If you've ever questioned whether the clothes coming out of your washer are actually clean, you're not alone. Laundry issues such as stiff towels or yellowing or greying clothing are not uncommon, and are likely caused by hard water. Fortunately, this is a water issue that can easily be rectified. In this week's blog, Lindyspring Lake of the Ozarks is sharing with you some information on how hard water affects the cleanliness and life of your clothing, and how a water softening or conditioning system can help.

Laundry & Hard Water Doesn't Mix
To understand why hard water is so tough on clothing, you first need to know that hard water contains dissolved compounds of calcium and magnesium. These minerals don't mix well with laundry detergents. The harder the water, the tougher it is on your laundry.

Hard water prevents water from mixing with detergent to form an effective cleaning agent. So, basically the calcium mineral bonds with the soap to create a curd that sticks to fibers and draws in more dirt, leaving your clothes dirtier than before you washed them. Over time, the residue can cause your clothing to turn a greyish or yellowish color, and make them feel stiff and crusty.

Studies have shown that clothing washed in hard water wear out 15% faster than clothing washed in soft water. However, rather than fixing the true issue at hand, most homeowners resort to using more detergent and hotter water, resulting in added expenses. This doesn't really fix the problem, and ultimately, you end up having to replace damaged clothing more often.

Fixing the Problem with Soft Water
If you suspect that you have hard water, you can do a simple DIY test to determine whether you have hard or soft water. While this test will be a great indicator of hard water, it will not tell you the hardness of your water. You'll need to have a professional test the exact hardness of your water.  Follow these steps to put your water to the test.