Chlorine was discovered in 1774 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele. He obtained it through the reaction of the mineral pyrolusite with hydrochloric acid. Scheele thought the resulting gas contained oxygen. Sir Humphry Davy proposed and confirmed it to be an element in 1810 and named the element. What is chlorine? It is a powerful oxidant and is used in bleaching and disinfectants. When you think about it, it's purpose is to kill living organisms. As far as I know, we are all living orga

As I stated in an earlier blog post "Do I have hard water?", more than 85 percent of the US has hard water. Soft water comes with the use a water softener so consumers can enjoy the benefits but there is some confusion about whether softened water is safe to drink. Some people are concerned that drinking softened water will increase the level of sodium in their diet. Softening your water will not result in salty-tasting water. Sodium bicarbonate, which is different from sodiu

You’re probably familiar with the symptoms of hard water even if you have never had your water tested. You may have a scale build up causing the water to flow slowly from your shower head, a white mineral buildup on your coffeemaker or tea kettle, soapy residue on your shower doors, or dry skin problems. You have the same troubles that a large amount of the country has. More than 85% of American homes have hard water. Parts of the Pacific Northwest, New England and a few othe