A clean water supply is essential not just for your homes, but also for your health. Contaminated water poses a huge risk to human health. Some of the diseases linked with unpurified water are hepatitis, giardiasis, dysentery, and shigellosis. In addition, poor water quality can impede personal hygiene and sanitation.
What Is Water Quality?
Water quality describes the characteristics of water that determine its suitability for different purposes. There are different parameters that determine the quality of water. Some of these parameters include the number of bacteria, salt, and chemicals dissolved as well as the water’s turbidity. The hardness or softness of water is another determinant of water quality. Higher mineral content contributes to the hardness of the water. Soft water, on the other hand, has a lower concentration of salts and minerals.
The quality of water varies depending on the place, source, and treatment it receives. The water regulating bodies must ensure that safe, quality water is available for domestic use. However, despite employing the best measures, contamination can still take place so you should always be vigilant when it comes to your water source.
How Water Quality Affects Personal Hygiene?
Hard water has a higher concentration of calcium and magnesium, which can cross-react with soap molecules to form insoluble lime precipitates. Instead of cleaning, showering with hard water leaves behind limescale deposits which can negatively impact your personal hygiene. One way to determine if your water is hard is to see how it reacts with soap. Soap forms a nice, foamy lather with soft water but it doesn’t foam with hard water.
The calcium salts can accumulate and build upon your hair and skin. This can contribute to dandruff and skin problems. Hard water makes it more difficult to wash hair. In addition, the excess mineral deposits can damage the hair follicles. This makes the hair dry, brittle, and difficult to manage. Even the smallest deposits on the skin can alter moisture balance and can be particularly problematic for people with sensitive skin. According to Water Pursuit reviews, you can tackle the problem of hard water in your home and apartment by installing water softeners. However, if you cannot buy a water softener, you can use bottled water as a source of soft water.
Hard water can also cause damage to your home appliances and can make doing laundry difficult. The clothes may appear dull and unclean which can impact your personal grooming and appearance.
Water Quality And Health
Clean and good quality water is also important for preventing the transmission of diseases. The onset of the Coronavirus pandemic has taught the importance of handwashing and other basic personal hygiene measures to curb the spread of diseases. Contaminated water would put you at a higher risk of acquiring water-borne diseases. One such example of water-borne disease is leptospirosis. It is caused by bacteria present in animal urine which is able to survive in water sources. Contact with contaminated water for long periods can transmit the disease as the bacteria can be easily absorbed through the eyes and cuts in the skin. Therefore, maintaining a contaminant-free, high-quality water supply is an absolute must for local authorities.
Good quality water supply is a human necessity that is sadly still neglected in certain parts of the world. Hard water is a common issue that can severely impact your personal hygiene. It makes the simple process of washing and cleaning so much more difficult and time-consuming. Therefore, always try to find a good, reliable soft water source for your personal hygiene needs.
