Hard water

[gja1000]

I have much harder water at my new house, than my old one. If I don't put something in the dishwasher to soften the water, e.g., LemiShine, I will have hard water marks on my glasses and silverware. We can't have a water softener as Gary can't have water with the sodium or potassium they use to soften the water, so we have to live with it.

I've been using LemiShine in the dishwasher and I read somewhere to put a tablespoon of soda in the wash and again in the rinse cycle (although I sometimes miss the rinse cycle). It seems to work well and I don't get the hard water marks when I use it.

I got some dishwasher/washing machine hard water buildup cleaner to use periodically (run through the washer or dishwasher with nothing in them). I think if you don't use it occasionally, internal workings will get buildup and may harm the appliance.

Anyway, if anyone has any magic for hard water - let me know. It isn't extremely hard, because soap lathers up really well. It's just the the dishes and silver ware get this filmy white stuff on them.

[Janet]

We have to use a water softener because of all the rust. We have well water. Would it be possible to use a softener but get bottled water to drink? I have to have the softener or else my water would be so hard and rusty it would ruin everything. Still, if Rick doesn't put the salt in...I have to use Iron Out to get the rust out.

The only problem I have right now is washing glasses in the dishwasher...the etching makes the glasses look so dirty.

[DianaB]

Our town is having some water issues and everyone has been talking about how awful their dishwashers are working. We're having hard water marks on glasses plus a white film on everything. I read an article about phosphates causing problems and our pastor's wife found a phosphate-free dishwashing detergent at Wal-mart. It's ALL and it's in a white bottle plus she's using the Lemon Shine with it.

You can also put in some vinegar and it will help take off the hard water. You'll have to figure out what amount works for you. Also, make sure you're using the stuff that helps with water spotting. I think that it's called Finish but I also know that Cascade makes some as well. Good luck!!

[gja1000]

Janet, we could get a water softener and use bottled water for drinking - but I'd have to use it for all my cooking too - and tea, etc. I'm just not ready to go that route yet, but I may have to.

Thanks for the information Diana!

[JJJ]

Makes me feel silly. I never even thought of hard and soft water

[Lindsey]

My parents have hard water and it really builds up in the shower heads (they usually just get cheap ones to replace them) and even the coffee pot! Every once in awhile my mom runs vinegar through the coffee pot to clean it out. They have a water softener but it hasn't worked for years and they haven't replaced it.

We have hard water too, but we have a water softener. I'm glad because hard water really seems to dry out my hair when I wash it!

[JJJ]

So how do I know if I have hard or soft water

[gja1000]

Originally Posted by JJJ

So how do I know if I have hard or soft water

Well, that's a good question! Hard water is slow to lather. When you are in the shower, if you have to put on lots of soap or shampoo to get a good lather, you probably have hard water. It will leave cloudy marks or a cloudy film on your glasses and flatware and also leaves the inside of the dishwasher cloudy. It will create a buildup on shower heads and eventually clog up the holes. The same buildup occurs in pipes too.

When your water is very soft, it feels like you can't get the soap off when you take a shower. Soft was doesn't do any damage to appliances, since there is no mineral buildup.

You can have your water tested to see how hard or soft it is.

[Lindsey]

I was trying to find one of my favorite old commercials to post here but I can't find it! It opens with an older couple sitting on a couch, looking incredulously at a test strip. The woman says "I can't believe it..." her husband says "After all these years!" (leading you to think it's a pregnancy test) and then "... We have hard water!"

[Janet]

That would have been a funny commercial Lindsey. After having soft water all these years...whenever I've had to shower at my Mom's....I itch like the dickens afterwards, dries the skin out horribly.

[JJJ]

Originally Posted by gja1000

Well, that's a good question! Hard water is slow to lather. When you are in the shower, if you have to put on lots of soap or shampoo to get a good lather, you probably have hard water. It will leave cloudy marks or a cloudy film on your glasses and flatware and also leaves the inside of the dishwasher cloudy. It will create a buildup on shower heads and eventually clog up the holes. The same buildup occurs in pipes too.

When your water is very soft, it feels like you can't get the soap off when you take a shower. Soft was doesn't do any damage to appliances, since there is no mineral buildup.

You can have your water tested to see how hard or soft it is.

Hmm, I definitely have hard water then.

[DianaB]

Usually if you have a build up of stuff around your faucets then you have hard water. Ours is hard but not real, real bad.

We have a cement plant near our town and when I was a kid they had something that came out of the smoke stacks that left hard stuff on everything. I can remember washing our car with vinegar.......and everyone had to do it. It was bad!! They have filters at the cement plant that prevent that from happening now. Thank goodness!!!!

[Shada]

Gayle, you can have a water softener put in and still keep a line in your kitchen open using your hard water. I know many people that do this.

As for me, hard water here. To be honest I don't like soft water! I have the same problem using my dishwasher, but its just me so I handwash. Haven't used my dishwasher in a couple years. When I have a large gathering I bring out the nicer paper plates and plastic! Toss in trash and clean up is about done! This year I used aluminium containers for my side dishes too. First time for that, but boy did it save me time in the kitchen.