Hard water is water that contains high levels of dissolved minerals, such as calcium and magnesium. Hard water can be a nuisance because it can cause soap to form a curd that diminishes its cleaning ability and leaves behind a tacky residue on laundry, dishes, hair, and skin. Hard water can also cause a light-colored crusty hard scale to build up on plumbing fixtures, water-using appliances, and water heaters. This build-up can increase energy costs while decreasing appliance life expectancy and water pressure. Hard water really ends up being hard on your budget! Luckily, there are ways to soften hard water, such as by using a water softener or by installing a whole-house filtration system.