How Very Hard Water Affects Your Family
While municipal water in Des Plaines is safe to drink, its high mineral content impacts your daily life. The most common complaints from hard water are physical, not internal.
- Skin and Hair: Hard water leaves behind soap scum residue that can clog pores, leading to dry, itchy skin and aggravating conditions like eczema. Hair can become brittle, dull, and difficult to manage.
- Bathing Experience: Soap and shampoo struggle to create a full lather, making it difficult to feel completely clean after a shower.
- Baby Formula: For families with infants, using very hard water to prepare formula can introduce a high mineral load that may not be ideal for a developing baby's system.
Filtration Guide for 15.9 GPG Water
For water hardness above 15 GPG, simple pitcher filters are inadequate as they don't remove the minerals that cause scale. A more robust solution is required to protect your home.
- Recommended: A whole-house, salt-based water softener is the most effective solution for Des Plaines. It removes the hardness minerals entirely, eliminating scale buildup throughout your entire plumbing system. For ultimate drinking water quality, pair it with an under-sink reverse osmosis (RO) system.
- Alternative: A salt-free water conditioner is an option if you wish to avoid salt, but it only conditions minerals to prevent them from forming scale—it does not remove them.
The financial payback is clear. A whole-house softener (around $1,500 installed) pays for itself in approximately 8.8 years through annual savings of $171 on energy, detergents, and delayed appliance replacement costs.