MRD 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 SOFT, 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
liters)—SO~
For information on water softeners, see the
4 to 10 grains—HARD
guide below.
11 to 19 grains—VERY HARD
20 grains and over—EXTREMELY HARD
Add This Much Water Softener with a Full Water Level
Grains of
o-1o
10--15
15-20
hardness
When
using
o
1/4 cup
1/2
cup
with detergent
(60 ml) (120 ml)
When using
1/3
cup
213
cup
314
cup
with soap
(80 ml) (160 ml) (180 ml)
20-25
213
CUP
(160 ml)
1 cup
(240 ml)
25-30
1
cup
(240 ml)
1%
cups
(360 ml)
over 30
1 cup plus
1
tablespoon for
eve~
5 grains above
30 (240
ml
plus
15 ml for each extra 5 grains)
1X
cups
plus
1 tablespoon for
eve~
5 grains
above 30 (300 ml plus 15 ml for each extra 5 grains)
16