hard water vs soft water
Definitions
noun
- water that contains mineral salts (as calcium and magnesium ions) that limit the formation of lather with soap
Examples
Hard water will, of course, affect soaping processes and consume soap by the formation of insoluble calcium and magnesium soaps.
Hard water can be softened with the addition of a handful of washing soda (available from supermarkets) to the wash and rinse cycles.
Hard water which can be softened by adding sodium carbonate is called permanent hard water.
Definitions
noun
- water that is not hard (does not contain mineral salts that interfere with the formation of lather with soap)
Examples
The good weather held, and at noon we stopped by a lake, and poured out all of our water, and filled our barrels with the soft water.
Intestinal bilharziasis (or schistosomiasis) is becoming more and more frequent among Canadian travellers who come in contact with natural soft waters in tropical countries.
Soft water with calcium and magnesium content is relatively small, so this problem rarely occurs.
