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Hard water in Kent - is there a (cheap) solution to avoiding the perils of limescale or is a pricey water softener the only real option?

One of the few disadvantages of living in Kent is its hard water.

I don’t mean it clunks out of the taps, dents your sink and you have to gnaw at it, merely that for geological reasons, the fluid that flows is super-rich in certain minerals.

It looks nice enough - but just wait for those white marks to appear...everywhere
It looks nice enough - but just wait for those white marks to appear...everywhere

The consequence, as most people in the county will be only too aware of, is that everything, over time, gets coated in limescale.

Apparently, it’s because our aquifers flow over chalk and limestone – loading the water up with calcium and magnesium minerals.

It amazes me that, in the 21st century, with so many technological advances, we still have water flowing from our taps (a luxury, it should be said, I’m acutely aware of - this article is the very definition of a first-world problem) that leaves everything coated in that horrible white stuff.

I know this isn’t very pleasant, but the inside of my kettle looks like it has a large iceberg forming courtesy of the limescale building up in it.

The precious caffeine-providing coffee machine in my kitchen got clogged up (despite being regularly descaled) and I’ve gone through more showerheads than I care to remember.

Washing machines, dishwashers, showerheads…nowhere is safe from pesky limescale
Washing machines, dishwashers, showerheads…nowhere is safe from pesky limescale

I’ve even had dishwashers conk out as a consequence and the amount of salt I pour into the thing never ceases to amaze.

Yes, I could – and probably should – simply get that descaler liquid which stinks to high heaven and regularly soak everything in it, but life, I fear, is often too short to bother with such a thing.

Granted, when some appliance or another dies as a consequence, I vow to tackle the issue more proactively. But, in truth, I forget once I get a shiny new one and it works again.

So, this week I had a look at how much it would cost to take the plunge and buy a water softener – surely the ideal solution to the issue?

Plumb in it, and lovely soft water flows. Kettles live on. Coffee machines continue to serve me up my cappuccino. The precious dishwasher and washing machine gets to fight another day.

Is buying a water softener simply too much money down the drain?
Is buying a water softener simply too much money down the drain?

Granted, part of me thinks the water companies should probably provide this sort of thing for those living in hard water areas, but they’re probably too busy releasing sewage into our seas and rivers to consider such an investment.

But we are where we are.

A quick Google and the experts suggest it would set me back anywhere between £1,200 and £1,600. And that excludes the several hundred pounds to install the thing.

Oh, and then there’s a monthly cost of around £20 for salt and the associated costs of getting it serviced.

Suffice to say, I think that kettle’s limescale mountain isn’t going anywhere just yet.

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