If you grew up in a home with hard water, as I did, you may not fully understand why soft water is so valuable to homeowners. In fact, I grew up in an area with some of the toughest h20s in the entire country. And it took me over 20 years to realize what I was missing. When it comes to water, seeing and feeling really is believing. These are just some of the benefits of having soft water in your home.

Spend less time caring for your skin – all those hard water deposits don’t end up on your dishes and glassware. They also wreak havoc on your skin. Those deposits can cause wrinkles and affect the collagen in your skin. The most important thing you will notice in terms of your skin is how smooth and silky it feels. That’s because your skin will be cleaner than ever.

You don’t have to worry so much about your hair: in addition to the positive benefits for your skin, soft water also works wonders for your hair. Soft water leaves your hair cleaner, which means it will have more shine and more volume.

Spend less money on things like soap and detergent: When your water is soft, you use a lot less soap, shampoo, and detergent in your washing machine and dishwasher. When I say much less, I mean 50% less, according to the Water Quality Association. The reason is quite simple. You get more lather with soft water.

Your Clothes Will Last Longer – Not only do you use less detergent, but your clothes will last longer too. Soft water helps the longevity of your clothes in terms of repeated washings. It will also help the shirts retain their shine.

Spend less time cleaning – One of the most noticeable effects of hard water is the build-up of soap residue on dishes and glasses. You don’t have to worry about it with soft water. In fact, you can run your dishwasher without worrying about all your glasses ending up with that white, chalky residue left over from hard water.

Your Appliances Will Last Longer – Finally, those expensive purchases like water heaters and other kitchen appliances love soft water. According to the Water Quality Association, hard water can cause an approximately 25% decrease in the efficiency of gas water heaters. Lime build-up from hard water can also cause big problems with any appliance that uses hot water.