Method 1 Soften Kitchen Water
Boil the water. Boiling water only removes certain types of hardness ("temporary hardness"), so it won't work for all homes. Try it once to see if it works for you:
Boil the water for a few minutes.
Let it cool for a few hours. The white minerals should settle to the bottom of the pot.
Syphon or scoop up the water on the surface, leaving the minerals behind.
Buy a small ion exchange filter. Some models connect to your kitchen faucet, while others come in pitchers for you to store drinking water. Softened water generally tastes better, but the effectiveness depends on the exact minerals in the water.
Method 2 Soften Laundry Water
1. Add a non-precipitating water conditioner to your laundry. These products absorb some of the minerals in the water during the wash cycle. Make sure the product is "non-precipitating" - you may have to search online to find one. Avoid "precipitating" conditioners, which can leave scale on fabrics and in your washing machine. Once you've chosen your product, add it to your laundry as follows
Add a second batch of conditioner during the rinse cycle. If you don't, all the minerals will attach back to your clothes.
2. Remove hard water stains with vinegar. Distilled white vinegar can remove white spots on fabrics, drains, or porcelain caused by mineral buildup. Apply directly or dilute with an equal amount of water, wipe the stain, and then rinse. This temporary solution can be troublesome if scale builds up quickly. If your water is only slightly hard, this can be a cost-effective method.
Method 3 Soften Water for the Whole House
1. Measure the hardness of your water. Look online for inexpensive test strips, or a more accurate water hardness test kit
Find the right size water softener. Most test kits in the United States measure hardness in "grains per gallon." Multiply this result by the average gallons of water your home uses per day (based on your water bill). This is the "grains" that the device softens per day. Choose a water softener that is marked with about 10 times that number of grains. This means the water softener will work for about 10 days before it needs to be shut down.
