The Best Water Softener
This Old House Reviews Team
Water softeners are filtration systems that remove minerals from your water to prevent hardness. This review examines the best water softeners on Amazon.
Calcium and magnesium cause hard water, which can decrease the lifespan of your appliances and clog your pipes. Water softeners eliminate these minerals. To help you select the water softener that’s right for you, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best water softeners on Amazon. Here are our top five recommendations.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X7XYKRB
YARNA Capacitive Electronic Water Descaler System
What We Like: This magnetic water softener balances the need to eliminate hard water with the health benefits of maintaining some levels of calcium and magnesium in your body. This salt-free softener is ideal for customers with high-sodium diets who need to eliminate hard water but don’t want to reduce mineral intake.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R62N8SQ
Whirlpool WHESFC Pro Series Softener
What We Like: This single-tank hybrid softener has a grain capacity of 31,000 with a removal rating of 120 grains per gallon (gpg) to eliminate hard water and reduce stains. Additionally, it also eliminates sediment, chlorine, and odor from water to make for a better drinking experience.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004LUJ6L4
AFWFilters Iron Pro 2 Water Softener
What We Like: With a capacity of 64,000 grains and a removal rating of up to 70 gpg, this water softener is able to soften water for your whole household. It also comes with an attached filter to reduce iron levels in your water.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P5LCJG5
MEETYOO 15-Stage Water Softener
What We Like: If you’re concerned about hard water coming through your shower head and causing skin irritation, this water softener is the solution for you. Compatible with handheld, wall-mounted, rainfall, and all other types of standard shower heads, this product will leave your skin feeling soft after a shower.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0744TC3PW
iSpring Water Descaler System
What We Like: This magnetic whole-house water softener maintains mineral levels while preventing deposits from forming. It descales all of the water coming into your home to prevent buildup in your pipes.
Buyer’s Guide
Purchasing the right water softener can be challenging, but the following factors can help you determine which model works best for your home.
Capacity
Water hardness is measured in grains per gallon. Water softeners can hold a certain number of grains per week before they need to be replenished. For apartments or small houses, water softeners with grain capacities of up to 32,000 should be sufficient. Medium or large homes need softeners with capacities between 40,000 and 64,000 grains.
Type
Water softeners typically come in the following types.
Ion-Exchange
Ion-exchange softeners are the most common type of water softener. They replace calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions.
Salt-Free
Salt-free water softeners don’t use salt to remove minerals. Instead, they crystallize the minerals, making them unable to attach to pipes. Salt-free softeners are typically more expensive than ion-exchange softeners, but they work without using electricity.
Dual-Tank
Dual-tank softeners have two resin tanks. They perform in a similar way to ion-exchange softeners except that one tank operates in a regeneration cycle, while the other provides softened water.
Magnetic
Magnetic softeners don’t require discharge lines or salt replacements. They’re typically affordable, and they take up little space. However, they’re only recommended for small spaces or light hard water issues.
Size
Certain water softeners, especially salt-based or dual-tank softeners, can take up a lot of space in your home. If you live in a smaller home, measure the area where you plan on installing the water softener to ensure it will fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is hard water?
Hard water is water that contains minerals, specifically calcium and magnesium, that accumulate over time. Hard water is safe to drink and bathe in, but it could leave your skin feeling dry and itchy and cause damage to appliances. Hard water also causes pipe blockages over time if it’s not treated.
What are some of the signs that I have hard water?
Some tell-tale signs of hard water include:
- Chalky film accumulating on dishes or dishwashers
- Clothes feeling rough after being washed
- Stains forming in tubs or sinks
- Water pressure decreasing
- Water bills being more expensive because your appliances are working harder
What are the negative effects of using a water softener?
Water softeners pose a health risk for people on low-sodium diets, as the ion-exchange process used in some water softeners adds 7.5 milligrams of salt per quart of water. Water softeners also eliminate nearly all calcium and magnesium from your water, so you may need dietary supplements to add those minerals back into your diet.
Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
The This Old House Reviews Team provides overviews of select products that are top-selling on Amazon and/or popular in consumer searches. Our team evaluates the products based on industry research, consumer reviews, pricing data, hands-on testing in select cases, and other objective criteria unique to a given product line. Unless otherwise noted, these product reviews are intended to help inform buying decisions for DIY or other non-pro users only. Editor’s picks are made by members of the This Old House Reviews Team.