Liquid Water Softeners

These are products which help to control water hardness. There are two types, precipitating and non-precipitating.

Precipitating water softeners include washing Phosphates and Phosphonates. These products form an insoluble precipitate with calcium and magnesium ions. The mineral ions then cannot interfere with cleaning efficiency, but the precipitate makes water cloudy and can build up on surfaces. Precipitating water softeners increase alkalinity of the cleaning solution and this may damage skin and other materials being cleaned.
The water is not drinkable.