Hard water is an annoying and difficult problem. Even if you’re not dealing with stains and mineral deposits, hard water, which has high levels of minerals, may impede the washing and drinking water may have an unpleasant taste. Although the best solution for hard water is to install a water softener in the source, there are times when this option is unavailable, or when you need a little soften a small amount of water.
Instructions
- Boil the water and let cool. If water is suffering from temporary hardness (the presence of bicarbonate and calcium ions) rather than permanent hardness (presence of calcium and magnesium sulfates), the minerals will boil in the water to precipitate and leave the water.
- Add washing soda to soften large amounts of water to clean your home. The soda is similar to baking soda and you can find stores that sells laundry supplies.
- Use borax to soften the water. This is also found in the sections laundry is a good solution for the washing (or cleaning) and help you achieve a cleaner, brighter clothes while avoiding many problems of discoloration due to hard water.
- Use soft bath with a mixture of water and baking soda water. Add 1/4 cup to a full bathtub and make a concentrated mixture in a bottle containing 3 tablespoons of baking soda and four cups of water. Use this mixture as a rinse at the end of your bath to remove soap scum and shampoo your hair and skin.
- Create a filter to improve the taste of drinking hard water, or to remove iron from the water that can cause discoloration. Place a few tablespoons of charcoal filter for aquariums (available at pet stores) between a pair of coffee filters and pour water through it before drinking. This will remove many minerals, including iron.