| If you live in a hard water area, or your water has | | | | People that enjoy the benefits of soft water only |
| calcium additives inserted by concerned councils have | | | | live in areas where this is produced. These are places |
| you had to add Calgon to save your washing | | | | that have high rainfall and it is collected in lakes and |
| machine from breakdown? If you have a dishwasher | | | | reservoirs surrounded by volcanic mountains with |
| no doubt it will have a water softener to leave your | | | | impermeable rock strata. In the UK these areas are in |
| glasses gleaming. What about your hair though? If | | | | the Peak District, Wales and the highlands of |
| you have installed a water softener - no problem! | | | | Scotland. In Europe the mountains produce soft |
| Your hair will be as squeaky clean as your drinking | | | | water, some from glaciers. In Canada, the water in |
| glasses. If not you may be getting desperate, trying | | | | British Columbia is very soft. People who like tea say |
| all the different shampoos, conditioners, visits to the | | | | that soft water brings out the taste and visitors |
| hairdresser to sort it all out. Ever thought that your | | | | from hard water areas really can tell the difference |
| hairdresser might have a water softener? | | | | and enjoy it. Eczema sufferers especially babies |
| Trouble is, water softeners aren't cheap and who | | | | experience much relief from bathing in soft water |
| wants to wash in rainwater? That was the way | | | | and it is evident that all skin feels softer after |
| housewives got around the problem when there was | | | | washing in it. |
| always a tank to collect it from the roof but after | | | | There does not seem to be any evidence that any |
| the polio scare in the 1950's, and Surf and Omo | | | | bottled SOFT water has been produced ANYWHERE |
| washing powders made their appearance to replace | | | | IN THE WORLD. Now for the first time in history |
| soap flakes, every tank in the UK was dismantled. | | | | people power can make a difference. If you live in a |
| OK for the clothes perhaps, but not for the ladies. | | | | hard water area and like the idea of washing your |
| Some demanded softeners immediately, but the | | | | hair in soft water whenever you want to make a |
| majority couldn't afford them. | | | | special impression or you would like your tea and |
| What about using bottled water? Throughout the | | | | other drinks to taste much better you will need a |
| world bottled water is produced but most is from | | | | ready supply. Soft water in bottles can be provided |
| boreholes or springs and is rainwater that has been | | | | from safe municipal supplies in Wales and the Peak |
| filtered through porous limestone. As rainwater is | | | | District of England, and I predict that worldwide |
| mildly acidic it dissolves some calcium from the | | | | producers will take up the challenge and eventually |
| limestone and produces vast underground caverns | | | | bottled soft water will be available for you to enjoy |
| beloved by potholers, complete with limestone | | | | wherever you live. |
| stalagtites and stalagmites. It also allows the bottlers | | | | Bottled soft water will be safe to drink; perfect for |
| to call their product 'mineral water' as it contains | | | | making tea; will not 'fur up' your kettle; good for |
| calcium and other dissolvable salts. These are all good | | | | washing babies; washing your hair; leaves your skin |
| to drink but make the water 'hard'. If you try to | | | | silky soft. Trials of using water heated in a kettle |
| make a hot drink with it, your kettle will soon have | | | | have shown that one pint (1/2 litre) is sufficient to |
| great masses of white calcium attached to the | | | | wash a head of short hair, and that perhaps two |
| element as the heating process displaces the salts in | | | | pints (1 litre) would be needed for long hair, mixing |
| the water, just as when sea water evaporates, the | | | | hot and cold water in a jug for washing and rinsing. |
| salt in it is left behind. | | | | If you cannot wait for bottled soft water, water |
| Some bottled water is produced that does not | | | | softening equipment is widely marketed. Modern |
| presume to be called 'mineral water'. This is called | | | | versions rely on magnetism to stop metallic salts |
| 'table water' and can be taken from any municipal | | | | being deposited on pipework. These are considerably |
| supply, from the tap. This is hard to find and in any | | | | cheaper and more environment-friendly than |
| case may also be 'hard water', as the calcium salts | | | | ion-exchange types that use volumes of salty water |
| are deemed to be beneficial. | | | | to renovate exchanger vessels. |