What to Do About Hard Water in Your Washing Machine

All your dark laundry is showing up with a white residue and you’re ready to tear your hair out. The culprit? Hard water. Not only is it rough on your clothes, it can also shorten the lifespan of your appliance. Here’s everything you need to know about how hard water affects your washing machine and how to cope.

What Is Hard Water?

Water hardness exists on a spectrum. The hardness of water depends on how much magnesium, calcium, and other minerals exist per gallon. The harder the water, the higher the mineral content. Hard water is common: Over 80% of the United States has some level of hard water.

What to Do if You Have Hard Water

If you think you’re one of the many people in the country with hard water, the easy way to find out is to place a call to your municipality. The U.S. Geological Survey also maintains a map that shows the general geographic areas where water hardness occurs. You can also buy a test kit to see if your particular water is hard, which is especially useful if you use a private well.

There are a few things you can do to help your washing machine work better if you live in an area with hard water, as well as some things you can do to prolong the life of your machine.

1. Check to See if It’s Actually Hard Water

Examine the metal water filter screen to determine whether you’re dealing with the effects of hard water or some other issue. The screen is located at the water fill/inlet valve on the back of your washer, where the hot and cold water lines connect. 

Remove the screens and clean them out with your finger or a soft brush. If you see a buildup of mineral deposits rather than debris, it’s likely a byproduct of hard water.

If you’re unsure whether hard water is the underlying issue or not, you can call in a water specialist near you to perform a professional test.

2. Get a Water Softener

A water softener is a whole-home solution to a hard water problem. Getting a water softener will not only protect your washing machine; it will also protect all of your appliances that use water, make showering more pleasant, prevent yucky buildup on your dishes, and more.

That’s because a water softener works by removing those minerals from your water before they make their way to your appliances or fixtures. When a water softener regenerates, the minerals are removed from your system entirely.

A whole-home water softening system costs between $500 and $6,000, depending on the features and size of the system.

3. Use More Laundry Detergent

Since hard water makes it more difficult for the detergent to remove oils and debris from your clothes, adding more laundry detergent can do the trick to ensure your clothes come out clean. Try using 25% more than you normally would, and increase that a little more if you’re still not pleased with the results.

Keep in mind that the minerals in hard water also promote soap scum, so adding detergent will also produce more soap scum. If this is the route you go, make sure you clean out your washing machine more regularly.

4. Use a Higher Quality Detergent

Using a higher quality detergent, preferably one with a low pH, will help dissolve those minerals in your hard water. Yes, it’s a little more costly, but it could gain you a few years before you have to replace your washer. Plus, it might cost a little less than using a higher volume of a lower-quality detergent.

5. Raise Your Washing Temperature

Washing your clothing at a higher temperature will help to break down the minerals in hard water. However, using hotter water will drive up your utility bills and potentially cause your clothes to wear out faster, so you may want to use this as a temporary solution while you figure out a more permanent fix.

How Does Hard Water Affect Your Laundry?

Because of its high mineral content, hard water can affect your laundry in a number of ways.

• Makes your detergent less efficient in combating oil and residue buildup, which means your laundry never gets truly clean

• Makes your clothing feel stiff and scratchy

• Fades your colored clothing and turns your whites into dishwater gray

Is Hard Water Bad for Washing Machines?

It won’t break your washing machine, but hard water could reduce its life span by up to three years.

Hard water can cause mineral buildup in the screens that filter the water and in other internal components, which will eventually restrict water flow into your machine and cause a breakdown. Even with a partial blockage, your machine could be working harder to get your laundry clean, and that added stress will wear down your appliance more quickly.

If you’ve invested in a high-efficiency washing machine, you won’t get the same energy efficiency with hard water as you would if you installed a water softener. That also means higher electric bills, especially if you find yourself running an additional rinse cycle to get that residue off of your clothes.

How Much Does Washing Machine Repair Cost?

Usually, repairing a washing machine costs between $50 and $450, with the average sitting at $175. However, hard water can shorten the life of your washer, and replacements are significantly more expensive than repairs. You can expect to pay an average of around $1,100 for a new washing machine. If hard water leads to a replacement one year early on the standard 12-year lifespan, that’s about an extra $100 you’re paying per replacement over time.

Also, if the hard water corrodes your pipes and causes water damage to your home, water damage restoration costs fall between $1,200 and $5,000. Solving these problems before they occur can save you money and a whole lot of clean-up.

Are There Washing Machines Designed for Hard Water?

Kind of. There are washing machines with filters built in to get the calcium and magnesium out of the water. However, if you’re having hard water problems with your washing machine, odds are that it’s affecting other areas of your house. Your best bet is to install a whole home water softener.

That way, you protect all your appliances and fixtures and take care of all your problems with one device. Plus, water softeners can last for up to 25 years, meaning you’ll save more over time by installing a water softener than you would replacing your washing machine due to hard water damage.