A natural and efficient laundry detergent designed specifically to remove stubborn stains from hard water with a high mineral concentration is Rockin' Green's Hard Rock Laundry Powder.
Best for Tough Stains and Hard Water
Tide Plus Ultra Stain Release is more than a superior stain remover. In our tests, this concentrated detergent works solidly in hard water. In fact, in our ratings, 12 Tide detergents (liquids and pods/packs) offer near top-level efficiency in hard water.
When washing with hard water, good detergents include extra ingredients that soften the water so the rest can get to work removing the real stains. This is why you'll need to use more detergent to soften the water if you live in a hard water area.
Liquid detergents are generally recommended for washing in hard water. This is because the ingredients in liquid laundry detergent are less likely to react with hard water minerals. Liquid detergents also rinse more easily than powder in hard water, so they're less likely to leave residue behind.
The ingredients in liquid detergents tend to react less with minerals in hard water, allowing them to work more effectively. This doesn't mean powder detergents are a no-go, though: Some water-softening ingredients, such as sodium carbonate, often come in powder form.
You can also add 1/2 cup laundry borax to each load. Borax provides water softening by producing a soluble calcium complex (forming a chelate with the minerals so that they are no longer available for reactions) and boosts surfactant performance by preventing precipitation of a calcium/surfactant complex.
Hard water can also damage your gasket and funnels. As the mineral deposits build-up, it can cause your machine to malfunction and overdry your clothes. In the end, this can cause rusting of the metal parts. If you're already having a problem, you may want to try a cleaning product made for washing machines.
Pods are best for people who tend to have the same size loads all the time and have laundry that isn't very heavily soiled, according to Johnson. They're also the least messy and easiest to transport, which is why they're a good pick for people using communal laundry rooms.
The Pros of Laundry Pods
Jennifer Ahoni, principal scientist at Tide, takes that one step further and says pods not only perform better because they are measured correctly, but also because they have more concentrated cleaning ingredients.
Synthetic detergents can lather well in hard water because synthetic detergents form soluble calcium and magnesium salts with hard water.
Borax has a high pH of about 9.24. 2 When you add one-half cup per load of laundry to water, it changes the pH to around 8 (a neutral pH is 7). This slightly alkaline pH is ideal for cleaning. Since borax acts as a buffering agent, it helps to keep the water at this pH, even after detergent or other cleaners are added.
Detergents are preferred over soap due to the following reasons: Detergents act more effectively on hard water as compared to soaps. The sulfonate group does not attach itself to the ions present in hard water. They do not form insoluble precipitates with the dissolved calcium and magnesium ions in hard water.
Ultimately, Persil ProClean (available at Amazon) came out on top, because it had the best stain-removing prowess, especially over the tough stuff. For even more of a deal, our Best Value winner is an old favorite: Tide.
In regions where the water supply has a high mineral content (hard water), baking soda added to a load of laundry will prevent the dinginess in clothes washed in hard water. Add 1/4 box of baking soda to each load of laundry to soften the water. If you have a water softener, baking soda is unnecessary.
The disadvantages of using laundry pods are: They are the most expensive option. They can contain too much or too little detergent for some loads. They can't be used to pretreat stains.
Tablets and pods are the best all-round option
If you look closely at the ingredients, tablets and pods are much more complicated than powdered detergent or gel. This gives tablets and pods more cleaning power than simpler products as they combine a greater range of cleaning methods.
Benefits of Laundry Pods
Pro: Pods are very effective at cleaning clothes in cold water. Con: Pods can't pretreat or spot-treat stains. So, what's the best laundry detergent? If you enjoy simplicity, go with pods, and if you like to save money, go with powder!
Hard water also negatively impacts the efficiency and lifespan of any appliance that requires water for operation. This might not be such a big deal for a coffeemaker, but it has the same effect on water heaters and refrigerators.
Hard water contains minerals that create a barrier, preventing moisture from getting to the hair. Hair washed in hard water may become excessively dry, leading to other problems in the future. With continued use, hard water may lead to weakened hair strands and follicles.
Can hard water cause hair loss? In short, not directly, but hard water can negatively affect your hair, which can indirectly lead to hair loss or at least the appearance of it.
Vinegar makes a perfect fragrance-free fabric softener and works well for hard water. To use vinegar as a fabric softener and static reducer: Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the final rinse cycle of your washing machine.
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.
Liquid detergents washed equally well in both soft and hard water. Powdered detergents were better than liquids in soft water. Water hardness affected powdered detergents, and, depending on the detergent type, 10-15% to > 30% extra detergent was needed to obtain a result similar to that of soft water.