To deal with hard water, you have to use either a water softener or a water filter. There are three different types of water filters: precipitating, non-precipitating, and mechanical.
Precipitating water filters work by putting a solution into a bunch of water that you are using. If your are doing the laundry, put it into the washer. If you are washing dishes, put it into your washing machine. When you run the machine, the solution mixes with the water and the minerals in it to create non soluble particles that have the Ca and Mg ions in it. After things have been washed in the water with these separated particles, they have to be washed to get the particles off. This keeps the particles from hurting the clothes and dishes. The bad side is that the particles make the water cloudy, they can cling to the fabric of clothes. If this happens, the deposit can make the fabric harsh and it can also change certain dyes.
Non-precipitating water softeners are also solutions that you put into the water. These break up the minerals in the water and keep them from depositing on the clothes, dishes, or whatever is in the water. Because this type of water softener holds the minerals, there is no need to rinse things after they have been washed to get particles off of them. Non-precipitating water softeners have less disadvantages to them than precipitating water softeners and they can even deal with the problems that precipitating water softeners create. They are able to restore colors and fabrics to their original state by taking the Ca and Mg from them , and the water stays clear.
back to chemx homepage
