Do we already have soft water in the Netherlands?

It depends on how you look at it. If you compare it with other countries, there’s very little limescale in the water here in the Netherlands. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t experience any problems with limescale in your tap water.

In the Netherlands, water hardness is expressed in dH (German hardness). If the hardness is 1dH, the water contains 17.8 grams of calcium carbonate per cubic metre (1 m³ = 1,000 litres).

The average water hardness In the Netherlands, the figure is approximately 8dH. At 8dH, tap water therefore contains 8 × 17.8 = 142.4 grams of calcium carbonate per cubic metre.

Suppose you use a very average amount of 150 m³ of water per year. That amounts to over 21 kg of limescale per year! You can well imagine the effect that has on your pipes, kettle, washing machine, coffee machine, etc.

So does Dutch tap water contain little limescale? Compared to other countries, yes, but there’s more than enough limescale in it to cause a lot of problems.

Do you know how much limescale is in your tap water? Check water hardness in the Netherlands

See also:

– How do I descale a kettle?
– Descaling the Senseo unit
– How do I descale the shower head?
– Prevent limescale build-up in the bathroom
– High-pressure rain shower