does anyone use borax? what IS calgon? water softener questions...

[zen_bliss]

it's clear i need a water softener. our water is awful. i did some reading on borax which is recommended, but i had been under the impression before (from reading diaperpin) that borax is harsh on dipes. not true? i basically understand the chemical compound and how borax works, but what is calgon & how does it work? it is just a brand name borax or a different method of chemically softening water? has anyone ever had mechanical trouble from the precipitate building up in their machine after using water softeners for awhile? i want to ask here b/c if i go to thathomesite.com i will be reading for several days -- they get into laundry chemistry hardcore!

TIA!

[nohomama]

Zen,

Calgon and Borax are not the same type of water softener. Check out this thread from MDC.

http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68131

The forth post down written by "MamaBlue" explains the difference. According to the explanation given, Borax isn't the thing to use on your dipes. Try Calgon. We don't have particularly bad water but I was surprised how much more clean, soft, and fresh smelling my dipes were when I used it.

[liya]

Seriously Calgon has saved my DIPERS BIG TIME...and as listed before no they arent the same thing..You can get it at Walmart or Kmart but for those who havent seen it even there you can also get it at www.drugstore.com ...

HTH