Question:
Dear Mr. Timmons, You may have received questions similar to the one that I will pose to you from others, but I am quite confused as to what I have read on the internet. Please allow me to provide you with details. When I take a shower, I want to feel as if all of the soap, body oils, and grime will come off my body immediately. I do not mind if my skin comes out extremely dry after showering. I want to feel clean and I can always put on lotion if my skin is too dry. I have lived in southeastern Kentucky for many years and I have never had any issues while showering. I contacted my municipal water manager here in Hazard, Kentucky and he informed me that the water hardness of our town is usually around 180 parts per million and runs a range of 160-240 ppm at the extremes. The pH is usually around 7.4. During my college and medical training, I have lived inLexington, KY; Louisville, KY; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Silver Spring, MD; and Burbank, CA. I have never had any problems while showering in those communities. One time, we visited family friends in rural Iowa and taking a shower was an unpleasant experience. It felt as if the soap would not come off my body no matter how much water I used. When I visit my brother in Las Vegas, NV, it is the same problem with taking a shower - the soap does not feel as if it is coming off at all. I do not know if he has a water softener. When I visit my parents in New Tampa, FL the same situation as with my brother - I can't stand taking a shower as it feels that the soap will not come off no matter how much water that I use. I have read conflicting information on the internet. Some sources state that hard water causes the problems that I experience with showering in IA, NV, and my parents home in FL. Other sources say that it is probably a water softener used to lessen spots on dishes, etc., that cause that slimy feeling of not being able to get soap off of me during showering. I read your article that states that it is actually a "silky" feeling. I respectfully disagree with your characterization of "silky" as it is a markedly uncomfortable feeling and I have noted that acne seems to be worse when I am visiting my parents as the oils are not effectively removed from my skin. My parents told me that they have a filter for their home, but I am not certain that it is "softening" the water and that is why showering is such an unpleasant experience. The reason that I am sending this e-mail is that I will be moving to the Tampa area to work. I will be renting an apartment in Brandon, FL and I am not certain as to whether I should get some sort of water treatment system or if I should just try the city water first. Most of the literature seems to point to "soft" water as the culprit for the markedly uncomfortable feeling while showering. Some say it is "hard" water. Please explain and advise. Thank you very much. GThe Water Doctor's Response:
Dear G, First of all, I will just deal with the facts. Whether the water is silky or slimy is a perception, not a fact. I know many people who feel it is silky and I know many who think it is slimy. Do you like Coke or Pepsi? That’s personal taste – you can’t say one is better than another to everyone – just you. I love baseball and another person may hate it, so when we go to a game together, he is bored and I am engaged. We are in the same place, so it is our own perception that changes everything. I just wanted to make that point. Here are the FACTS: 1. Calcium and magnesium are “hard” minerals which combine with soap and form “curd” and suds. 2. This calcium and magnesium and soap curd does lodge in the pores of your skin in hard water. 3. Since there is no calcium or magnesium in soft water, the sodium which is a “soft” mineral, combines with the soap to form suds, without curd. 4. There is no calcium and magnesium in the water and no curd, and sodium does not stick in your skins’ pores. 5. Use a pure soap like Ivory – wash one hand with soft water and rinse – it will fell slick – then wash the other with hard water – it will feel “squeaky clean.” Then taste both hands. You will taste soap only on the hard water side. Therefore the soap is gone. 6. Many people with sensitive skin break out when they bathe in hard water. I have seen people with eczema-like skin problems have clear skin after a few days with soft water. 7. There is no soap residue left when you shower in soft water. 8. There is soap residue left on the skin when you shower in hard water. 9. I cannot say why acne would occur in soft water unless the skin is stimulated by the lack of calcium and magnesium in the pores to produce oil. 10. Some people love the slick feeling – others hate the slimy feeling – it’s all about perception! 11. With soft water, you get the following benefits over hard water: a. 50% less soap, detergents and cleaning chemicals (for example, you use half the laundry soap, half the shampoo and half the dishwasher detergent). b. 30% saving on water heating energy. c. Dramatically increases the life of all water using appliances and plumbing appliances. d. Delivers spot-free dishes in the dishwasher. e. Cuts cleaning time in showers and sinks. Those are the facts.This is why we offer traditional salt based water softner solutions as well as salt free water contioners
August 13, 2014
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I’m frequently asked about why soft water is “slimy”. Some people will tell you that you’re feeling your natural body oils when washing with soft water. Body oils play a VERY SMALL part in the feel issue. Slimy feel is really affected by water pH, carbonate content, sodium content and of course the type of soap being used.
Soft water (for most applications) is water that contains less than 1 Grain per Gallon (GPG) of Calcium Carbonate hardness.
Hard water contains calcium and magnesium ions. When you use soap (real soap, not a Synthetic detergent/surfactant) in hard water, the soap will react dramatically with the hardness to create that rough sticky precipitate known as soap scum or soap curd. Soap curd sticks to everything that it touches…skin, hair, clothing, bathtubs, shower curtains, shower stalls etc… it is a general nuisance and visual evidence of hard water’s inability to clean properly.
When you use real soap with soft water, there are no ions to react with the soap and it lathers quite spectacularly. The lather is evidence of preserved cleaning power. That is why softener salesmen can make claims like “whiter whites, brighter brights, and darker dark’s” – it’s actually true.
Of course, there are different kinds of SOFT water…
- Naturally soft water – Water that is naturally devoid of hardness ions. Rainwater is usually a good example of this
- Ion exchange softened water – Water that has been processed using ion exchange to replace hardness ions with sodium or potassium.
- Chemically softened water – Hardness ions ore sequestered chemically by chelating agents like Sodium Tripolyphosphate (STPP) – Do you remember Calgon ?
- Purified Water – Water “purified” through a distiller, reverse osmosis nanofilter, electrodeionization(EDI), or CDI array. – the hardness ions are physically removed, but not replaced with anything else.
This is where things scan get confusing, since these types of soft water react DIFFERENTLY with soap.
- Sodium Ion exchange softened water will feel slimy with most soaps, since they are made from lye
- Sodium Ion exchange softened water will not feel slimy with potassium-based soaps like Dr Bronner’s Potassium Hydroxide liquid soaps.
- Chemically softened water will usually feel slimy
- Naturally Soft water rarely ever feels slimy with sodium or potassium-based soaps
- Purified water rarely ever feels slimy with sodium or potassium-based soaps
- If you use a high pH soap, it will feel slimier than a low pH soap.
Regardless of the amount of hardness in the water:
- Low pH soft water will feel rough, no matter what.
- Low pH is bad since it neutralizes itself by corroding pipes, fittings, fixtures and appliances.
- High pH soft water will generally feel slick/slimy. (Try adding varying amounts of baking soda to a bowl and washing your hands in it).
- If your soap has high levels of oleic moisturizers, then you can even get a “greasy” feel if the pH and sodium levels are high enough.
- Carbonate Alkalinity will change the feel of the water, as well the effectiveness of various cleaning products.
Here is a list of different soaps and their average pH
Camay 9.5
Dial 9.5
Dove 7.0
Irish Spring 9.5
Ivory 9.5
Lever 2000 9.0
Palmolive 10.0
Zest 10.0
So when you’re looking for more or less slime, consider the above and enjoy your clean water!