For anyone who has lived in a few different locations, you know that not all water sources are equal. Even cities held to the same municipal water standards will have a different mix of permitted additional particles in their water. Some water has added fluoride, some is hard with additional calcium and magnesium, and all water picks up environmental factors like minerals in the ground water or residue from the pipes it travels through. In best case scenarios, your water is clean or only full of healthy trace minerals, but this is very rarely the case. There are usually all sorts of ‘extras’ that come into your home and flow through your taps. The question is, are they safe? Let’s find out if you have safe water!
Chlorine
One of the worst things you can find in your home’s water is chlorine. This common cleaning chemical is used to shock swimming pools, and is not good for you. While we’ve all swallowed a bit of pool water on accident once or twice, do you really want your kids drinking or eating food cooked with chlorinated water every day? When chlorine is in the water we wash with, it can cause dry, irritated skin and rashes, and the fumes can create headaches and make your eyes water. If your family has been experiencing rashes or other seemingly mysterious health problems, your tap water could be the culprit. Chlorine is one of the biggest threats and reasons you may not have safe water.
Hard Water
Water is considered hard when it has an excess of calcium and magnesium particles suspended in it. Instead of washing way grim, hard water leaves a flaky residue called ‘scale’ on everything it touches. Your bathtub, hair, and even the clothes you wash end up covered in it. Worse, it seals in dirt, causing your hair to become dull and easily tangled while your laundry grows stiffer and more sour with each washing. Hard water prevents you from cleaning yourself or your home effectively, but it is also relatively easy to filter these heavy particles out.
Environmental Contaminates
Your well or municipal water both access the local water table, meaning whatever is in the ground and environment around you is likely to end up, at least in part, in your water. While most cities do their best, there are always occasional reports of something bad slipping through. Microbes, pesticides and industrial runoff to name only a few have in the past been known to contaminate local water supplies without anyone’s permission. Softening the water in your home provides with you safe water and allows you to protect your family from unknown contamination without having to trust every business you share a water table with.
Tap Filters vs Home Water Softening
If all you’re worried about is drinking and cooking water, a kitchen tap filter is sufficient, but what about the rest of your home? It’s not uncommon to drink from a bathroom or even outdoor tap and washing will still be plagued with fumes or hard water residue. On top of this, your children are not protected by the tap filter when playing in the tub or the sprinklers outside. The best way to ensure that every cleaning task you do or drop of water your family drinks is safe from contaminate particles is with a water softening system that will filter your water before it hits the taps.
When it comes to keeping your family safe, there’s no need to take chances. While you can’t keep your home in a clean room bubble, you can limit your family’s exposure to hard water and harmful chemicals with a water softening system providing you with safe water. Tap and pitcher filters are a good start but can only do so much. With a whole-home water filtration system, you can be sure that every cleaning task is unhindered by damaging scale and not even the family pet drinks a drop of unfiltered water. For more information about the water in your home or setting up a water softening system, contact us today.
