A water softener dishwasher is a bit costly and you must hear contradictory reviews about its effectiveness.
So you must want to know if a water softener dishwasher is worth it or not. Read this article to get an informative answer to your query and know the benefits of using a water softener.
Is a water softener dishwasher worth it?
The answer is variable, depending on your water condition. A water softener dishwasher is worth every penny if you have hard water issues. But if you have a soft water supply in your region, then you can softener is not your cup of tea.
Hard water creates stubborn stains on your dishes that are frustrating. Water softener converts harder water into soft water to deliver sparkling cleaning dishes.
So you can improve your dishwasher performance as well as get rid of stains with softener.
What is hard water means?
Well, if the water contains a large quantity of calcium, ions, and magnesium, that is referred to as hard water.
Detergents fail to clean dishes by using hard water, so they fall sticky residue on the dishes.
Besides, the hard water also forms scale in the machines that are also harmful to the dishwasher performance.
Water softener swaps the hard water ions for sodium ions that won’t build any deposits and are capable of cleaning dishes perfectly.
The majority region supplies hard water; that is why a water softener is a must. Let us explain some brilliant benefits of water softeners. It will help you to understand how worthy water softener is.
How To Determine Whether You Need A Water Softener Dishwasher?
If you get dishes with filmy streak spots from the dishwasher, it means you need a water softener. The reason is that hard water causes this problem.
A water softener is preferable for you if you use water that includes higher mineral substances. This function will treat the water and maintain the greatest performance.
If you leave the hard water untreated, it can cause enduring damage to the dishwasher. Hard water can also cause the tank to overflow.
Bring a water softener dishwasher if your home has hard water. Then your dishwasher will replace the magnesium and calcium in the water with chloride and sodium. And offer sparkling clean dishes.
Benefits of using a water softener dishwasher
Hard water is not only created bad stains on dishes but also damages your dishwasher. In the long run, you need to pay lots of maintenance costs due to hard water.
You can solve this type of issue by using a water softener. Here we are discussing the key benefits of a water softener.
Improve cleaning performance
If you face water spots or streaks line in the dishes and think the dishwasher is not capable of delivering optimal cleaning.
But you are wrong here; the issue is the water is hard. When you use a softener that mixes with water and boosts up cleaning performance.
You must be surprised to see the sparkling clean dishes without any anyone spots or stains.
Protection
Limescale is one kind of calcium deposit that can arise on faucets and water pipes which is painful. Because it is very hard to remove manually.
But water softener can protect your dishwasher from such deposit building and keep your dishwasher optimal for years after years.
Spotless Sparkling Dishes
Users get water spots and streaks on their dishes due to using a weak dishwasher.
Since their dishwasher can’t deal with hard water, it leaves stains on the dishes. A water softener improves the dishwasher’s cleaning performance.
It also removes the spots and watermarks from the glassware and dishes and delivers sparkling clean dishes.
Protection against Limescale
It’s a whitish material that attacks the faucets and water pipes. This irritating substance can reduce the performance of the dishwasher.
Apart from this, you may need to remove the dirty calcium deposit from your hand.
Luckily, a water softener can protect your dishware from deposit buildup and keep the dishwasher’s longevity.
Money-saving and stress-free
A dishwasher can break down if the excess minerals from hard water deposits build up inside it. It can also cause the dishwasher to rust and prevent the pump from working.
But a water softener lets the dishwasher work using purer water, resulting in saving money and energy.
If you are living with a hard water problem and buy a typical dishwasher over a water softener dishwasher, it will be a huge mistake.
Even if you use expensive detergent in your standard dishwasher, you’ll still notice the stain on your dishes.
Save maintenance cost
Hard water contains a strong level of minerals that gradually damages the dishwasher parts. Besides, it also builds trust and breaks the pumps.
So, you need to call a mechanic to repair the dishwasher which is costly and time-consuming.
But if you use a water softener dishwasher, you can skip this weird situation. It will solve hard water issues, so no minerals are built upon the appliances. Softener saves maintenance costs and also enhances the life span of your dishwasher.
How to know whether the water is hard or not?
The water condition in your home is a vital fact that you must know. But finding out the exact water hardness level is a bit tricky.
Some high-end dishwasher machine provides a sensor to automatically scan the water hardness throughout the cleaning cycle and to set the salt settings.
So you don’t need to know the salt level to clean the dishes flawlessly.
But you need to set the salt level in the basic model of water softener dishwasher. That is why knowing the hardness level of water is important.
You can only clean your dishes nicely if you can set the right salt level in the dishwasher. Here are some easy ways to know water hardness.
Monitor the symptoms
If you get a hard water supply, you must notice some severe symptoms. So you must check the faucet, drains, and other parts to find the white crust. You should also look for the below signs.
- Rough hair
- Comparatively low suds
- Shower & tubs are difficult to clean
- Dishes with water spots and stains
- Skin over dry
If you find the above signs on your home, then there is a high chance of a hard water supply. To confirm this, you need to execute the below test.
Testing Kit
You can measure the exact hardness level of water using a testing kit. This type of water hardness kit is very affordable and available in every home appliance shop.
To use this testing kit, follow the below strategy.
- Take a pot and pour water directly from the tap
- Keep the test kit inside the water pot
- The kit will start to change its color. You need to observe the color and compare it’s with the hardness level indicators chart that attaches with the test kits.
If the color matches the hard or very hard level color, then you must need a water softener.
But if the water comes softly yet, you should use a water softener dishwasher. Let us explain why a water softener dishwasher is a good choice for you.
Why should you buy a water softener dishwasher with soft water?
Lots of us live in renting a house. So, we need to shift our house due to job, educations or other reasons.
There is no guarantee that we will live in a certain region for decades. So, the current residents may have soft water, but the future residents have no guarantee.
Only if you live in own flat or house you can skip it. But the movers or rent takers should go for a water softener dishwasher.
The extra investment to buy a built-in water softener dishwasher will improve your cleaning experience and also be worth every penny.
Should you use dishwasher salt in a water softener dishwasher?
If you own a water softener dishwasher, you don’t need to use dishwasher salt. The water softener inside the dishwasher will be good enough to remove magnesium and calcium from the water.
This way, you’ll have chalky and cloudy free sparkling glassware and flatware.
Another benefit of a water softener dishwasher is that it eliminates the need to waste effort and money on filling salt in the machine.
Just use the softened water in the dishwasher, set the unit’s water hardness to zero, and enjoy spotless clean dishes.
Even the manufacturer of dish cleaning products discourages the use of rinse aid and dishwasher salt on such units.
After all, dishwasher salt is used to help the water softener perform efficiently.
Best built-in water softener dishwasher
Earlier, we talked about the benefits of using a water softener dishwasher. But we may confuse which built-in water softener dishwasher is good for you.
After in-depth research, we pick the 4 best water softener dishwashers.
- Frigidaire FFCD2413US
- SPT SD 9263W
- Danby DDW1804EBSS
- Bosch 800 series
If you invest in these top-quality water softener dishwashers, you can enjoy the benefits for years.
This dishwasher is capable of handling water with high amounts of minerals like calcium and magnesium.
FAQs About Water Softener Dishwasher
Should You Buy A Dishwasher With A Water Softener?
If your living area has hard water with high mineral content, buying a dishwasher with a water softener will be the right decision for you.
Owning a typical dishwasher won’t offer you any satisfying results in this case and may cause calcium and magnesium buildup in the dishes.
How Does A Water Softener Work In The Dishwasher?
A water softener boosts the cleaning ability of a dishwasher without applying phosphate.
It removes the streak and cloud of glass that are caused by using hard water.
The water softener also removes the hard water stains from the dishwasher and the dishes.
What Is The Error Side Of Using A Water Softener In A Dishwasher?
During the softening of water, it picks up many useless substances from the pipe.
a water softener consumes around 120 gallons of water for every thousand gallons.
Final words!
We hope now you know if a water softener dishwasher is worth it or not. Besides answering your query, we also discuss how much worthy the water softener dishwasher is.
If you want to buy a built-in water softener dishwasher, then you can look at our top 4 best dishwasher list. It helps you to choose the best budget dishwasher that is worth every penny.
