If you're curious about installing a whole home water softener and/or reverse osmosis drinking water filtration system, you're in the right place! We installed both as one of the last steps of our 2-year home remodel and couldn't be any happier, so today we're breaking down the main reasons we installed them, and why it's something you should consider.
This post is sponsored by Culligan. As always, all opinions are our own!
Our Home Remodel
If you're new here, we just spent the last ~2 years doing a complete remodel of our home, including adding a second-floor addition. It was a very challenging experience (long story short, it took much, MUCH longer than expected), but now that we've had some time to settle in, we're so much happier, and we have plenty of space for our expanding family. (More exciting news...our first child (a boy) is due this May!)
We purchased our home (a ~900 sq ft ranch) in 2018 just after getting married, and after spending almost all of 2021 unsuccessfully trying to buy a larger home, we decided to just remodel and add a second floor instead.
We opened up our first floor to expand our kitchen and living space, and added 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths upstairs, plus a walk-in closet in the primary suite.
After living with my parents for a year and a half, we moved back in last March, but spent the next 6 months finishing up major projects. Now, another 6 months later, we're finally checking off some of the more minor projects that were left on our to-do list, including installing a water softener and reverse osmosis system!
Why we upgraded our water systems
Every time we visit my husband's family in New York, our hair and skin is always drastically better. My hair looks and feels SO much softer and smoother and my skin is less dry.
We finally figured out that the difference is that they have soft water and we truly couldn't believe the impact it had on us after just one or two showers!
The city we live in has fairly hard water, so since we've been living here, my hair has felt very heavy and dull, my skin has been extremely dry (no matter the season), and we get a lot of mineral build up in our showers and sinks.
We've been wanting to install a water softener for years, and we're so glad we finally did! We had the best experience working with the team at Culligan to get our system installed and immediately noticed the impact.
In addition to a water softener, we've also been wanting reverse osmosis drinking water for quite a while. My parents have had reverse osmosis in their kitchen for years, so after living with them for a year and a half during our renovation, we got pretty used to the (much improved) taste compared to our regular tap water! Now that we have reverse osmosis, I don't think I could ever go back to regular tap.
Culligan High-Efficiency Water Softener
Let's chat a bit about why we're so happy with our Culligan High-Efficiency Water Softener! First, here's what you need to know about hard versus soft water, and why their high-efficiency system will make a huge difference in your home.
What is hard water?
Hard water contains excess calcium and magnesium. These minerals build up and cause problems for everything your water touches – hair, skin, sinks, showers, appliances and more.
When it comes to hair, the mineral residue buildup remains on your hair follicles and can make your hair stiff, dry, dull and limp, and can also lead to scalp dryness.
On skin, the combination of hard water and soap tends to block pores and not rinse off completely. Blocked pores prevent natural body oils and beauty products from reaching the surface of the skin, which means that your expensive skincare routine might not actually be working like it should!
Signs you have hard water
- Dry, dull hair and skin
- Spotty dishes
- Buildup around sinks, showers and tubs
- Difficulty getting soap to lather
- Soap scum buildup on clothes
- Water-using appliances wearing out prematurely
Benefits of soft water
- Healthier-feeling hair and skin
- Spot-free dishes
- Water-using appliances will last longer and run more efficiently, potentially reducing water and energy consumption
- Soaps and detergent are more effective (meaning you’ll use less detergent/soap)
- Your home feels cleaner, and your deep cleans last longer (less time spent scrubbing tubs and showers!)
- You can save money on soaps, detergents, energy and appliance repair/replacement
Why Culligan?
Culligan's High-Efficiency Water Softeners are incredibly efficient and use less water, energy and salt than the competition, which can save you up to 46% on operating costs compared to other softeners.
You can also customize how you want your water to feel with their Dial-a-Softness® control. The system is very easy to use and understand. It alerts you when you need salt refills or maintenance, and you can track your water usage and set conservation goals via the Culligan Connect App.
If you're interested in installing a Culligan soft water system, contact one of their local experts today! They will come to your house to do an in-home water test to check for your levels of water hardness, chlorine, total dissolved solids, iron and more common issues before recommending the right solution for your needs. We had a fantastic experience with the consultation AND installation!
Reverse Osmosis
If you're not familiar with the term, reverse osmosis (RO) is a water filtration process, where water is forced through a fine porous membrane under high pressure. Impurities in the water are trapped in the microscopic pores of the membrane, essentially leading to cleaner, fresher drinking water.
There are a lot of RO systems out there to choose from, but in our experience, Culligan is the best!
Our Culligan Reverse Osmosis system is installed as a tap right next to our regular kitchen faucet. It's super sleek, matches our aesthetic and fits in seamlessly. It was really important to us that we didn't have to use a faucet attachment or large countertop or fridge filter!
Their Smart Reverse Osmosis filtration systems are also 3-5x more efficient than other leading RO systems, which means less water usage and lower water bills. We've been using the Culligan Connect App to track our water consumption as well as track contaminants reduced and filter change alerts. It's so easy to use!
Reverse osmosis water tastes significantly better than most tap water (that's definitely true for us!), and you can add on an optional mineral boost cartridge, which adds natural calcium minerals back in to create great-tasting, optimally alkaline, pH balanced water.
More importantly than taste, the ultimate benefit to reverse osmosis is reducing contaminants in your drinking water.
Reducing water contaminants
Culligan's reverse osmosis filtration system is certified to reduce over 90 contaminants that may be present in your water, including PFAS (forever chemicals), lead, chlorine, viruses, bacteria, mercury and more.
With up to seven stages of filtration and 14 filter options, it's significantly more efficient at reducing contaminants than the leading filtered pitcher. Plus, standard refrigerator, faucet or pitcher filters typically use basic carbon filtration, whereas Culligan's advanced filters have multiple stages of filtration.
Convenience and ease of use
Our Culligan RO system is super low maintenance. Basically, we had an expert come to our house for a consultation to recommend the best system for us. A week or so later, it was installed and now we don't really have to think about it! The filters last for 1-2 years, so there's really no major upkeep.
Reverse osmosis systems are usually installed under the sink, but our under sink space is severely lacking, so we had ours installed in the basement next to our washer/dryer.
We're so happy we finally made the jump to reverse osmosis + soft water. Our water has never tasted better, our hair, skin and home feels cleaner, and we have such peace of mind knowing that our water quality is top notch, especially as we welcome a baby in just a few weeks!
If you have any questions about either system, feel free to leave a comment below.
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