{"id":63465,"date":"2023-02-21T12:44:20","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T17:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/?p=63465"},"modified":"2023-08-17T14:38:32","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T18:38:32","slug":"how-water-hardness-impacts-soap-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/how-water-hardness-impacts-soap-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"How Water Hardness Impacts Soap Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Have you ever noticed that your skin feels sticky or tacky after rinsing off your body?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason for this is due to soap scum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the name sounds downright disgusting, soap scum is a natural reaction that occurs when the minerals in your water interact with a bar of soap.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a high amount of calcium and magnesium ions in your water, also known as hard water, soap scum will occur.&nbsp; However, if you have a low concentration of minerals, then soap scum won\u2019t occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What does this mean for the performance of your bar of soap?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>If you have hard water<\/strong>: This will require more effort to generate a lather.&nbsp; However, rinsing off your body will be significantly easier.&nbsp; You\u2019ll know when your body is rinsed off as it will no longer feel slick or smooth; instead, it will feel tacky or sticky.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>If you have soft water<\/strong>: This requires nearly zero effort to generate a sudsy or thick lather.&nbsp; When rinsing, you will need to use much more water to get rid of that smoother and almost slimy texture from your skin.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) put together an excellent summary of the properties of soap and how it reacts to the skin if you want to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/special-topic\/water-science-school\/science\/water-qa-why-cant-i-rinse-soap-my-hands-0?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> learn more<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll know if you have hard water based on the properties of your soap or simply by inspecting your bathtub or shower stall.&nbsp; If you see residue or grime of soap on the surface, then you have hard water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is considered to be hard water?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hard water contains a higher amount of calcium and magnesium ions than average.&nbsp; Per the USGS, water hardness is classified into the following categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><em>0 to 60 mg\/L (milligrams per liter) as calcium carbonate is classified as soft; 61 to 120 mg\/L as moderately hard; 121 to 180 mg\/L as hard; and more than 180 mg\/L as very hard.<\/em>https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/special-topic\/water-science-school\/science\/hardness-water?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where is hard water in the United States?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The USGS put together a great map on water quality from domestic wells across the United States.&nbsp; Should your house or apartment rely on well water, you can quickly see what the hardness level is in your area:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Quality-of-water-from-domestic-wells-in-the-united-states.png\" alt=\"Quality of water from domestic wells in the united states\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/media\/images\/quality-water-domestic-wells-united-states<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, if you don\u2019t have well water, read on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The hardness of city water varies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just because you live in a city doesn\u2019t mean you have soft water.&nbsp; Public municipalities vary in their water treatment processes.&nbsp; Some cities may soften the water while others may not.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, larger cities such as New York rely on multiple water sources.&nbsp; Per NYC.gov, they have stated the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><em>New Yorkers receive their tap water from upstate reservoirs in the Catskill\/Delaware watershed, the Croton watershed, or a blend of both sources. Water from the Croton watershed is considered \u201cmoderately hard,\u201d while water from the Catskill\/Delaware watershed is considered \u201csoft\u201d or \u201cslightly hard.\u201d Citywide, the average hardness is about 1.8 grain\/gallon (CaCO3). In areas of the City where Catskill\/Delaware and Croton Water supplies are blended, the hardness can reach 7 grain\/gallon (CaCO3), which is considered \u201cmoderately hard.\u201d.<\/em>https:\/\/www1.nyc.gov\/site\/dep\/water\/drinking-water-frequently-asked-questions.page<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>So even where you live in a large city could result in different water hardness levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The takeaway<\/strong>: Check with your local municipality if you have questions about the water source and hardness levels.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are water hardness testing kits?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Water hardness testing kits can be found at your local hardware store and are pretty cheap.&nbsp; For under $10, you can get about 100 paper strips to test your water hardness.&nbsp; Typically containing a color scale, they can give you an idea of the hardness of the water in under a minute.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Am I stuck with slimy or tacky feeling soaps forever?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It depends.&nbsp; If you are in an apartment, high-rise, etc., then there is little that you can do. However, if you are in a house and have hard water, consider installing a water softener.&nbsp; They are under $2,000 for the unit (including installation costs).&nbsp; Water softeners can give you instantly softer water for both drinking and bathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We double-checked to see if shower filters could work as a temporary or low-cost alternative.&nbsp; However, shower filters target chlorine and chloramines rather than minerals \u2013 so there will not be a noticeable impact on soap performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will hard water and soap scum ruin my skin?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me be straightforward; I\u2019m not a dermatologist.&nbsp; I tried to do some research on this for you and was left with more questions than answers.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what I found out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was unable to find a single research paper that supported that soap scum impacts the texture or healthiness of the skin.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only potential answer was that soap scum <strong><em>might<\/em><\/strong> cause dryness, itchiness, and clogged pores.&nbsp; However, this was from a company <strong>that sold water softeners<\/strong> \u2013 so take that with a healthy dose of skepticism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Personal thoughts<\/em><\/strong><em>: if your skin is dry, itchy, or irritated, it may just need some lotion to help it retain moisture.&nbsp; Use common sense here and make adjustments in your grooming routine as necessary.&nbsp; Of course, speak with your doctor or dermatologist if you have further questions.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do certain soaps help balance the finished results?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Honestly, it\u2019s a little bit of trial and error as the hardness of water will vary from house to house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even when testing several different soaps bars, we found that the ingredients can make a noticeable impact on the skin\u2019s texture while rinsing.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oil-rich natural soaps, such as Dr. Bronner\u2019s Pure-Castile Bar Soap, weren\u2019t nearly as sticky or tacky feeling upon rinsing compared to, say, a Dr. Squatch or Duke Cannon soap.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, mass-produced soaps from large brands are designed to work for all water types.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This was a fascinating topic to research as there is so much variability in water hardness and soap composition. We truly hope that the information we covered today gives you a better idea of what happens when washing your body.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever noticed that your skin feels sticky or tacky after rinsing off your body?&nbsp;&nbsp; The reason for this is due to soap scum. While the name sounds downright &#8230; <a title=\"How Water Hardness Impacts Soap Performance\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/how-water-hardness-impacts-soap-performance\/\" aria-label=\"More on How Water Hardness Impacts Soap Performance\"> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":63788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[993],"tags":[998],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63465"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63465"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66175,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63465\/revisions\/66175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}