There’s always been a little debate about which type of water is better: hard water vs. soft water. But the truth of the matter is that both types of waters have their pros and cons.

Maybe you prefer the overall feel or taste of a certain type of water, and don’t care much else about specific benefits? But if you do care about the specific benefits, you’re entitled to know what they are.

So, with that, let’s discuss the positive and negatives of both hard and soft water.

Hard Water vs. Soft Water

Hard Water

Hard water is known as hard water because it is filled with a collection of hard minerals such as calcium and magnesium. It typically has a slightly “harder” feel than soft water.

Pros

Contains Beneficial Natural Minerals

Perhaps the one inarguable positive of hard water is that it contains beneficial natural minerals which can do a great deal of good for your health. The calcium, magnesium, and iron in hard water is good for the strengthening of your teeth and bones.

Cons

Can Leave Stains

An unfortunate side effect of using hard water to wash your clothes is that it can sometimes cause staining to your clothes. The hydrogen sulfate, manganese, and iron found in hard water can build up to a point that it actually seeps into your clothing. Once your clothing is stained by hard water, there’s usually no un-staining it.

Lessens the Effect of Soaps

Because it’s filled with hard minerals, hard water often has trouble working in tandem with soap. In essence, it doesn’t lather up easily, requiring you to use a great deal more soap over time.

Capable of Clogging Pipes

The biggest negative of hard water is that it can clog up and block your water pipes. As more and more hard chemicals travel through your water pipes, they will stick to the sides of the pipes. Once they have accumulated to a certain degree, they will act as a deterrent to water. At this point, you’ll have to clean your pipes, which is not always cheap or easy.

Soft Water  

Soft water is water which is essentially void of hard minerals such as calcium and magnesium. It is made soft through a variety of purification and filtering processes.

Pros

As Pure as Possible

Though soft water doesn’t contain some beneficial minerals like calcium and magnesium, it also doesn’t contain harmful entities such as bacteria. This, for the most part, makes it ridiculously safe to drink. And you can always get your calcium and magnesium elsewhere.

No Overwhelming Taste or Odor

Hard water can often be plagued by overwhelming tastes and odors. These come as a result of the presence of iron, sulfate, and other minerals. Soft water, on the other hand, is completely void of these odor-causing minerals.

Doesn’t Damage Plumbing

Because it’s not filled with hard minerals, soft water does not cause any buildup on the interiors of your water pipes. Your pipes will always be in working order if you’re using soft water.

Cons

Void of Some Beneficial Minerals

The only true downside of soft water is that it’s missing some beneficial minerals such as calcium and magnesium. But as we noted earlier, you can just as easily find these minerals in dairy and vegetable products.

Reap the Benefits of Soft Water

If soft water is your victor in the battle of hard water vs. soft water, and you’re looking to get your hands on soft water, we here at Johnson Water Conditioning Company can help you.

We manufacture and install water softening devices of all kinds, from water softeners, to iron filtration systems, to chlorine injection systems, and much more.

Have any questions about softening your water? Contact us today!