How Hard Water Affects Your Skin and Hair
While hard water poses no direct health hazard, it has a noticeable impact on daily life. The high mineral content reacts with soaps to form a residue, often called soap scum. This film is difficult to rinse away, leading to:
- Dry, itchy skin and aggravated conditions like eczema.
- Dull, brittle, and lifeless hair due to mineral buildup.
- A feeling of not being truly 'clean' after a shower.
For families, preparing baby formula with hard water can introduce a higher mineral load than intended.
Choosing the Right Filtration System for Plymouth Meeting
With a hardness level of 7.4 GPG, you have several effective options that provide a strong return on investment.
- Recommended: A salt-free water conditioner is an ideal, low-maintenance solution. It prevents scale from forming in your pipes and appliances without adding sodium to your water or requiring heavy salt bags. For better-tasting drinking water, pair it with a faucet-mount or under-sink filter.
- Alternative: A traditional salt-based water softener will also solve the problem. However, the financial case is weaker. A typical system (~$1,500 installed) pays for itself in about 18.5 years based on the estimated $81/year in savings from energy and soap.
An under-sink Reverse Osmosis (RO) system is a great addition for purified drinking water, eliminating the $600-$900 annual cost many families spend on bottled water.