[EvaH (OP)]

Jo recently contact us with this excellent question:

"My question is about drinking water. We drink gallons of the stuff in a lifetime, but which is better for us, hard or soft?"

Which do you prefer, hard or soft? And which do you reckon is better for you, if one is better, after all? We'll be answering this on next week's show.

[alancalverd]

H2O is good for you. If it contains a bit of fluoride, so much the better. Nothing else matters as long as it isn't toxic.

Soft water used to be a problem if it was delivered through lead pipes. Unlikely these days as the Victorian (or Roman!) plumbing has probably been replaced by copper or plastic.

Home-softened water keeps washing machines and bathrooms clean but I sometimes find it to be a bit salty so I have a bypass and filter to provide clean drinking water with whatever minerals the water company has left in it. Also important to note that detergents and tea may be optimised for a particular location  if the water is extremely hard  (I reckon you can stand a spoon up in a cup of Eau de Norwich) or ridiculously soft (Kendal) and most breweries try to harden their water to the standard of Burton on Trent (it's called "Burtonising") to make a decent beer. 

[evan_au]

If you fall from 100m up, it doesn't make much difference....

[science12]

I would say it should not contain too much ingridients but a little bit should be in it because our body needs it. IT depends on the amount. Also it is important which material the pipes are made of and if the let some ingredients free into the water.
For your hair and skin I got the feeling that it is better to have soft water.

[mikahawkins]

While there are no serious problems associated with drinking hard or soft water, hard water can slightly change th epH of your skin which can make it dry.

[chris]

Hard water costs you more in soap, kettles, dishwashers and water tanks, but repays you in terms of taste. You could argue that the financial cost might mean some people have a bit less to spend on a healthy lifestyle, but I doubt it's a significant impact.

[adamsmitt]

Hi there. I like soft water but I don't know is it better than hard or not. Do someone of you guys know about it? Thanks

[nudephil]

Cheers all. See the question of the week podcast for Ljiljana Fruk's take: https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/question-week/which-water-better-hard-or-soft

[strongernow]

Cheers all. See the question of the week podcast for Ljiljana Fruk's take: https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/question-week/which-water-better-hard-or-soft [nofollow]

Thanks for that! All summed up. I really like it.

[Scientist30]

Hey everybody,
by the way have you ever heard of hexagonal water? It´s very oxigenic and high-energy.
I just love it, i´m feeling so good since I began to drink it.
You can get more information about hexagonal water in this article: SPAM
Thanks for all your helpful comments!

[Bored chemist]

Hey everybody,
by the way have you ever heard of hexagonal water? It´s very oxigenic and high-energy.
I just love it, i´m feeling so good since I began to drink it.
You can get more information about hexagonal water in this article: SPAM
Thanks for all your helpful comments!

Have you seen this?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexagonal_water
It points out that hexagonal water is a marketing scam.

[LaurenaS]

According to my research, hard water contains more minerals and vitamins than soft water. Drinking hard water may even allow you to reach the recommended daily intake of some minerals.

[Bored chemist]

I'd be surprised to find significant (or even measurable) levels of vitamins in water.

[Timo Meyer]

In my opinion, it always depends on the content of the provider and not whether it is soft or hard water

[VannyTr]

I personally have the feeling that soft water tastes better. However, in my house I have problems with old pipes. The water always contains small particles of dirt, so I only drink water from the supermarket. I like it best when it comes from well-known sources.

[4312]

Hard water is generally very harmful. This can cause skin irritation. We all see what scale forms in our teapots - a very unaesthetic sight. And it is with this water that we wash our face! How can irritation or, even worse, some kind of dermatitis or allergy not appear? Of course, you can use creams for soft skin (which I actually do after washing), but the fact is the fact. I'm already thinking about a filter for all the water that enters the house, and this is more a matter of money

[Bored chemist]

Hard water is generally very harmful.

No, it's not.

[Just thinking]

I'm not sure one way or the other regarding the health benefits of drinking water. I do know that keeping fish alive in an aquarium requires a very stable environment that contains the correct hardness level. natural water hardness comes from the ground as water picks up the minerals from rocks and soil. Salt is just one mineral that makes up water hardness biological mechanisms can break down some of the hardness qualities such as carbonate. Anyone that feels that they need soft water to drink can invest in a water catchment tank and take advantage of the rain but only use plastics that come into contact with the water and have a hi quality filter system and add chlorine of the correct type to eliminate bacteria/organisms.

[Bored chemist]

Salt is just one mineral that makes up water hardness

No, it isn't.

biological mechanisms can break down some of the hardness qualities such as carbonate.

Not really, no.

[Just thinking]

Quote from: Just thinking on Today at 03:41:24

    Salt is just one mineral that makes up water hardness

No, it isn't.
Quote from: Just thinking on Today at 03:41:24

    biological mechanisms can break down some of the hardness qualities such as carbonate.

Not really, no.

My fish must be surviving on sheer luck if I am wrong for the past 11 years with two out of two still going strong. They are freshwater large tropical and require salt and other minerals that don't dissipate and must be monitored monthly for the correct level as water evaporation is responsible for over concentration. carbonate on the other hand does diminish and must be replaced as it adds to water hardness and stabilizes the PH level.