Do I Have Hard Water?
Testing water hardness is easy. If you are wondering if you have hard or soft water in your home, there are various tests that you can conduct to measure the softness of your water. If you have already experienced signs of hard water, it is natural that you would want to figure out the next steps needed to fix the problems. Read on to find out more about hard water and the signs that are usually present.
Identifying Hard Water
Identifying the water hardness scale is easy. Here are some signs that usually indicate that you have hard water in your home:
- Filmy, spotty dishes
- Soap that won’t lather
- Squeaky, dry skin
- Showers and tubs that are scummy and hard to clean
- White crust that has accumulated around faucets, showerheads, and drains
The first step to fixing hard water issues is conducting a water hardness test to determine the best water softener solution. There are many ways in which you can do this.
Check With Your City
Every year by July 1, you should receive a consumer confidence report or drinking water quality report in the mail. You may also receive this notification online from your water supplier. This report will tell you exactly where your water comes from and what it contains. Some reports may even include your water hardness. If your report does not include this information, you can contact your local water municipality, and they should be able to tell you.
In-Home Testing
One of the best and easiest ways to determine if you have hard water in your home is by conducting a quick in-home test. You can conduct a test using a clear, clean, empty bottle with a cap in addition to pure liquid soap and water from your sink.
Simply fill the bottle about one-third full and add a few drops of liquid soap. Shake for several seconds. If there is a distinct lack of fluffy bubbles and the water looks milky or cloudy, you have hard water. Soft water would have copious bubbles and the resting water at the bottom would be clear.
Advanced Testing Methods
The water bottle test may work well as a basic assessment. However, this isn’t the best way to determine your water hardness level since it doesn’t give accurate results. For this reason, a more sophisticated hard water test is recommended. A hard water kit includes a color chart and test strips. You can purchase a test kit from a hardware store or request one online.
After filling a glass with cold water from your bathroom sink, you should put the test strip in the glass for several seconds and remove it. It is also important to note that you should not just stick the strip under running water, since this can give inaccurate results. When the strip changes colors, you can compare it to the color chart included in your kit.