What is Soft Water?

Soft water contains little or no dissolved calcium or magnesium, referred to as soft due to its simpler composition. It feels softer than hard water to the touch. Naturally soft water is most commonly found in northern areas of the UK, while water softening treatments – such as the use of a water softener – enable people in all areas to soften the water in their homes and businesses.

Soft water has many benefits for the home, including the eradication of limescale for cleaner homes and the protection of skin’s natural barriers, leaving it healthy and soothing dryness. Rainfall is naturally soft, however due to our geological landscape, certain regions of the UK suffer from hard water caused by the rocks through which the rainwater runs on its way to the reservoir.

Soft water vs hard water

The main difference between soft and hard water is its composition, which itself comes from the type of land onto which it falls when it rains.

In areas where the ground is made up of non-porous rock, the rainwater simply runs off that rock and straight into the reservoir where it is gathered before being sent to your home.

This means the water reaches the reservoir in the exact same condition it was in when it first fell – which, as we know, is soft.

Hard water happens when the rain falls onto porous rock, like limestone and chalk. As it makes its way downhill, it seeps into the rock and through it, picking up minerals like calcium and magnesium along the way. When you have hard water, you’ll also have limescale in your home – that’s because the hardness minerals, calcium and magnesium, combine. You don’t get this when you have naturally soft water.

There are many benefits to softened water that mean more and more people are investing in softening the water coming into their home.