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If it’s difficult to get laundry bright and mineral scale tends to build up around faucets, drains, bathtubs and shower enclosures, your area probably has hard water. Hard water contains a high amount of dissolved minerals and metals such as iron, manganese, copper and others. Rust spots appearing on clothing or porcelain are another telltale sign of hard water.
To improve laundry results, increase the amount of detergent you use and add a powdered water softener to the wash water in each load. Water softener is sold in the laundry-detergent sections of stores and supermarkets. Follow label instructions to obtain the best results.
Hard water also makes it difficult to work soaps and shampoos into a good lather. For personal cleanliness as well as better drinking water and brighter clothes, the permanent solution is to have a water-softening system installed as part of your home’s plumbing. Water softeners use salts, which must be replenished on a regular basis, to remove the minerals before water reaches faucets and other taps. Installation is best left to a licensed plumber because local building codes may require a permit for this work. A professionally installed water softener will cost $500 to $1,000 depending on both how many faucets you have and the extent of the plumbing work necessary for installation.
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