Next time you’re at a friend’s house, pay attention to how the soap feels in your hands. If it’s a struggle to get a good lather, and your hands feel like you’ve rubbed them with chalk after drying—that’s hard water. If the soap turns into a frothy mountain instantly, and your hands feel like a dolphin’s belly—that’s soft water.
Another giveaway: check the shower floor for soap scum. Hard water leaves that weird, grayish, slimy film that makes you slip. Soft water? The shower door looks clean even if you skip wiping it for a week. It’s almost spooky.
