Hard and Soft Water

Soft water is the one which can produce lather with soap easily. But the hard water cannot produce lather easily as soft water.

The hardness of water is due to the presence of soluble salts of magnesium and calcium. The salts of magnesium such as magnesium bicarbonate (Mg(HCO₃)₂), magnesium chloride (MgCl₂) or the salts of calcium such as calcium bicarbonate (Ca(HCO₃)₂), calcium sulphate (CaSO₄), when dissolved in water, brings hardness in water.

The hardness of water may be temporary or permanent. Permanent hardness is due to the presence of salts such as magnesium chloride (MgCl₂), magnesium sulphate (MgSO₄), calcium sulphate (CaSO₄), and calcium chloride (CaCl₂) in water. Temporary hardness is due to the presence of salts such as calcium bicarbonate (Ca(HCO₃)₂) or magnesium bicarbonate (Mg(HCO₃)₂). Temporary hardness can be removed easily.

Advantages of Hard Water

• It contains calcium salt dissolved in it which helps to strengthen the bones and teeth.
• It is used in beer industries.
• Water is somewhat tasty due to dissolved salts of calcium and magnesium.

Disadvantages of Hard Water

• It leads to the consumption of more soap while washing clothes.
• A bright white cloth becomes dull due to the salts dissolved in water.
• In industries, due to hard water, the life of boilers decreases. This is due to the calcium salt deposited during boiling.

Drinking water

Water is used for many purposes. The water that contains micro-organisms, contaminated water, should not be used for drinking. Contaminated water carries many diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and many more. To be healthy, we must drink safe and clean water. The drinking water must be boiled. After boiling, the micro-organisms in water gets killed. So, it is advised to everyone to drink boiled water in order to stay from diseases that transmit through water.