[quote=zk] But the thing I like the most about a water softener is that soft water is much easier on my skin. I don’t like walking around with soap scum on me, which is uncomfortable and seems to dry my skin, especially on my face.[/quote]
I have a water softener in my Vegas house (came with it)… and the water feels slick and slimy.
As was mentioned, water softeners are bad for the environment. There’s lots of literature on that.
I find that cleaning the shower area with lime away and a good degreaser (from the auto section at Costco) is the easiest way. Soap scum is just oil/grease from the soap.
Vinegar cuts mineral residue but not grease.
I don’t think vinegar should be used on granite/stone and wood. OK on ceramic/porcelain.
Did you notice that some people/cleaning services always use too much scouring power and they wear off the chrome and fiberglass surfaces. Thankful, I don’t have fiberglass but I notice that a lot in hotels and in other people’s houses.
[quote=treehugger]Water softners are banned in many municipalities and becoming an even greater problem in the Southern Cal (not sure how other water districts regulate this, we have not been effective and are conducting more research and public outreach).
When the systems regenerate, they flush salty wastewater into the sewer system, which can end up in the waterways, rivers, and Ocean the by products (chlorides) are problematic). Many areas recycle the water. The extra salinity – much of it added by water softeners – causes problems. That means it may have to be treated at the wastewater plant(at taxpayer expense). Be aware that often, if you use salt system you can’t water your yard and may need to install a by pass. Also elderly folks or people with medical conditions may want to avoid for health reasons.
In the water industry we are struggling with the issue. We build water treatment plants that reduce the natural hardness of the water, but people still like the “soft” water for their skin and hair and that is just not possible for us to achieve. Benefit of hard water is that it tastes better! Soft water does not taste good.
Vinegar is great for removing the hard water deposits and environmentally/pocket book friendly.[/quote]
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