Hard water area 😫

[Eqei]

Hello
weve just moved into a house with hard water!
I need some help on what to do to combat it..
water filter tap? Jug? Change the shower head?

I have eczema and so does my ds so I’m so scared it’s going to make it worse..

house is a dream so we can’t move because of this 🤣

I live in a hard water area. Lots of my neighbours have had water softeners fitted, I rent so can't do this but I just keep on top of descaling the appliances and cleaning the sinks etc.
I can't speak for the eczema but my son had eczema when he was a baby and I don't think the water made it worse in any way.

You can't really combat it all unless you install a softener system. We did this a few months ago and it's fab. Feels completely different. It is expensive and we considered it for ages but if you have eczema it'll probably make a difference.

Brita filters help a bit but really only for drinking water and the filters only do the job for a few weeks - used to notice scaly tea when they needed replacing.

Whereabouts have you moved from and to OP?

I live in south London and the water is like rocks. Can’t speak for the eczema but make sure you get a shower spray etc

Water softener. Game changer. A colleague had one fitted because her husband has psoriasis and says it has really helped.

We also got a water softener. Cost about £1800. Definitely worth it.

Definitely a water softener. I have dry skin and it has made a huge difference. I no longer spend the winter wanting to scratch my skin off! We got a BWT one, wasn't too expensive and salt is fairly cheap and seems to last a long time.

I think my dad fitted my parents water softener, I don't think it was super difficult.
Worth remembering though that it adds salt to the water to react with the chemical that causes scale so you don't want it fitting to drinking water taps.

I think some softeners are cheaper to maintain as well, depending on the sort of salt they take.

You can get full systems that also provide drinking water that goes through a de-salting and re-vitamin process ( v scientific I know) and an extra filter for microplastics etc - on a separate tap setting.

But if it's mainly washing and pipes etc you're worried about then you could go for the simpler system.

We've both lived in a hard water area all of ours tiles, have owned property for last 28 years. Never had a problem that's been due to build up, thinking, boiler, pipes, kitchen appliances.

The water where i live in London is terrible. We installed a water softener from Harveys and has really improved things. Much less limescale now meaning cleaning is easier and i think my tea tastes better as well!

In terms of shower head have your heard of Hello Kwean? They were on Dragon Dens, not tried it myself but heard they're good.

Thanks all
ive enquired about a softener and today bought a brita jug & shower head as temp solutions!

we moved from Birmingham to Staffordshire.

Look into zero water filters, far superior to Brita plus you don’t need to do the faffy thing of running new filters under the tap. They come with a water meter device.

Same! We got a water softener shower attachment and use a large Brita filter jug for drinking water. Lots of hand cream, moisturizer after bathing, dryer sheets for towels and bedding.

You don't need a new shower head, just take the old one off and leave immersed in jug of vinegar overnight

Another saying ‘water softener’.

It's not a new shower head I'm suggesting; it's an attachment that fits on the shower.

Another vote for a water softener. We inherited one in our new house and now wouldn't be without it. Everything is so much easier to clean, no more scum on my tea and hair feels a lot softer. Recently been away and really looked forward to my soft water at home!

I don’t think she’s as concerned about the scale on the shower head, more concerned about the hard water affecting their skin. You can get shower heads/attachments that soften the water for showering, which would work here until she gets a water softener I think.

They don't really add that much salt to the water. There is probably a vast amount more in the food you eat. Unless you have some medical problems you should be fine, although it is probably best to use bottled water for drinking.

Water softeners are a good investment because not only will you find the water is better for washing, but you will not have to clean as much as you won't get deposits in the shower/toilet/bath etc. You will also find that appliances last longer as they do not scale up.

Our softened water doesn’t run through our kitchen cold tap. So that remains drinking water. I think that’s a standard offering from softener companies.