Perhaps the best way to filter calcium from your water supply is to use a water softener. A water softener has been specifically designed to strip hard minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, from your water supply.
The chemical treatment uses Sodium Carbonate for water calcium and limestone removal from waters. The principle of the chemical treatment is that the carbonate and calcium ions will bond to form insoluble precipitates, which will be forced out of the water and slowly soften it.
Both reverse osmosis and a water softener can be strong options for removing calcium from your water supply, but a water softener is probably the most cost-effective and efficient way to do so.
BRITA filters do not filter out all calcium or magnesium. Instead, they work by reducing the carbonate hardness of the water, so that calcium carbonate is less likely to develop. So you can still enjoy healthy minerals.
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.
Two of the most effective substances are lemon juice and ordinary vinegar. Lemon juice is usually the best (and will also leave a lovely smell behind). Stronger pickling vinegar and lime juice are both even more acidic and can be used for really stubborn deposits.
For a tried and true cleaner to tackle hard water stains, we recommend Bio-Clean Hard Water Stain Remover. It's easy to use, efficient, and it smells pleasant, too. For a more budget-friendly but still effective pick, check out CLR Multi-Use Calcium, Lime & Rust Remover.
Oxalic acid hinders calcium absorption.
Spinach is naturally high in calcium, but it is also high in oxalic acid. The body is unable to process the calcium it provides. Other foods that contain oxalic acid include beet greens, rhubarb and sweet potatoes.
How to Remove Calcium Buildup. White vinegar, baking soda and even a lemon can be used to get rid of pesky calcium stains. Many homemakers already use vinegar to help clean difficult areas. It's also helpful when addressing hard water stains or calcium buildup.
Permanent Hardness of Water
We can remove this hardness by treating the water with washing soda. Insoluble carbonates are formed when washing soda reacts with the sulphide and chloride salts of magnesium and calcium, and thus, hard water is converted to soft water.
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.
Since boiling removes the water's calcium content, the result is softer water. Boiling is a quick and cheap way to fix hard water for consumption purposes. However, it only addresses temporary hardness and not permanent hardness. The latter contains dissolved calcium sulfate that boiling will not remove.
Water described as “hard” contains high amounts of dissolved calcium and magnesium. Hard water is not a health risk but is a nuisance because of mineral buildup on plumbing fixtures' and poor soap and or detergent performance. Water is a good solvent and picks up impurities easily.
Carbon filters will not remove bacteria, calcium and magnesium (hard water), fluorides, nitrates, chlorides and many other inorganic chemicals.
The most effective way to address hard water is with a water softener. Water is softened when calcium and magnesium—the hardness ions—are collected by tiny resin beads through a process called ion exchange. The resin beads are charged with sodium or potassium ions.
Sodium carbonate is used for softening of hard water.
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.
The presence of magnesium and calcium soluble salts in the form of chlorides and sulphates in the water. It is usually not removed by the boiling process. The cause of the permanent hardness of water is dissolved chloride and sulphate ions.
As previously mentioned, baking soda does a bang-up job at dissolving calcium deposits left behind from hard water, but this pantry staple doesn't act alone. By introducing an acid (i.e., white vinegar), a chemical reaction takes place that may be short-lived, but highly effective.
A water softener will gradually dissolve the existing scale buildup. The time it takes will depend on how much build-up your pipes have endured. Limescale that has been building up over the years can sometimes take a while to remove from your system.