What is hard water?
The term “hard water” is used to describe water that has dissolved different minerals into itself. Two of the most common minerals that make hard water are calcium and magnesium. These minerals get into the water by being near places where water runs so that it gets dissolved and carried by the water. Water is polar, so it easily dissolves other polar substances and single elements by attracting them to the side of the water that has the opposite charge of the substance.
What does hard water do/ How does it affect us?
Hard water is safe to drink but it can damage things that you wash in it. Depending on how hard the water is clothes can become dingy, scratchy, and dull, while dishes might become spotted when they are dry because the minerals are left on the substances. When you wash your hair in hard water, it can begin to feel sticky and look dull because soap and shampoo react with the minerals in the water to make a sticky soap curd that is hard to get rid of. Hard water also leaves deposits on the pipes, faucets, and sinks which can decreases how well they work and greatly decrease their lives.
How can you tell if you have hard water?
You can tell if you have hard water if you start to experience some of the problems that I have mentioned above or you can have it tested by experts. The experts can tell how hard your water by measuring the total amount of calcium and magnesium in the water. Because the calcium usually gets into water from CaCO3 (limestone), they report the hardness of water as parts per million of CaCO3. The larger the number, the harder the water. The hardness of water is not measured in ppm of CaMg(CO3)2 (dolimitic limestone where the Mg in water comes from) because people only knew that Ca made water hard, so that is what they tested for. Now, they do measure both minerals.
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