Hard Water Affects Your Washing Machine [and your clothes!]

Hard water can invade all areas of your home — even areas you never thought about! Any appliance that uses water is vulnerable to the consequences of hard water. Your washing machine is no different, and the appliance itself isn’t the only thing at risk.

Here at Kinetico SA, we want your home to run smoothly and your investments to last as long as possible. With hard water in your home, your washing machine will likely start to deteriorate quicker than normal. And your clothes can be affected too! Keep reading to find out the top ways hard water negatively affects your washing machine and your clothes!

Hard Water Is Hard On Your Washing Machine

Due to the minerals in our San Antonio water, appliances have a harder time functioning normally. Hard water can cause problems with the mechanics of your washing machine that could greatly affect the lifespan of the appliance. Hard-water buildups in different parts of the washing machine can cause breakdowns and force expensive repairs. The lint screen, washing tub and pumping mechanism can all accumulate mineral buildup, making it difficult for the machine to run. This buildup can cause minor problems as well as total system failure.

4 Ways Hard Water Is Ruining Your Clothes

You may think that clothes are just clothes and water couldn’t really do anything that harmful to them. Actually, hard water causes quite a few problems during the process of washing clothes.

Detergent Power

First, you have to use more detergent with hard water. That’s because the compounds in hard water interfere with the washing capability of the detergent. Hard water carries mineral deposits like calcium and magnesium that eventually infiltrate whatever they come in contact with. When washing clothes, the soil, chalk and rock that may be in your area mixes with your laundry, making it harder for your detergent to do its job.

With all the minerals in the water, the soap and detergent do little to nothing to clean your clothes. This causes you to have to use much more detergent than normal, wasting money and time rewashing your clothes!

Clothes Quality

Secondly, hard water does a number on your clothes themselves.

• Hard — If your skin starts to feel itchy and dry, this may be a sign that your hard water is taking a toll on your fabrics. People with eczema or sensitive skin have reported that their skin is less irritated, less dry and less red once a water softener system is in place.
• Yellow — The discoloration of your garments is another sign of hard water minerals seeping into your clothes. Typically, iron in your hard water will create stains that dull the outfits you planned on wearing. Our tip is to stay away from using bleach to solve the problem. Mixing bleach with iron will create iron-oxide, also known as rust. This will be harder to remove and even more harmful to your skin.
• Weak — With the amount of mineral coating on fabric, the fibers of your clothes are more likely to weaken, rip and tear, sometimes leaving holes in the material once washed.

Protect Your Washer & Clothes

Fortunately, there’s a solution for these hard water issues. Kinetico water softeners provide soft water for your family’s home that not only helps your skin and hair, but your appliances as well. Longer-lasting appliances and clothes are even more benefits of soft water!

If you have noticed some of these signs of wear and tear on your washing machine or clothes, don’t keep suffering through it! Our team at Kinetico SA is happy to complete a flawless water softener installation in your home. All you have to do is give us a call!