Have you begun to notice that your clothes have a dingy look to them? Have they lost their softness and feel harsh? Is there residue that you can see on the clothing? If your answer to these questions is yes then you may have a hard water problem. As much as 85 percent of the U.S. has hard water. Hard Water is when their are high levels of magnesium and calcium present in your water. The higher the concentration of these minerals in your water the harder the water will be. People who live in an area serviced by a well will be especially prone to hard water issues. Below, our Raleigh laundromat experts talk more about this problem.
Hard Water | Raleigh Laundromat
The problem with these higher concentrates of magnesium and calcium is that these minerals will attach themselves to the fabric of your clothing.When this happens your clothes will begin to feel stiff and have a residue that will actually dull the colors. If your water is really hard you will begin to notice hole in your clothing. If you need to determine if you do have a hard water problem your local city water company can help. They will test your water for you . If you have a well then there are some do it yourself test kits you can use at home. There are also some companies out there that will test for you as well. This will help you determine how you should be doing the laundry when it comes to hard water issues.
If you have hard water there are some things to keep in mind when it comes to doing the laundry. Pick a detergent that has the most cleaning ingredients possible. This may be labeled heavy duty. Keep in mind you will want to use more detergent than usual and a much warmer temperature. This will help get the clothes as clean as possible. It will be a tough balance for you to figure out. Using more detergent and warmer water can also damage your clothes so try to figure out just the right amount you need. This can take some trial and error to get it just right.
If you are getting a white residue this may be coming form a powdered detergent so switch to a liquid. You can also try adding laundry borax to your wash. One half cup will help to soften your water which can help a lot. If you make your own laundry soap you will need to add more borax, up to 3/4 cup, to help soften the water so your soap will dissolve in the harder water. If you want to help your hard water problem all you can there are non-precipitating ion-exchange water conditioners available on the market. You can also find some that connect to the water lines coming in to your home. Be aware many of these add sodium to the water so if anyone is on a sodium restricted diet you must be careful.
Take the time to research your options when it comes to hard water problems. Call an expert for good advice on what will work best for you.
Sometimes we all need a little help getting our laundry done. Laundry Express offer a full service Raleigh laundromat for your convenience. Just drop them off and pick them up! It’s that simple. We also have a dry cleaning service for your items that need dry cleaning verses regular laundry. If you find yourself in need of a great laundry service call Laundry Express today!