My parents got a water softener installed in their house a couple years back. Every time I go visit and shower there I feel slimy from the water. I hate it. They love it, good for them. But I’ve always wondered what causes that slimy feeling from the soft water. My limited understanding is that hard water contains more minerals than soft water. Is that accurate? How does that cause the slimy feeling of soft water? I’d love to understand the science behind it. Thanks!
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I assume (/hope) you mean a slimy feeling when using soap in the water? I can answer that, but if it’s the water itself then I have no idea.
For sliminess with soap, your understanding about minerals is indeed accurate. Water softening is the removal of metal cations (positively charged atoms/molecules) from a hard water source. Soap particles are attracted to charged particles/surfaces. Hard water is super effective at rinsing soap off your skin because soap particles are attracted to the charged mineral ions in it – the stream of water acts almost like a vacuum that actively sucks soap off the skin.
The lack of these charged particles in soft water makes it significantly harder to wash soap off. Your skin is lightly charged, and in the absence of other charged particles or surfaces, soap will stick to the skin. Not only is soft water much less effective at removing soap, the soap particles are also clinging on to your skin. This means getting soap off in soft water is probably going to require both a lot more water and a lot more physical effort than what you’re used to = a noticeable slimier shower experience.
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