Signs You Need a Water Softening System Water at Home

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Are you ignoring signs that you need a water softening system at home?! Hard water is horrible, wastes money, and is not fun at all. I love the soft water we have now since moving into the Passive-Aggressive House. Soft water makes my life so much easier because EVERYTHING is easier to clean! Honest.

Hard water causes lots of problems in your home and can even cost you quite a lot of money. Here are many signs you need a water softening system at home.

If you’re a loyal reader of my blog, you probably know that we lived in the top of a barn for over two years while we built our new home which we affectionately call the Passive-Aggressive House. The water in the barn was just disgusting. I’ve blogged about the harmful chemicals in our well water, but we also had another problem with the water in our barn – super nasty, over-the-top, HARDER THAN HARD water. Our clean dishes always looked dirty, our clothes were always dingy, and our bathroom was impossible to clean. All these problems were caused by the hard water.

Passive-Aggressive House & Barn Iowa

What is Hard Water Anyway?

According to Wikipedia, hard water is water with a high mineral content and is formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone and chalk on its way into the aquifer. Limestone and chalk are primarily made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates and while not usually harmful to our health, these minerals can be hard on our THINGS.

Hard water causes lots of problems in your home and can even cost you quite a lot of money. Here are many signs you need a water softening system at home.

Signs You Need a Water Softening System Water at Home

Besides the problems with the dishes and laundry, another annoying feature of hard water is a white lime build-up on plumbing fixtures making them almost impossible to clean. We’ve scrubbed and scrubbed the sink in our barn, and can’t get all of the white film off – though it is a lot better now than it ever was when we were living there. The hard water we had in the barn just made every cleaning task harder! It required more soap and more elbow grease too. I already don’t like to clean. Add in hard water? No thank you.

Hard water can also cost you money. It causes build-up of scales in plumbing pipes and fixtures and can reduce the longevity of your appliances including water heaters. And, it is hard on your skin and hair too!

Hard water causes lots of problems in your home and can even cost you quite a lot of money. Here are many signs you need a water softening system at home.

Water Softening System & Morton Salt

The only way we’ve found to make our water is soft is through a water softening system. And this water softening system has been worth every. single. penny. Above is picture of our water softening set-up. We have a pretty complicated water process in our house because not only do we have to take a phenomenal amount of hardness out, we also have to remove a really high level of nitrates and a bunch of other junk to make our water soft and nice and safe.

Morton Water Softening Salt

Curious about the water softening process? In a nutshell, if you have a softener, the water you use passes first through the salt you add to your water softener before it goes to the heater. The Morton salts contain a resin which attract and remove the calcium and magnesium carbonates from your water.  Morton salt comes in easy-to-carry bags that are easy to open and easy to pour into the water softener. Luckily, I do CrossFit, so carrying the bags I picked up with Morton coupons wasn’t a problem. 😀

Master shower in the Passive-Aggressive House

Regularly filling the water softener keeps our water soft and wonderful. It means my clean dishes are actually clean, my clothes aren’t dingy, makes it easier to clean our lovely master bath shower, and we get no nasty build-up on our appliances or in our pipes! I would go crazy for sure if we still lived with the hard water we have in the barn. Two years was long enough! Fortunately, most people’s water is not as bad as ours, but you should still find out if treating your water would make life safer and easier for you!!

Do you know how hard your water is? Share in the comments.

About Michelle Marine

Michelle Marine is the author of How to Raise Chickens for Meat, a long-time green-living enthusiast, and rural Iowa mom of four. She empowers families to grow and eat seasonal, local foods; to reduce their ecological footprint; and to come together through impactful travel.

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6 Comments

  1. I like that you mentioned the cost of hard water. I think most people think that the cost of installing a water softener is the bigger cost, but if you are getting build-up on your fixtures, it can lead to other costly problems down the road. Thus, with the installation of a water softener, you can avoid future issues, and enjoy soft water!

  2. Great post! Many choose to turn a blind eye on the negative effects and costs of hard water. Until a year ago, I was actually one of those people. After needing to have our water fixtures replaced for the 3rd time in 5 years, I finally decided to invest in a water softener. I immediately felt the difference after it was installed!

  3. Hard water is pretty gross, I hate when it stains my sinks. I wasn’t aware that hard water could actually cost me money too, that’s one more reason to get a water softener! I would just feel better all around if my water was softened.

  4. Great post, thank you for the tips. I didn’t realize that white lime buildup on plumbing fixtures was a sign that you needed a water softening system. I will make sure to inspect my fixtures and get the appropriate help.

  5. We live on a farm and our water source is also from a well which was built ages ago. I started noticing white, chalky build-up on our showers and basically wherever water is used. I was a bit wary about the costs of having this kind of system installed in our home but if the benefits outweigh that, then I reckon it’s worth it. Thanks for the great read!