Since moving into “the country” last year, I’ve been learning a thing or two about life outside of city limits. While I’m admittedly only about 10 miles outside of our nearest city, in some ways it feels like I’ve moved to another planet. I’m now the proud owner of a septic system. I have to push my trash can down a big old hill to where the trash get picked up. But the biggest change in my life has been the transition from city water to well water. Now, at first I didn’t really think much about what a difference well water would make. I figured it would be pretty much the same as the city water that I was used to. But after the first few months in our home, I realized that something about the water in our out-of-city-limits home was very different, especially when it comes to keeping a clean bathroom. Within days of cleaning my toilets, they were orange. After running water in my bathroom sinks, I would see discoloration. And the water straight out of the tap really just tasted different. For months, I ignored the problem. But after cleaning toilets, sinks and showers became almost a daily task, I knew some change had to be made. It was time to see water clearly and change up not only the way I cleaned our bathrooms but the very water that was used it them.
Having come from a home that was on the market and had to constantly be kept clean, I at first didn’t really think too much about the fact that I was having to clean our bathrooms ALL THE TIME to keep them from looking dingy. I was so in the habit of running a toilet brush around the toilet and wiping out the sink to keep our home showing ready that I didn’t realize that something was very off until my cleaning habits started to relax a little. As I settled into my new home and started to set up a more “normal” cleaning schedule, it quickly became apparent to me that something just wasn’t right. No matter how diligent I was about cleaning the bathrooms, there seemed to be a residue that just stuck around. Within 24 hours of cleaning the toilets a faint orange ring would start to appear. After trying to switch things up and change the cleaners I used (which I later found out was the worst thing possible), I decided it was time to call in some help….and through a free consultation with a Hellenbrand representative, I discovered a few shocking secrets that have helped me rediscover sparkling bathrooms throughout my home.
Secret 1: Not All Water is The Same (Even in Your Bathroom)
After setting up a free consultation with my local Hellenbrand consultant, I was able to sit back, learn a thing or two about my country water (and really, water in general) and how it effects cleaning in my bathroom, but more than that, in every area of my home. The first thing I learned is that my water is unique. It’s not like my old water. It’s not like my closest neighbor’s water. And it’s not like my best friend’s water.
But here’s where things get interesting. The hardness, ph level and iron levels of water is different based on where you live. If you’re in city limits, chances are you only have to worry about the water hardness. But if you’re like me and on well water for the first time in your life, the ph and iron levels are oh, so important. My Hellenbrand representative was able to quickly do three tests on the water in my home to determine where my problem was originating. After discovering that my water was not overly hard and the ph was within normal ranges, the next test showed that the iron levels were unexpectedly high.
Now while this was not dangerous for my family (thankfully), it did explain the odd orange discoloration in my toilets and sinks which led me to my next secret discovery.
Secret 2: When it Comes to Sparkling Bathrooms, Your Water Matters Most
I had always thought that what I used to clean my bathrooms was the most important but I quickly discovered that the water I’m cleaning my bathrooms with is way more important that the cleaner I’m choosing. Not sure what I mean? Well, I could literally clean my bathrooms all day everyday (ugh, right) and with the iron levels in the water I’m cleaning with, I wouldn’t see the results I want. Instead, I’d continue to see the slight orange residue start to show up shortly after cleaning.
So, while I had been putting all the blame for my not so sparkling bathrooms on my cleaning products, the blame actually needed to be placed on the water. And while my Hellenbrand representative recommended using products that don’t contain bleach since they can interact with the iron in my water and make the problem worse, what I really needed to do to get to the root of my dingy bathroom problem was solve my water issues.
Secret 3: A Water Treatment System Can Help Your Bathroom Sparkle
Now that I knew that my less than sparkling bathrooms were being caused by high amounts of iron in my water, I needed a solution and I needed one quick. After all, I was oh so tired of scrubbing bathrooms with less than great results. After talking through the problem with my Hellenbrand representative, he was able to present me with surprisingly easy solutions! The first step was putting a water treatment system in place and (shocker) our home already had one. However, after repeating his tests directly on the well and water treatment system, it became clear that our system hadn’t had a simple service performed on it and was in need of a little TLC.
He went as far as taking apart my current system to see what the true problem was so that he could come up with a plan to refurbish it instead of requiring an entirely new system.
Total score, right? And with just a few simple tweaks, my water filtration system will be back up and performing like a pro at removing the iron from my water in no time at all!
But my local Hellenbrand rep didn’t stop there. He was able to provide solutions that would continue to make our water quality better. He explained that taking care of the iron problem would harden our water and presented solutions for me to consider in order to counteract this effect.
More than that, he made sure I understood what was going on with the water in my country home so that I can ensure that from the bathrooms to the kitchen, my water truly helps every area of my home sparkle!
Now it’s your turn. Whether you live inside our outside of city limits, the most surprising thing I’ve learned is that the water in a home touches everything and effects every area of your life. From dingy bathrooms to rougher feeling clothes, Hellenbrand is ready to help you understand exactly what’s in your water and what you can do to solve the problems that your untreated water is causing in your home. Whether you’re like me and simply dreaming of sparkling clean bathrooms or have concerns about the way your water tastes or smells, there is no job that’s too big for Hellenbrand! Be sure to schedule your free water analysis today so that you can #SeeWaterClearly. You may discover like I did that your water is the cause of some pesky problems that you thought were there to stay.
Want to know more about how the water in your home works? Be sure to check out this infographic which will help you understand more about the water in your home. Then schedule your free water analysis with Hellenbrand today! And who knows? By tomorrow you may just have sparkling bathrooms, softer clothes or simply better tasting water…like me!
Tell me, how do you think a water analysis could help you see the water in your home more clearly?
I lived in a house once that had well water and I was constantly trying to clean the orange ring from my toilets and my washing machine. Thankfully, I don’t have that problem in my current home, but I do think I have hard water. I need a water analysis to see what can be done.
Alli Smith recently posted..5 Ways to Prepare for Date Night In
Living in a city (the same one all my life!) I have never really given water a second thought except on days when we noticed the water board has upped the calcium, which happens a couple of times a year. Now that we’re thinking about moving to the country, your post comes in very handy, as it might have taken me *forever* to figure out what is wrong with my cleaning habits
Linda recently posted..Orania OewerHotel & Spa (Review)
I live in an apartment building and have never heard about this before. I am planning on buying a home in a couple of years and will definitely keep this in mind.
I never thought much about our water. We have Lake Michigan water so I don’t worry too much about our water.
lisa recently posted..PETE’S DRAGON – New Film Clips
Water quality is so important and people don’t think about it too often! I had no idea high iron could cause an orange discoloration. That explains the orange stains in the bathroom at my grandmother’s old house. She had well water.
I had no idea that the water you use to clean your bathroom is as important as the product! I will have to get our well water tested to see what our iron and ph levels are.
I had well water and there was always a film in the tub, no matter what I used to clean with it wouldn’t go away. I found the worst thing about well water was when the power went out, so did the water. The we had to go out and flip the switch to turn the well back on once power returned, talk about inconvenient.
Heather Kraus recently posted..Be The Cool Mom With Whiffer Sniffers
I live out in the country right now as well, but planning to move back in to town. I do think it’s very important to always have your water tested. I would love to test ours to see how it is right now.
I’ve seen what well water can do to bathrooms. I’m on city water thankfully and don’t have these issues. I agree that it is important to get your water treament system serviced regularly.
Ooh this is really fascinating. It would be interesting to see what the differences in our water would be. I wonder if we have iron problems too!
This is great, I wonder how to keep the bathroom clean but you went up and beyond what I expected within the article. Love the tips and tricks, appreciate you sharing this!
I was surprised to see the picture of the water pipes with oxidized iron! Sometimes, we take things for granted (like tap water). Thank you for the heads up. I will need to have someone come in and check our water quality!
You are so right about water mattering. My mom has well water and it is so hard it rusts up her faucets and drains!
great log post–never really thought that much about the water we use. This was eye-opening. thanks you for sharing this information, it will absolutely benefit of my family’s health.
This is great! My husband and I have water a water system, living here in southern California our water is not great. Now I know where to go for one!
Oh my goodness! I am so in love with your bathroom fixtures! I was having severe issues with hard water until I replaced my softener. It was destroying my dishwasher and washing machine. And that’s just the damage we could see.
Cathi Crismon recently posted..DIY Old Door Headboard
What good timing for you to post this! I’m actually re-doing my bathroom this weekend so these tips are really coming in handy for me!
We get a quarterly report from our water company telling us how good our water quality really is. I don’t really trust it, though. It could be forged. I would love a water treatment system installed in our home.
Wow! This is amazing! I’ve never had my water tested! I’m going to check this out!
Claudia Krusch recently posted..Best Summer Wine Cocktail
Water quality is an important part of our health and indeed the cleanliness of our homes. You raised some great points here that people need to think about.
I have to admit, living in a home with soft water made a HUGE difference in everything! Good quality water in a home is a necessity.
This makes a ton of sense, but I had never thought of it before. Thank you so much for the information!
Wow, I learned so much about water in this post! Lol thank you
I really noticed the difference hard water makes when we moved into our new house. It is a lot easier to clean with soft water.
I really dislike cleaning the bathroom! I always have spots on my faucets so that must be why, thanks for sharing.
I have hard water and I hate it. I have a hard time keeping the rings from forming in the toilet.
These are great tips for cleaning your bathroom. I am so happy we bought a water softener.
Thanks for the great info. I will have to look into getting a water sample done to see if we have hard water.
These are some great points. As you stated, we often take for granted the most basic thing we use to clean our homes, and focus instead on the multitude of products we use instead. I haven’t ever had this problem personally, but I’m sure this will save someone from dealing with some serious frustration!
I never even thought about this. Thank you so much for the information!
I have never heard of this before. We are living in the city, so the water is really unknown to me! This is some great info and gives me something to look into!
Now this is an adjustment. I’ve been in the city most of my life so Ive not had many water issues.
I also never thought about getting down to the real science of things.
That’s an interesting fact. It definitely affects the way you clean the house and not just the bathrooms. I’m glad you had yours checked. I should definitely consider doing this at home too! Thanks for all the info!
We have horrible water in our area. I really need a water softer but it’s not in the budget at the moment. It would help tremendously.
Christy Garrett recently posted..Easy Ways to Relax and Reduce Stress
You know, I never thought about it being the water as opposed to the cleaning product. We used to live outside of the city limits and had well water, but moved into the city about 7 1/2 years ago.
Heather S-G recently posted..Bacon Cheeseburger Chowder inspired by Popeye | #FoodnFlix
Great post…I never thought much about our water. Now I need to check our water quality!
This taught me so much! I never knew that the water mattered in keeping the bathroom clean. I will have to look into this.
I lived in the country almost all of my adult life and the water quality didn’t really bother me until 5 years ago when I moved to the city. When I experienced the benefits of soft water, I couldn’t imagine how I was able to live without it! I went home to visit my parents a month after and had a water softening system installed in their home. My mother loves it! I have to remind them to get someone to do some maintenance work on it every now and then though or else they’d forget lol