Water Lessons

We have really hard well water here (104 g/gallon) and have an industrial size water softener under the house. Sodium chloride is used to soften the water, so there are higher than normal levels of sodium in the water used in the house. We still have problems with white residue on dishes that are washed in the dishwasher...I have yet to figure out the solution to that, but am looking into it. Plastic seems to be the worst. The technician who services our water softener said that there will always be some residue...our water is just really hard. I have learned a few things, though.

Softened water will kill your houseplants because of the sodium level. I can vouch for this...sorry, little croton. Plants must be watered with RO (reverse osmosis) water or with the hard water directly from the well that has by-passed the softener or better yet, from a cistern. We have metal roofs on our garage and house with a system of gutters that drain into three large cisterns. This is the best water for plants. You can set up your own rain water collection barrel on a smaller scale if you have gutters and it really does make a difference with your plants, particularly if you are in an area that has to ration water.

There is some evidence that there is less cardiovascular disease in communities where people drink hard water. Softened water is not recommended for people who are on sodium restricted diets. I use the hard water or RO water for my pets. I have a dog with heart problems and he does not need the added sodium.

The purpose of water softeners is to keep scale from building in pipes and appliances and so detergents and cleansers will work properly. I can tell you from experience that hair shampooed with hard water feels like it is coated in chalk dust--a nasty feeling. You definitely want softened water for washing. However, coffee made from softened water tastes awful, particularly to a coffee snob, so you better have an RO system installed in the kitchen for cooking and drinking water. You can also buy bottled water if you are a serious coffee snob (like my son). 

The constant diligence required to keep softeners working and filters changed is a pain, not to mention pricey. It is worth the $29 a month to have a water company do the maintenance. When filters get dirty, there is no water in the house. And they get dirty surprisingly fast.

CLR is your friend. It takes away all the scale that accumulates on dishes, shower walls and other surfaces exposed to water. Half a cup or so in a dishpan of water, soak a few minutes, then rinse thoroughly. I try to avoid using nasty chemicals on things I eat out of, but a coating of scale makes everything look and feel dirty, like it is covered in dried milk.  I wash my dishes by hand and dry them now, just like in the olden days. With just the two of us here, it doesn't take much time and keeps water spots at bay. My wine glasses are sparkly and I don't have to resort to CLR soaks.

Wine bottles make great waterers for plants. They provide a deep, slow soak and are a useful way to re-purpose empty wine bottles. Fill them with water, then turn them upside down and shove them into the soil. It takes about 6-8 hours for the bottle to empty--I didn't believe it either until I tried it several times with different sizes of pots. It works like a charm and I don't have trays full of water under my pots (or running over) like I usually have after watering. And it gives me a great excuse to empty more wine bottles.