10 Signs You Need a Water Softener
How to tell if hard water is causing problems in your home.
Visual signs
1. White, chalky deposits on faucets, shower heads, and around drains. 2. Spotted or cloudy glassware from the dishwasher. 3. Film or haze on glass shower doors. 4. Stiff, scratchy laundry despite using fabric softener. 5. Soap scum that builds up faster than you can clean it.
Physical signs
6. Dry, itchy skin after showering. 7. Dull, flat, or brittle hair. 8. Soap that does not lather well. 9. A ring of buildup in the bathtub.
Hidden signs
10. Rising energy bills from water heater inefficiency. If your water heater is working harder each year but nothing else has changed, scale buildup is the likely cause. Check your city's hardness level. Above 120 PPM, a softener addresses all of these symptoms. Above 60 PPM, a conditioner prevents the scale-related issues (signs 1, 3, 5, 10) but not the soap-related ones.