If you are living in an area with hard water, you will likely find that it is hard on your kitchen equipment: such as kettles, pans, boilers, washing machines, dish washers, even your central water heating system will be impacted. Coming from Scotland, and living where I do, I was shocked to see how hard water really clogs up the electrics in the kitchen and decreases their efficiency when I stayed for a couple of days in Cambridge. It does not make your morning cuppa any more attractive, that’s for sure!

Would water softener reduce the amount of ‘scale’ that forms? Would it be affordable? Would it offset the cost of not doing so? Perhaps, you might find equipment lasts a little longer or even works more efficiently. I don’t know, I live in a soft water area, so I can’t test any of these claims with my own experience. But I do know that it might impact the flavor of my favorite drink: coffee!