you’re converting from a salt-based water softener you’ll be using up to 4 times less water. Salt softeners also use electricity, so if you’re moving to a salt-free system you see a reduction in your electricity bill too. Improved efficiencies in your appliances will also keep this bill lower.  You’ll also use less water cleaning around the home. Instead of scrubbing away limescale for minutes at a time, you’ll be able to wipe clean in seconds.

Want to have softer skin and hair?

When you wash with hard water, those same minerals that cause white scale deposits around your home are being left on your skin and hair. You may have noticed that when you get out of the shower there’s a thin film left behind on you. You’re clean but you feel that you still need a rinse. A water softener will mean you leave the house with soft skin and hair, feeling clean and fresh for the day ahead.

Would you like to do your bit for the environment?

We’re all trying to do our bit, but often it’s a lack of knowledge about the harm we’re doing more than a disregard for the environment. After all, we all want our kids to live in a healthy world.If you currently use a salt-based softener you need to know it releases a salty brine into our rivers and waterways, affecting plants and animals in our ecosystems – even damaging your local farmer’s crop yields. Owning a salt-free water softener will help you reduce your environmental impact.

Do you want more money to spend on the things that matter to you?

That’s another obvious question. Of course you do. There’s no denying that initially a water softener is going to cost you, but in the long run a water softener will provide you with hundreds of dollars of savings every year. That’s hundreds of dollars you can be putting into funds for college, holidays or retirement security.  If you’re reading this, you’re clearly one of the more savvy consumers. You do your research before buying and you also know the sticker price is not the only cost of ownership. Just make sure to remember that the price is but one factor involved when trying to determine the best water softeners for your home