How to Handle Hard Water in Your Apartment

Hard water is the build-up of minerals, mainly calcium and magnesium in your water. Hard water is safe to drink but can impact your health, appliances, dishware, and laundry. It can cause hair thinning, dry, brittle nails, cloudy dishware, and clothes not getting as clean as they should. Hard water deposits can also affect the effectiveness of your appliances, which can mean higher energy costs. In a home you own, you can easily install a whole home water softening system. In an apartment that is not always an option.

Shower Heads and Faucets

A shower head is the easiest thing to fix with hard water in your apartment. This can help with drinking water, and how it may affect your skin. For your shower head, there are specific shower heads with filters that will help address this situation. Shower heads are generally easily removable, and you don’t need many specialized tools. This is also easy to take with you when your lease is up.

You can also get filters for every faucet in your house. They are more commonly made for your kitchen however, there are some available for your bathroom sinks as well. A faucet filter is even easier to install than a shower head. For your kitchen sink, this will give you clean drinking water and help with hard water spots on dishes. Filtered bathroom sinks will help with dry skin when washing your hands, as well as helping with dry skin, and breakouts on your face.

Laundry and Dishwashers

In an apartment with hard water, these are the hardest things to tackle. There isn’t a place for a filter, and if your apartment came with those appliances then we would suggest not tampering with them.

Both can be helped with one magic ingredient: white distilled vinegar. The acidity and properties of white distilled vinegar can help keep build-up down in your machines. In your washing machine, it can help soften your laundry as well as clean it. For washing clothes we recommend about a quarter of a cup. If you are cleaning your washing machine, 1-3 cups is recommended in your hottest wash cycle.

It can also help descale your dishwasher from any hard water buildup and keep your dishware sparkling clean. It can be placed in your rinse aid component or a little on the bottom of your dishwasher during every load. To describe, you can put more in the bottom than usual or do a combination of baking soda and vinegar. To do that, sprinkle two tablespoons of baking soda on the bottom of your dishwasher. Then place a bowl of vinegar in the top rack. It’s suggested to run your hottest and longest setting.

Another thing we suggest is finding products for both laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent that are formulated for hard water. A quick search brings up a lot of products that fit any sort of lifestyle you have.

Dishwasher Salts

For your dishwasher, another product may help. Dishwashing salts are extremely helpful if you have hard water. Water softeners filter with salt to make the water softer. The only drawback is that to use a dishwashing salt you need to have a specific place for them. These are coarse salt grounds that if you try to put them anywhere else can scratch your dishes. If your dishwasher does have that functionality, it is also important you buy dishwasher salts and not use any other type of salt. Dishwasher salts have a different chemical makeup and are coarse so they won’t clog your dishwasher.

If you do not have a dishwasher with a salt compartment, look for detergent with salt in it.

Can You Install a Water Softener System in an Apartment?

The answer to that depends on a few things. Are you willing to leave this device behind when you move? Will your landlord even let you install it? Are the inlets you need to install this device accessible without damaging the apartment? If all of these are a yes, then go for it! It will help you in so many different ways. If not, then it is probably not a good idea as it can cause lots of issues with your landlord.

Final Thoughts

Hard water can be an annoying problem to deal with no matter if you own or rent. However, there isn’t a fix as easy as installing a water softener that you can do in an apartment. This makes it an even more annoying problem to deal with. There are a few different methods you can use to deal with it. There are different filters you put on your faucets and fixtures, and products designed to help fight hard water in your washing machine or dishwasher.

Call 1-Tom-Plumber

Don’t hesitate to contact or call us at 1-Tom-Plumber (1-866-758-6237) if you are having issues with hard water. We will immediately handle any emergency plumbing, drain cleaning and drain clearing, and water damage problem, including excavation of underground water lines and sewer main lines.