You know you have hard water when you still feel the presence of something on your skin after you shower or wash your hands. The feeling has been described as slimy, sticky and scaly. This means more soap used while cleaning, dryer skin after washing, and more scale buildup across your home, which you’ll notice in places everywhere from your water pipes to your kitchen faucet.

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Hard water feels this way because of its high mineral count. Before reaching your city’s water treatment center, water naturally absorbs calcium and magnesium as it travels. Some areas have higher counts of these minerals than others. 

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Beyond making your skin feel sticky, there are several other effects of hard water:

• Leftover residue collects in your shower and other water-using appliances

• Scale buildup on faucets and drains

• Duller clothes and laundry that feels crunchy and worn

• Soap doesn’t lather properly as hard water interferes with its activation

• Higher energy bills because the scale in pipes makes heating your water take more time

• Lower water pressure

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The only hard water solution that will save you time and money is buying a replacement water softener. But simply going to the store and buying the first thing you see isn’t the answer.