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​Many households have to deal with hard water here.  What causes it?  Well, the term ‘hard water’ is used to refer to water with a high mineral content.  Calcium and magnesium being some of those minerals.  As water runs down through rock and soil, these minerals become absorbed into the water.
 
How do you know if your home has hard water?
 
You could perform tests on the water to determine how high of a mineral content it has.  There are, however, obvious signs of hard water in areas of your home.   Some of these signs are:
 
A layer of soap scum often appears in sinks, or bathtubs.  Even around the faucet, or in the toilet bowl, you can have undesirable mineral deposit rings that are hard to remove.
If you have solar heating, it could be affected by a buildup of limescale.
Due to accumulating scale deposits, water pipes can stop working as efficiently.
 
Appliances all over the home, that constantly use water, will also suffer the effects of hard water.  You may notice a buildup of white, scaly deposits in kettles and pots etc.  Laundry is even affected by hard water as it can make clothing look dull and wear them out sooner.   These results vary though, depending on the temperature of the water and its PH.
 
In summary, other than having tests performed to determine if we have hard water, there are numerous other ways we can tell.  Should we do something about it though?  Will it affect our health?  We will consider this in our next article.