hard water

Water is considered "Hard" when it contains an abundance of dissolved mineral compounds specifically calcium and magnesium.

Hardness is commonly found in western north carolina ground water sources.

Symptoms of hard water include:

• ∙ Mineral deposits form in, on, and around water fixtures
• ∙ Soaps don’t produce adequate or expected suds
• ∙ Clean laundry is dingy, stiff feeling, or foul smelling
• ∙ Glassware etches and becomes hazy over time
• ∙ Mineral scale forms where water is heated or evaporated
• ∙ Mineral deposits form within pipes, restricting flow
• ∙ water heaters become inefficient and fail prematurely

treatment for hard water:

Cation Resin water softeners reduce water Hardness to less than 1 gpg;
as verified through testing in accordance with NSF/ANSI Standard 44.

Further Reading

The term "Hard Water" has been traced to people Describing water in which SOAP did not lather properly and made it "hard to wash." While we may never know for sure, this origin story seems plausible since divalent Cations, like calcium and Magnesium, react with anionic Surfactants found in most soaps, leading to decreased surfactant efficiency and increased detergent consumption. The result of this reaction is the formation of insoluble compounds commonly known as "soap scum."
‍
This soap scum is the Cause of the squeaky-clean feeling people describe when they come out of the shower or dry off their glassware. Truly clean damp Skin and objects will feel silky smooth or slick. As such, when people describe washing in soft water they sometimes feel like they can't get the soap to rinse off but, in reality, it's the only time Their skin is truly clean and clear of the soap scum they have come to perceive as clean feeling.

frequently, hard water deposits stain the color of what they are exposed to, which causes staining problems that would otherwise be non-existent.