What are the benefits of softened water?
There are many benefits to having a water softener fitted. Some are clearer to see than others, but they are all equally important.
Silky, soft and smooth skin
From the moment your softener is installed, bathing will forever onwards be a WOW experience. You're in for a real treat!
A lot of shower gels are formulated for hard water, and while you can of course continue to use them, the very best result will come from bathing with a simple bar of pure soap. If you want to really delight your senses, try a bar of Dove soap – your skin will feel like you have just been treated to a spa! The resulting lather will feel rich and luxurious, and your skin will feel superbly soft to the touch.
Another pleasure of your new bathing experience will come by letting your natural body oils do the work of moisturising your skin. Long after you have finished bathing, your skin will continue to feel moisturised and beautiful.
Fresh, softer laundry
With softened water, you will use considerably fewer soaps and detergents in your washing machine.
The wonderful thing about having a water softener is that you can continue to use your favourite washing powder, liquid or capsules, and you will get a great wash every time, in fact, a considerably better wash than if you had hard water. It may be helpful to know, however, that all detergents are formulated with chemicals to soften the water, and to protect your washing machine from scaling. So how do you get the best out of your detergents once your softener is installed?
It's simple really...
Firstly, capsules are pre-formulated with enough softening chemicals in them, and most customers tell us that before they had their softener installed, they would use either one or two capsules in hard water, whereas once their softener is installed, they would use just one capsule.
Liquids are also pre-formulated, and the guideline is typically 35ml of washing liquid. Once your softener is installed, you could drop this to 20ml.
Powders are the anomaly and will give you a really superior wash every time. However, many customers who have moved away from powder prior to having a softener fitted tell me they either moved away because their powders were clogging their washing machine drawer, or were less convenient. Washing powder manufacturers recommend between 180ml to 150ml of powder when washing in hard water, reducing to 120ml in soft water. Once your new water softener is installed, however, you can cut this detergent usage dramatically to just 25ml of washing powder! Your washing machine drawer will stop clogging, and because a powder is formulated with crystals that cause the powder to gently explode in the wash, this creates an abundance of bubbles, and it's the bubbles that give your clothes a much better wash and is far superior at removing stains.
If you like, you can also move towards a more environmentally friendlier gentler soap-based detergent without all the fillers and chemicals needed in hard water, which will have an instant effect on how your body feels as these powders are less likely to irritate your skin, a really important factor for people with sensitive skin or eczema, and your bank balance will feel the savings too!
You're in for a treat!
Protect your appliances
From the moment your softener is installed, the harsh scaling effects of hard water will dissolve, making your appliances run more efficiently and for much longer too!
In hard water areas such as Kent, London, Surrey and Sussex, scale builds up at the rate of between 1–5mm a year. At the 5mm level, (that's just a ¼ of an inch of scale), this will result in more than 50% more gas and electricity is used to heat your water. That could mean as much as half your energy costs will be saved.
In addition, you won't need harmful descaling chemicals and because softened water protects the expensive appliances perfectly, your washing machine, dishwasher, central heating system, showers and even coffee machine & kettle will all lost much longer too!
No other domestic appliance saves you as much money
A water softener is probably the only domestic appliance that can save you money.
Over the years we have heard prospective customers really question the claim that water softeners can save you money. If you've now read the posts above, you will begin to see how these savings can build up, from pennies here and there to real pounds as your appliances gain a full new lease of life.
One great way to demonstrate this is to talk about Reverse Osmosis drinking water systems, which a lot of our customers have. If you have a reverse osmosis system, you'll know that the system gives incredibly pure drinking water and is made up of multiple filters, some of which are replaced annually, but that there is also a membrane filter that if the system is fitted to a hard water supply needs to be replaced typically every 3 years, but if fitted to a softened water supply, this would instead only be replaced approximately every 10–12 years! This is a saving of several hundred pounds on one filter alone!
Most better quality water softeners cost you between £1,500–£1,800 to purchase and have installed, depending on the softener and complexity of installation.
A typical family of four would recoup this investment between 3–4 years, and the softener should easily last 15–30 years, depending on the type of softener you have installed, and how well it is cared for.
More great hair days!
Treat your hair to a salon finish, every day. Softened water balances your hair's pH level, removing acidity that builds up, so you're left with silky smooth hair after every wash. Softened water also changes the texture of your hair, and this contributes to the feeling of silkiness and softness.
You'll also find that your shampoos and conditioners lather better and richer too, and this makes it much easier to cleanse the follicles of your hair, and moisture will be left in your scalp, reducing or removing completely dry skin conditions such as itchiness, dandruff and eczema.
If you have long hair, brushing is much easier too as it is less tangled.
There are just so many ways you are going to love softened water, and we are committed to giving you the best quality possible.
Chalk
In London, Kent, and Sussex, over 40kg of dissolved chalk goes through the average home every year. Much of this goes down the drain, but enough stays behind to damage your appliances with limescale, stain your sanitary ware and clog the pores of your skin.