Switch Soaps and Detergents

• When you have hard water, soaps and detergents don't clean the body, clothing and dishes. A white or gray film appears on your body when bathing in hard water. Soap scum combines with dirt and oils from your body and forms a ring around the tub. Dishes, either hand washed or cleaned in a dishwasher, turn spotty as they dry. According to the Hard Water Hardness Calcium Magnesium Water Corrosion Mineral Scale, clothes washed in hard water appear dingy and feel stiff. Soaps and detergents containing citric acid soften hard water. Lemon juice can also be used in place of soaps and detergents.
  
  

Use Baking Soda and Borax

• Sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, is a white, fine substance commonly used as a natural cleaning and odor-reducing substance. One of the skills of this all-purpose cleaner includes softening hard water. According to the World Chelonian Trust, adding a teaspoon of baking soda reduces water hardness without affecting your bath and dishwater. Arm & Hammer, known for it baking soda, produces laundry detergent particularly formulated for hard water. Borax, chemically called hydrated sodium borate, is a white powdery substance used in detergents, soaps and cleaning products. According to the Klickitat County website, borax softens water and reduces soap deposits.
  
  

Reduce Boiler Temperature or Use a Water Filter

• Reducing your home's boiler temperature decreases the number of mineral deposits that develop in water pipes, the water tanks and your dishwater. According to HardWater.org.uk, you need to reduce the temperature to approximately 55 degrees C (131 degrees F) to reduce mineral deposit buildup. This temperature is just hot enough for your shower. Water filters, such as Brita water systems, attach to the faucet and filter tap water flowing through the pipes. They soften water and remove chlorine but do not stop limestone buildup in water pipe.
  
  

Install Magnetic Water Conditioners

• Magnetic water conditioners are installed in the home's central plumbing units, so it softens all of the water entering the home. HardWater.org.uk states that some of the benefits of overhauling the entire plumbing system include reducing limescale in pipes, producing filtered water and increasing the life of your clothes. You don't have to worry about spots on dishes or scum and dirt rings around the sink or bathtub.