If you live in a hard water area you may notice that your dishes and glasses can get marked when you put them through your dishwasher. By using softened water in your dishwasher however you can help keep everything sparkling clean.
Before coming to your home, if the water travels through the ground for a longer period, then on its journey it picks up minerals like Calcium and Magnesium. When substantial amounts of minerals like those get dissolved in pure water, it is known as hard water. Hard water minerals are not harmful to your health, but they can wreak havoc on pipes, water-running appliances, and the spotless appearance of your home.
A common dishwasher problem in hard water areas is that your dishes are clean, but they never appear clean because they are coated in chalky white spots. It is most evident on clear drinking glasses, but water spots or cloudiness can go so far as to leave your normal dishes looking cloudy and feeling chalky when you touch them. This happens as the water dries, leaving the mineral deposits behind.
Another problem with hard water is that it makes it difficult for soap to produce suds, reducing the effectiveness of any detergent you use. The hard water is also less effective at rinsing detergent away which will leave soap scum to build up on your dishes and glassware.
When you add salt to your dishwasher, the dishwasher uses it to create its own softened water supply. If you install a water softener, you won’t need to do this any more, because the water that comes into the machine is already softened. Therefore you won’t need to use dishwasher salt with softened water and you could save on dishwasher detergent and rinse aid. Without limescale to block things up, you may well cut maintenance and repair costs too.
Heat plus hard water will always result in limescale build-up. If your dishwasher is becoming coated in scale, then you’ve got a real problem. A dishwasher that can’t keep itself clean certainly can’t keep your dishes clean and a build-up of scale is actually more problematic than you might think. That chalky residue can start to clog up your dishwasher pieces and damage the components meaning that it is likely to break down. To ensure that your dishwasher has a long and happy life, always use softened water.
If your dishwasher is showing real signs of damage from hard water, you should consider having a water softener installed in your home. This is not just a good decision for your dishwasher, it can also save your washing machine, fridge, sinks and showers from a similar fate. Not to mention, a water softener means that you will eliminate the need to constantly scrub water spots off of every surface in the house. If hard water has done serious damage to your dishwasher, contact us today to find out about having a water softener installed.
