In some regions there is a lot of limescale in the tap water. This limescale does not only settle easily on taps, on tiles and in the pipes of household appliances, you also ingest these dissolved minerals when you drink tap water, coffee or tea. That is why it is useful to ask yourself what exactly lime does to your body. You will discover the answer in this article.
What is limescale?
Limescale is a mixture of calcium carbonate and magnesium salts, which is naturally present in tap water. The amount of dissolved lime in the water determines the hardness: the more lime, the harder the water and the greater the chance that you will have to deal with limescale.
The hardness of the water is determined on the one hand by the source of the water and on the other hand by the treatment of the water company.
The effect of lime on the body
Lime in itself is not unhealthy or dangerous. So you don’t have to worry if you drink hard water or use it to prepare coffee or tea. Calcium is even an important mineral for building bones and teeth.
However, you cannot get the daily recommended amount of calcium from hard water. It contains too little of this mineral for that. Calcium is mainly obtained from dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt. In addition, they contain other nutrients, such as vitamins B12 and B2, which are not found in water.
Finally, another reason why drinking hard water is not ideal: it is less tasty. By descaling it, it gets a much smoother taste and you can drink more of it.
What about your skin?
Of course, you do not only use water for drinking, but also for washing yourself. Do you suffer from eczema? Then it is better not to use hard water for showering or bathing. In the case of eczema, the skin has a reduced protective function, which means that it dries out more quickly. Washing with warm, hard water will only speed up that process and make the skin even drier.
But even if you don’t have eczema, it’s better to wash with soft water instead of hard. After all, with soft water, fewer limescale residues stick to your hair. This will make your hair feel softer.
Do you want to remove the lime from your tap water? This can easily be done with a household water softener. Please feel free to contact us for more information.
