Most people want to treat the water in their home, but traditional options such as water softeners, reverse osmosis, and exchange tank rental programs simply don't appeal to everyone. We just don't all fit into the box of what I call "working to avoid work" or "spending to avoid spending". What I mean by that is some of the big sales pitches that water softener salespeople use seem to defy logic, at least in my opinion. You see, I used to sell a whole lot of water softeners myself, but found that most of my customers eventually stopped benefiting at all from the purchase of their water softener or reverse osmosis system because the financial and physical burdens of hauling salt and changing filters outweighed the results they were getting.
When I say "working to avoid work" I am referring to the fact that the homeowner, in the name of having less cleanup around the house will actually get in their car, drive to the store, load up 40-pound bags of salt, drive back home, haul those puppies over to the water softener brine tank, lug them up over the rim, and dump that stuff in......so they can have less spotting....so they have to work less??? It's no wonder that so many softeners end up unplugged or simply aren't working because the homeowner just got tired of the workout routine of "the salt run" to the grocery store.
Any time I go through that process in my head I can't help but remember a customer of ours that told me one of the most disgusting water treatment stories EVER. I was sitting down in her kitchen with her writing up an invoice and she pointed over to the water jugs that she had in the corner, you know- the big 5 gallon plastic tank that sits on a stand and dispenses water... anyways she proceeded to tell me why she refused to consume her tap water and was spending $40 per month in drinking water alone. As the story goes, one morning she jumped in the shower to get ready for the day, only to be overcome by the most putrid, shockingly horrible smell one could imagine- I thought she was going to have a gag reflex just recalling the event. They spent all day trying to bleed out that impossibly wretched smell, and they quickly discovered that not only was it in the shower, but it was coming from EVERY faucet in the home. After hours of searching, they decided that it had to be coming from the water supply line, but nobody else in their neighborhood was experiencing the same issue, so it HAD to be somewhere in their home. Their search led them to the mechanical room, and after inspecting the water heater they turned to the water softener. Looking inside the brine tank, they found the cause of their problem which eventually became the reason for much family grief....you see, the pet hamster that was missing now for over a week had somehow climbed into the brine tank where he met a salty, slimy grave and eventually decomposed, sending his rotting stench throughout the water system!!! Lesson learned here: whatever is in your brine tank (bacteria, discoloration, whatever you see...or smell in there) is going to be in your water. I was recently on the web and found a related video about bacteria in a water softener that was almost as gross, if the link doesn't work search for water softener bacteria buildup on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlZTk7j1lXg: CLICK HERE
OK, back on task--When I say "spending to avoid spending" I am referring to the fact that homeowners are going to have to buy salt to add to their water softener on a regular basis. DUHHHH, everyone knows that, but what I am pointing out is that another big pitch of the water softener is that the homeowner will save money on soaps, shampoos, etc. around the house. Now I don't know about you guys, but I can get by on soaps and shampoos for about $40 per year (love that Costco), which is way less than what I was spending on salt each year with my softener back in 2003. I don't dispute that artificially softened water from a water softener will require the homeowner to use less soaps, because sodium is actually a major component of all the cleaning and personal care products that we buy. When a water softener takes out the natural minerals from water and replaces them with sodium, I suppose you could say it is almost like having a little bit of detergent already in your water- so that's why it always feels like you can't quite rinse the shampoo of your head guys! I like the way Wikipedia explains the claim that softeners make your skin and hair smoother: "
Some confusion may arise after a first experience with soft water. Hard water does not lather well with soap and leaves a "less than clean" feeling. Soft water lathers better than hard water but leaves a "slippery feeling" on the skin after use with soap. A certain water softener manufacturer contends that the "slippery feeling" after showering in soft water is due to "cleaner skin" and the absence of "friction-causing" soap scum.
However, the chemical explanation is that softened water, due to its sodium content, has a much reduced ability to combine with the soap film on your body and therefore, it is much more difficult to rinse off.[14] Solutions are to use less soap or a synthetic liquid body wash.
So that's why I say "spending to not spend"- you pay for it one way or another in my opinion.
Look, people ask me all the time how CleenWater is different from a water softener and why is it better? My answer remains: The CleenWater system is all about providing the customer with a very high quality product that can treat all the water in your home, so you can enjoy great tasting water with dramatically reduced scale buildup without constantly hauling chemicals, changing filters, or wasting your time......so say goodbye to "the salt run" for good, stop buying bottled water, say yes to a GREEN solution that you will love, or we'll we'll buy whatever system you want in its place. Call us today at 877-NOT-SALT to find out why we say that CleenWater is simply BETTER, for You!
