Thread Number: 72818
/ Tag: Detergents and Additives
Water softeners(Calgon etc.)-Do they really make washing machine live longer? |
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Post# 962121 , Reply# 1   10/12/2017 at 10:16 (2,387 days old) by MrAlex (London, UK)   |   | |
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Which decided that it wasn't necessary, I mean.. If it's just used in the wash cycle, what happens in the rinse cycle? That water isn't softened. Might be better to get a AEG with water softener built in. If Hard water and limescale is a concern.
I've spent so much time thinking about it and just decided to stop worrying lol |
Post# 962165 , Reply# 4   10/12/2017 at 15:45 (2,387 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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It's a toss up.
If you have moderate to very hard water using a packaged water softener *might* prove of some benefit, if only because you could use less detergent. OTOH as already mentioned simply using more detergent accomplishes the same thing. Main noise about packaged water softeners and laundry came from days when soap was still the dominate detergent for laundry. There without an abundance of soft and clear water an already drudge of a job became more difficult. Modern surfactants and builders found in detergents are largely unaffected by water hardness and or can over come same, again if used in proper qualities. Calgon itself no longer is phosphate based so really don't see the need. If and when one is going to bother with packaged water softener; phosphates are what one reaches for as nothing else will do. |
Post# 962167 , Reply# 5   10/12/2017 at 15:57 (2,387 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)   |   | |
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Post# 962190 , Reply# 7   10/12/2017 at 18:03 (2,387 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Post# 962245 , Reply# 8   10/13/2017 at 03:02 (2,386 days old) by mrboilwash (Munich,Germany)   |   | |
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From an environmental standpoint the use of a seperate phosphatefree watersoftener does make sense in very hard water areas because you only increase the load of builders in the wastewater vs the whole bunch of chemicals if you simply increase the amount of detergent.
From an economical standpoint considering how overpriced everything Reckitt Benckiser is it is probably cheaper to increase the detergent dose instead. As to your question whether they really make washing machine life longer I don`t know. Calgon ads have been around for decades in Europe trying to scare housewives of expensive repairs caused by failing heating elements covered in thick coats of limescale. Rather recently they even added stinky washers to their scare tactics in their ads. Again as long as the detergent is sufficiantly dosed, none of these scenarios should ever happen. |