What’s the Difference Between Hard Water vs. Soft Water?

Learn More About the Different Types of Water

Are you familiar with the differences between hard water vs soft water? Have you ever wondered how your windows are getting those pesky mineral stains? We’ll explain the key characteristics of these two different types of water and how they affect everything from the exterior to the interior of your home.

Hard Water vs. Soft Water

According to Healthline, the hardness of water is determined by the amount of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and other compounds it contains—typically, the higher the levels of these compounds, the harder the water. While calcium and magnesium naturally occur in water and are necessary to your health, they are not needed for home water usage. On the other hand, soft water is free of these minerals. It tends to be more gentle on your body and home and doesn’t create mineral buildup around your home and appliances. Below we’ll help you determine whether your home has hard water vs soft water. 

How to Tell if Your Home Has Hard Water vs. Soft Water

One of the best ways to tell which type of water your home has is to hire professionals to conduct a test, or to check water supplies to find out the hardness in your community’s water. However, here are a few things you can check for on your own to determine water hardness:

• Mineral deposits on window glass, leaving behind hardened grime
• Film or spots on your dishes, appliances, and clothing
• Scale build-up around faucets or in appliances

If you’ve noticed any of these signs around your home, you may want to soften your water with a water-softening system—Home Depot usually has a great selection of these to choose from.

Pros & Cons of Water Types

Hard Water

As with anything, hard water has its benefits. For example, drinking hard water may help you hit the recommended daily intake of essential minerals. Consuming hard water will not harm you, but it can be harsh on your skin and hair if used to shower. Aside from some unsightly spots or buildup around your home and the occasional flat hair day, there’s no risky cons to this type of water.

Soft Water

The biggest risk with having soft water is that it has a higher likelihood of picking up lead from the inside of old water pipes that haven’t been treated. Aside from that, soft water is preferred for personal hygiene and household cleaning purposes, and it can even save you money on your water bill—no need to rewash hard water stains off your surfaces.

How to Combat Hard Water Stains on Your Home

Now that you’ve learned about the different types of water and determined whether your home has hard water vs soft water, you may have given your windows a closer inspection and noticed staining on the glass. The glass on your windows has tiny pores that can be seen with our eyes, similar to our skin. When minerals from garden hoses, tap water, and rain run-off settle on your glass, they can cause hard water stains on your windows. Our professional team can help you remove those stains with routine maintenance and window washing. Learn why customers choose us every time, or discover our other exterior cleaning services such as pressure washing.