The mechanical device that is used in this process is obviously called a water softener. The water softener is made up of, in most cases, of two different devices or chambers.

The first chamber holds the salt. Salt is a combination of Sodium and Chlorine. This combination of chemicals is what is used to remove the Calcium and Magnesium from the water. The second chamber is used to actually do the exchange.

Water comes into the house from the main water line from the street. It then enters the Ion Exchange Resin Tank where it is "mixed" with the salty Brine solution. Washing the water over tiny plastic beads that are coated with the sodium ions performs the mixing process.

These ions are then introduced to the water and the calcium and magnesium become attracted to the surface of the beads. Each time the water is used in the house, for cooking, cleaning or bathing, the water is drawn out of the tank and new water is introduced to start the process all over.

On a scheduled timer attached to the ion tank, the water in the tank is flushed out to a drainage pipe that cleans out the calcium and magnesium deposits and renews the sodium ions attached to the beads.

Since the water that goes into the house at this point has mostly sodium salts, detergents and soaps have a much easier time foaming and cleaning. In this end, it takes much less detergents to do the same amount of cleaning.

In addition, because there is less magnesium in the water, it is better for your skin and digestive system. Much like the pipes in your house, magnesium is absorbed into your system and your blood has to work at getting these heavier metal digested or removed from your body which takes away from the waters ability to hydrate your body and skin. Those that drink soft water are more likely to have clearer skin and healthier digestive systems.

Skin that is "too clean" is a common complaint from new users of soft water. This is primary because they use the same amount of soap as they did with hard water. They may also complain that the skin feels like it has a coating on it. This feeling is because the skin is actually clean and the natural oils in the skin are able to work, as it is suppose to. These are both very normal things with water softeners and are a sign that your skin is becoming healthier.

Even though water softeners remove the hard metals from your drinking water, it does not however remove all the impurities that may also be in the water. For pure water, you should also include a filtering system in your house to remove these. Most of the time, the strange taste you can get from soft water is not from the sodium but from these impurities.

Water softeners come in differing sizes as well. Even though you may want to biggest and best system on the market, it makes more sense to evaluate the system that is right for you. For instance, a family of three in a two-bedroom home would not need as big a unit as a five or six member family in a five-bedroom home.

In addition, the hardness of your water could change the size of unit you may need in your home. The harder the water, the larger the ion tank you will need to give the water more time to wash over the ion beads. Every city and community has a different level of hardness in their water, and the water softening company you have install your system can test the hardness of the water before deciding which unit is right for you. In addition, the bigger the water softening unit, the more salt you will need to keep the softener going.