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| Photo Credit: Tap photo, by Lauren Brown |
Actually, that is a great question! I have just done a lot of research on this very topic (water softener installed today!) so I'm up on it.
First, are you on city water or well water? City water may or may not be soft, you can call your water department to find out if it's hard or soft or in between.
If you have well water, you can buy a water testing kit (a good hardware store should have them) that will tell you iron and calcium content (actually this would also work for city water).
Also, if you're on well-water - it's a good idea to have a complete test done by a laboratory (look in the Yellow Pages under Water Testing) for bacteria and environmental contaminants every couple of years.
You can also call your local water softener salesman - they'll test for free (but they also will try to sell you a softener!).
Thanks to Ann for this Frugal Baby Tip!
don't find a local lab! order a water testing kit for about $30 including shipping from Watersafe All-In-One Drinking Water Test Kit. Google it, and/or see this review consumer reports did of them: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home-garden/kitchen/water-filters/water-testing-kits-9-06/overview/0609_water-test-kits_ov.htm.
ReplyDeleteAlso, check with your local health department. Mine sent out a public health nurse who tested for all kinds of stuff since I had a new baby in the house.