WATER—DO YOU
IT?
Before you can decide what to do about hard
water, you need to know if you have it and, if so,
how hard it is.
●
If you live in a municipal area, contact your
water company.
●
If you live in a rural area, or in some suburban areas,
contact your county agent.
The answer will be “you have ‘so many grains’ per
gallon (3.8 liters)” and means this:
If your water is
you have no problem. You can
use soap or detergent as you prefer and forget all
about hard water. If you have HARD water—less than
10 grains—and you use phosphate detergent, you also
have no problem.
But, if you have more than 10 grains, you will need to
soften your water with either...
1. An installed water softener in your home, or
2. The use of a packaged water softener.
O
to
3
grains per gallon (3.8
For information on water softeners, see the
4 to 10 grains—HARD
guide below.
to 19 grains—VERY HARD
20 grains and over—EXTREMELY HARD
Add This Much Water Softener with a Full Water Level
Grains of
hardness
When using
with detergent
When using
with soap
0-10
o
l/4 cup
(60 ml)
1/3 cup
(80
(160
I
I
I
15–20
20-25
25–30
over 30
112 cup
cup
cup plus tablespoon for
5 grains above
(120 ml)
(160 ml)
(240
30 (240 ml plus 15 ml for each extra 5 grains)
I
I
I
cup
cup
cups
cups plus tablespoon for
5 grains
(180 ml)
(240 ml)
(360 ml)
above 30 (300 ml
plus 15 ml
for each extra 5
18
