Is a water softener actually worth keeping and maintaining?
Water softeners require ongoing maintenance and salt costs, but removing them risks heavy mineral scale buildup on appliances, fixtures, and pipes. Hard water can also leave stains on everything and aggravate sensitive skin.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1rebuilding the unit yourself
- 2regular cleaning of scale in kitchen, bath, and laundry
- 3installing an oxidizing iron filter
- 4Living with hard water stains and skin irritation
- 5Searching for personal experiences and reviews online
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My house has very hard water. Leaves water stains on everything and I am convinced it is causing problems with my already sensitive skin.”source ↗
“I am thinking of getting some quotes for a water softener and would love to hear some experiences from anyone who has had one installed.”source ↗
“How much damage over time would my pipes face if I removed the water softener (with respect to the hardness levels)? Is it really worth keeping and maintaining?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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