How to Tell If You Have Hard Water (and What to Do About It)
Spotted silverware, discolored laundry, failing appliances, and itchy skin can indicate hard water issues—but there’s an easy fix
If you live in the states of Utah, Kentucky, or Florida, you might find yourself needing to clean your showerhead more often than you’d like to get good water pressure. The culprit: a buildup of limestone in the pipes causing hard water.
Carbon, magnesium, limestone, and other mineral deposits found in hard water are like plaque buildup blocking the blood flow in your arteries. Hard water can also put a damper on the things you love, like your designer skinny jeans, colorful fabrics, and favorite glassware—not to mention your skin, hair, and appliances.
Read on to discover how you can tell if you have hard water in your pipes—and how to fix it.
How to Tell if You Have Hard Water in Your Home
If you live in the U.S., you likely have hard water running through your pipes unless you have a water softener installed. Surprisingly, hard water is present in 80% of American homes.
Although you can do a water test to tell if you have hard water, there are visible signs you can see in your home. Here’s how you can tell if you have hard water in your home.
1. High Utility Bills
A warning sign you have hard water is skyrocketing energy bills. Hard water can clog pipes and lower the efficiency of your water heater.
When hard water gets heated, magnesium and calcium carbonate scale deposits cause the tank to have to work harder to heat water, using more energy and increasing your utility bill.
2. White Spots on Your Coffee Maker
Your morning cup of joe is essential to a productive day. But if you have calcium buildup (you’ll notice the white spots), it can make your coffee take longer to brew—or prevent it from brewing at all.
A quick fix is to run vinegar through your coffee maker. The acidity of the vinegar helps dissolve the mineral particles.
3. Fabrics Fade in the Wash and Detergent Won’t Remove Stains
Color fading might look good on an old, soft pair of jeans, but it can wreak havoc on colorful bedding! The blame: calcium and magnesium in your water.
These minerals prevent detergents from lathering and removing soil and stains. They can even puncture holes in fabrics. Not the look you want on your body and in your home.
4. Itchy, Dry, or Irritated Skin
Have a teen with acne? A spouse with eczema or rosacea? Bathing and washing your face and body in hard water can clog pores, make you itch, and irritate your skin, especially if your skin is fair.
Know that minerals in hard water can exacerbate skin conditions. If you or your family has the itchies and scratchies, it may be time for a water softener.
The calcium and magnesium in hard water can also burn your eyes when they make contact, leave a slime coating on your hands after you wash them, and dry out your hair (even after conditioning!).
5. Scale Deposits, Film, and Soap Scum Residue
A sure sign you have hard water is white scale deposits, film, and soap scum residue found where water evaporates and dries.
They appear as:
Scale deposits on your kitchen and bathroom faucet fixtures
White spots on silverware
Film coating your glassware
Soap scum residue on your bathroom tiles and around your tub
6. Household Appliances Don’t Run Properly
Hard water can take a toll on household appliances, including your dishwasher, water heater, washing machine, and boiler (which costs thousands of dollars to replace).
The sediment that accumulates from hard water mineral deposits not only decreases water flow and clogs valves, but the pH level in the water can cause erosion. This can shorten the life of your appliances 30 times faster than appliances that run on soft water.
7. Frequent Plumbing Problems
Minerals in hard water can build up on the interior of your bathroom appliances, fixtures and pipes. This can create several problems: clogs, reduced water flow, and general stress on your piping system. In addition, the hard minerals can shorten the lifespan of your appliances, as it causes them to work harder to do their job. If you have very hard water, you might find yourself calling a plumber more often than not.
How to Test Water Hardness
There are a few ways to test water hardness, including:
Soap test: The soap test is a low-budget, no-frills way to test your water. You simply fill a glass jar with water from the faucet, add dishwashing liquid (about 10 drops), close the jar, and shake. Wait 10 seconds; if you notice a lot of suds with clear water below the suds, your water is on the softer side. A thin layer of suds and cloudy water beneath indicates hard water.
At-home test kit: Water testing kits are available online and at your local hardware store. Some kits test for contaminants, so make sure that you’re buying one intended to test for water hardness. To use the test kit, you’ll dip a stick (provided by the kit) in a glass of water. Match the color that the stick turns to the guide the kit gave you to see how hard your water is.
Check with your city: Some municipalities post water test results on public websites for local residents.
How to Clean Items Affected by Hard Water
There are several materials—which you likely already have in your home!—that can help remove hard water stains from just about any surface.
Baking soda: Baking soda dissolves calcium deposits and works best as a paste applied to any stains. Mix equal parts water and baking soda or vinegar and baking soda (if the surface can handle vinegar) and apply it to the stain. Allow it to sit for a few minutes, then wipe the spot clean.
Vinegar: Vinegar is a cleaning powerhouse and handles hard water stains with ease. Simply pour a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water into a spray bottle and spritz any hard water stains. Note: vinegar should not be used on soft stone materials, such as marble, granite, or soapstone.
Hydrogen peroxide: Hydrogen peroxide offers a one-two punch—it can remove hard water stains and soap scum. Apply it to any spot or stain you’d like to clean and let it sit for 20 minutes. Scrub it away with a soft-bristled brush.
How to Fix Hard Water in Your Home
While hard water doesn’t present any known health risks if you drink it, it can be hard on your skin, hair, fabrics, appliances—and your budget.
While temporary fixes exist to remove hard water like putting vinegar through your coffeemaker or using a squeegee on your shower walls, the best way to banish it for good is by having a local water softener company put a water softener in your home. The cost for a water softener system averages around $1,500; it’s a decent amount of cash upfront, but soft water will keep your utility bills down and prolong the life of your appliances and pipes.
By installing a water softener, you can put moisture back in your hair and skin, sparkle back in your dishware, color back in your wardrobe and fabrics, and money back in your wallet.