The unit contains several cubic feet of porous plastic resin covered with molecules that attract and bind to positive ions dissolved in the water.

The water softener unit is located in your household plumbing near the place where water enters the house so that it softens the water used for drinking and washing but not for irrigation.

Most manufacturers of water softeners recommend that you reduce the amount of soap and detergents you use after installing a water softener. It also helps soaps to give a 'slippery' feel to your skin when you wash. The water-softening process thus helps detergents to more effectively remove dirt and oils from clothing and dishes. Calcium and magnesium ions interfere with the action of household soaps and detergents, but sodium does not. “A typical water-softening system removes calcium and magnesium ions from hard water and replaces them with sodium ions. How Do Salt-Based Water Softeners Work?Ĭhuck Wright, who is a chemistry professor at the University of Utah, wrote this in the Scientific American, almost 20 years ago, but the science is still the same: Soft water is made possible by the cation resin in traditional water softeners which use an ion exchange process to displace calcium and magnesium ions from the water. “Water that is free from dissolved salts of such metals as calcium, iron, or magnesium, which form insoluble deposits such as appear as scale in boilers or soap curds in bathtubs and laundry equipment.” The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines soft water as, It's unfortunate that salt-free water softeners don't really exist. NOTE: This is a 2023 update of a blog published in 2015.įor over a decade, marketing companies have been selling customers on the idea of salt-free water softeners.

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