Hard water is the enemy of your home and wallet let us tell you more....
Hard water. AKA, the enemy of all households. It wreaks havoc on your home and your
finances and can feel like a never-ending nightmare to deal with. All is not lost however.
Every villain has their superhero nemesis and in the case of hard water, your local AIWSE
expert is here to save the day.
If you’ve ever noticed your household surfaces covered in water marks or your taps and
appliances riddled with limescale, you are living in a hard water area. Not just unsightly
however, hard water can cause a whole host of problems for you and your property.
So what is hard water doing to your home?
●No Lather
Have you noticed that it can take a lot of shampoo or soap to do the job when taking a
shower? This is because the high mineral content of hard water does not combine well with
soaps and detergents, making it harder to create a nice bubbly lather. This will mean that
you will need to buy toiletries far more often, which can prove costly.
●Soap scum
As mentioned above, hard water does not combine well with detergents meaning that you
will get a build up of soap scum on surfaces as the water is not able to fully rinse away the
residue. Not only does this not look too good, it also creates more work for you to keep
things clean.
●Water marks
Likewise, you will see water marks on the surfaces around your home that have come into
contact with hard water. These stains appear when tap water evaporates, leaving behind the
magnesium and calcium minerals that it contains.
●Limescale
The main unmistakable sign on your surfaces that hard water has been present is the build
up of limescale. Limescale is formed when the magnesium and calcium in hard water comes
into contact with heat, creating a hard chalky substance. Limescale is notoriously difficult to
remove, requiring a lot of hard work and harsh chemicals. Not just in the places that you can
see, limescale will also build up in water-consuming appliances and plumbing fixtures,
potentially reducing both efficiency and life expectancy.
●High Utility Bills
When limescale builds up within your pipework, your water usage will go up as pipes will
have to work harder to allow the flow of water through. Water using appliances such as
dishwashers and washing machines will end up having to push themselves more, leading to
an increase in the amount of water usage. Hard water will also have an effect on your
energy usage. The average household in a hard water area will gain at least 1.5mm of scale
building within its internal plumbing over a year. As scale is an insulator, the heat of your
system will be transferred less effectively. This means that a greater amount of energy is
required. A build up of just 1.5mm is enough to reduce your heating efficiency by at least
12% meaning much larger energy bills. Not good!
●Appliance lifespan
Household appliances don’t come cheap so the last thing you want to be doing is having to
constantly repair or replace them. Hard water can cause scale build-up on water-using
appliances such as your washing machine, dishwasher and kettle, reducing their lifespan
and energy efficiency. The most important household appliance of all is your boiler. Boilers
can be expensive to replace. It’s worth noting that in addition to saving energy, softened
water is expected to preserve your boiler’s lifespan to the standard 15 years.
●Dull Fabrics
The fast way to faded, dull and rough fabrics is by washing with hard water. The high levels
of magnesium and calcium in hard water can prevent the laundry detergent from being
properly rinsed out, leaving a build up on the surface and your fabrics looking old before
their time.
●Itchy skin
When you live in a hard water area, the mineral content of your water supply is very high.
While water is supposed to hydrate the skin, it has the opposite effect when your water is
hard, causing itchy skin and dry hair. Not only will these minerals clog your pores and dry
skin, water containing these will also not work too well with soap, leaving a film on your skin
which is difficult to rinse away. This residue on your skin will irritate it and result in excessive
dryness and roughness. Hard water can also block pores causing blackheads and
inflammation and exacerbate skin conditions such as eczema.
Thankfully the answer to all of your hard water woes is having a water softener installed in
your home. Home water filtration systems are not usually covered by your general plumber
so it's always the best idea to call the experts in for the finest results. This is where your
local AIWSE member can come to your rescue. All AIWSE members are independent so can
give you fully impartial advice on the perfect water softener for your home. As water
softener specialists, you will be guaranteed a professional service from start to finish as well
as quality products, installations and servicing. We have AIWSE superheroes based all
around the UK so just a quick phone call to your nearest member and you can be on your
way to banishing the effects of hard water from your home for good.
