The Frustrating Effects on Skin and Hair
While the minerals in hard water are safe to drink, they can be tough on your body. The high mineral content reacts with soaps to form a residue that doesn't easily rinse away, creating several frustrating issues:
- Skin Irritation: The soap scum film left on your skin can clog pores and lead to dryness, itchiness, and can worsen conditions like acne and eczema.
- Dull, Lifeless Hair: Mineral buildup on the hair shaft weighs it down, leaving it feeling sticky, limp, and difficult to style.
- Laundry Problems: That same mineral content gets trapped in the fibers of your clothes, making them feel stiff and scratchy and causing colors to fade prematurely.
The Smartest Filtration Choice for Bernalillo
A hardness of 7.4 GPG is significant enough to warrant a whole-house treatment solution to protect your investment in your home. Here are the top recommendations:
- Top Recommendation: Salt-Free Water Conditioner. For many households, this is the ideal solution. It neutralizes the minerals to prevent scale from forming, protecting your water heater and plumbing without the ongoing hassle and cost of salt. An under-sink filter for drinking water can be added for improved taste.
- Maximum Protection: Water Softener. For those wanting the complete removal of hardness minerals, a traditional water softener is effective. A system in Bernalillo can generate $81 in annual savings from reduced energy and soap usage. With an installed price of around $1,500, the payback period is approximately 18.5 years.
Remember, installing an under-sink Reverse Osmosis (RO) system for drinking water can save you hundreds of dollars a year compared to buying bottled water, providing better-than-bottled quality straight from a dedicated tap.