Most homeowners need to use water treatments in their home so that they can get rid of hard water. Hard water is not a problem for everybody; it is only a problem for homeowners who live in rural areas where water treatment plants are not designed to remove the chemicals that cause hard water. Hard water is something that most homeowners do not enjoy and want to be treated because the water does not taste good and it can cause problem when you clean your home. The reason that it can cause problems when cleaning in the house is because of how our cleaning agents work; the hard water interferes with the cleaning agents.

Here is a look at some of the different types of water treatments that are used in a home.

Chemical disinfection:
This type of water treatment will work on a large scale. It involves adding iodine or chlorine-based tablets into the untreated water. The chemicals will destroy the bacteria and organic contaminants found in our natural water supplies. Swimming pool owners, public and private, use chlorine to treat their water because of how many different types of contaminates that chlorine kills.

Filtration:
This method can be done through activated charcoal or paper filters. Many homeowners use this method because it is a low cost method you can use in your home if you are concerned about your public water supplies. In this process, tap water will flow through a small filter at the end of your faucet or you can have an even better system set up in your kitchen or basement. Filtration is successful because heavy metals, organic contaminates and many bacteria are too big to fit through the mesh of a filter. Just remember to change your filters regularly because bacteria can grow in the organic material that builds up at the filter.

Reverse osmosis:
This method is even more discriminating than filtration, it is actually used by many water treatment companies and bottled water companies, in combination with filtration. This method uses a semi-permeable material with super tiny openings. The untreated water is forced through the material and because of how tiny the openings are even the smallest forms of bacteria and pollutants cannot pass through.

Water Softeners:
This process will remove calcium and magnesium, which can interfere with the cleaning action of soaps and detergents. Calcium and magnesium also can lead to scale build up in hot water pipes, water heaters, and your plumbing fixtures. Water softeners soften water by a synthetic resin that is attracted to calcium, magnesium and other positively charged metal ions. The resin is saturated with sodium from a salt solution, hence why water softeners use salt or salt pellets. When the water passes through the resin, the sodium changes places with the calcium and magnesium and the resin is filled. Once the resin is filled, the water softener must be recharged, automatic softeners are set at a certain time to regenerate with a time clock, and semi-automatic softeners must be started manually but will do the entire cycle on its own. Manual softeners are done entirely by hand.