The most accessible water softeners to add to your wash routine are Calgon and Borax. Both can be found in the laundry aisle, and both are effective for softening hard water.
Adding 1/2 cup laundry borax to each load softens water by basically canceling out the minerals so they can't react and build up.
Whether you choose liquid or powder, you'll see better results if you select a heavy-duty detergent over a bargain brand that offers the most cleaning ingredients. You can also add 1/2 cup laundry borax to each load.
How 20 Mule Team Borax helps. Borax is a naturally occurring mineral that is known for its water softening abilities. Water softening occurs when calcium and magnesium are removed from “hard” water by exchanging with sodium ions.
How to Get Rid of Hard Water. A home water softener is the most efficient way to remove the minerals that make your water hard. Affordable water softening systems are available from a variety of retailers with capacities to fit your home's water usage and hardness.
Soften your kitchen water by boiling: Boiling will make the salts in water sink to the bottom of the boiler. You can then scoop out this water or pour the water in another pot leaving the deposits in the end. Install an ion-exchange filter to your kitchen faucet or use a water pitcher filter.
Vinegar is very effective in dissolving the calcium, magnesium, and other mineral deposits of hard water. The added advantage is that it kills bacteria, mold, and other germs. Using vinegar as a softener for hard water is a simple hack to treat hard water at home.
Baking soda, borax, dish soap, toothpaste, and vinegar can be used in much the same way to clean calcium deposits, so you can use most of the information related to the vinegar and apply it also to cleaning agents. What you need for cleaning with vinegar: A cleaning brush. With soft bristles, not metallic.
Borax sits in the exact same family of water softeners as washing soda. Borax is a precipitating water softener and it comes with the same drawbacks i.e. skin irritation and build-up. If either of these disadvantages are unacceptable to you – you'll want to find what's called a non-precipitating water softener.
Washing soda (sodium carbonate) has a very high pH level, making it an extreme alkaline compound that is very effective as a cleaning agent. Borax (sodium tetraborate) pH levels aren't as high as washing soda, and it doesn't have the same cleaning power as washing soda.
Borax: Helps to clean and deodorize. Use on wallpaper, painted walls and floors. Use it with your detergent to remove stains and boost cleaning power. Vinegar: Helps remove stains, wax build-up and mildew.
Borax can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea if you ingest it by itself, and large amounts can lead to shock and kidney failure. It's banned in U.S. food products. It also can irritate your skin and eyes, and it can hurt your nose, throat, and lungs if you breathe it in.
Tough bathroom stains don't stand a chance against OxiClean™ stain fighters that power through grime and stains on all kinds of surfaces. Say goodbye to soap scum, hard water build-up, calcium, lime stains, grease and gunk. OxiClean™ Bathroom Cleaner does the hard work for you.
Hard water can be softened by adding sodium carbonate (washing soda) or by passing the water through an ion-exchange column.
Baking soda – While adding baking soda to your bath won't chemically soften the water, it will make it feel slicker and cause your skin to feel softer. To try this method, add ½ a cup of baking soda to a tubful of water and soak in the bath for about 15 minutes.
Instead of sprinkling borax in the bottom of your trash can, try baking soda or used (or fresh) coffee grinds, which all work wonders. You can also use baking soda and water to clean your trash can. Throw in some vinegar for extra odor-fighting action.
Borax is significantly more alkaline than baking soda. Borax has a pH of 9.5 vs. 8 for baking soda. That might make it more effective in certain situations, but it also makes it a harsher cleaning agent.
Clean your toilet bowl
Pour a cup of borax powder into your toilet bowl and let it sit overnight. The next morning, you'll easily be able to scrub any grime away.
If the limescale stains are stubborn, consider purchasing heavy-duty powder cleaner which contains compounds such as trisodium phosphate or borax. Either apply it directly to affected areas or pour a measured amount into the bowl.
Use Vinegar & Baking Soda
White vinegar is a natural solution that can be utilized to dissolve calcium buildup. Sitting overnight, you will be able to remove lime buildup from the drain while avoiding the harsh chemicals in traditional drain cleaners. Avoid putting any store-bought chemicals down the drain.