My name is Diana and I’m a water snob. After having water treatment equipment installed in my home and living with the difference the equipment can make, I’ve become accustomed to a certain condition of water.
I expect my home and self to have a clean, fresh appearance. My conditioned water helps me to achieve my expectations. Conditioned water eliminates the hardness minerals that cause unsightly stains and soap scum build up. Build up that can be in the plumbing, on tubs, sinks and faucets, in water using appliances and even on our skin and hair and clothes.
I have no use of harsh cleaning agents in my bathroom, kitchen, laundry and self. I use eco friendly cleaners and much less of them. The cleaners are not fighting the grime in the dishwasher or clothes washer, they are concentrating strictly on the item needing to be cleaned. This leaves my dinnerware and clothing looking new, my home looking fresh and clean; as does my hair and skin. My use of skin lotions and hair conditioners is minimal and I’m pleased at how much longer they last.
Water snobbery includes expectations for the water used in our home that we don’t always see—‘working water’ as it’s known in the industry. I know that the plumbing running through my walls is filled with water flowing freely without internal build up or corrosion. I know that my water using appliances are operating at peak performance.
These luxuries are now expectations. I expect the water out of my drinking water faucet to be clean, crisp, and refreshing with no unpleasant after (or during) taste. I expect my drinking water to inspire me to drink more water.
I take my water snobbery with me everywhere I go. The town in which I live has 4 car washes. I’m in the snow belt, so there are a lot of dirty cars here in the winter. Just 1 of the car washes uses reverse osmosis water. Reverse osmosis removes almost every dissolved mineral, metal or chemical that might be in a water supply. I wait as long as I must to use this car wash instead of the others. It makes no sense to me to pay to wash my car only to arrive home and see it covered in spots.
I pre-judge a restaurant and its food simply by looking at the table. If the dinnerware is clean and spot-free, I expect an enjoyable meal. I imagine that my soup will not be tainted with unwanted flavors from the water and I will not have the need to polish my fork under the table to remove unsightly spots. Based solely on the sparkle of the tableware, I feel the establishment is clean and I can relax.
I also know that when the check for the meal arrives, I won’t be paying inflated prices that cover the costs of inefficiently operated appliances within the restaurant. Water heaters and dishwashers use much more energy when their operating components are coated with hardness minerals. The dishwashers will also use much more detergents and the establishment operators will probably select detergents with harsher cleaning additives to work against the hard water and perform their intended job.
Detergents that can end up back in the water supply perpetuating the water problem, but we can discuss the life cycle of water another time.
I’m not alone as a water snob. This is a common fate of folks in the water treatment industry. A coworker and I were discussing a work-related trip she had been on. One look into her Hard Water Hotel bathroom told her volumes about her next morning.
From the stains in the bathroom, she knew that her morning beverage was not going to be the flavor she expected, it would be tainted by whatever stained the bathroom. She knew she could possibly be in for a bad hair day from the lingering minerals in her hair and that little bottle of shampoo was definitely not going to get her far. Her skin would probably feel tight, dry and itchy. What ended up surprising her was spotting on her pedicure and the amount of time required to buff her freshly painted digits of the hardness.
Are you a water snob? Do you share any of the characteristics of a water snob? Or do you have water heater elements that burn out before their expected time? Do you use a lot of ‘elbow grease’ cleaning the shower? It’s not just about seeing spots, although the aesthetics are huge. It’s also about efficiency with time, energy and environment. I would encourage everyone to be a water snob.
