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To clarify your question: Can limestone convert hard water to soft water? ---- Short answer: NO! However, lime can be used.

Limestone actually causes hard water. Limestone is composed mostly of the minerals calcite (a calcium carbonate - CaCO3) and dolomite (a magnesium calcium carbonate - (Mg,Ca)CO3).Groundwater passing through limestone picks up calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) ions which makes the water "hard" because the ions bond with the surfactants in soap, forming a scum and preventing the soap from bonding with dirt - this is why it takes more soap to clean your clothes in hard water.

Water is "softened" by removing the calcium and magnesium ions. This can be done using lime (calcium oxide - CaO), which causes the calcium and magnesium to precipitate out as calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide. Now for the twist: lime is made by calcining, or roasting, limestone! (Calcining is a key step to making cement.)

More commonly, water is softened by replacing the calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions. This is usually accomplished one of 3 ways:

* Passing the hard water through a zeolite (a sodium silicate mineral) filter. * Passing the hard water through a sodium impregnated ion exchange resin (hence the salt for soft water conditioners). * Adding borax (a sodium borate mineral) to the (wash only) water. (Not recommended if you intend to ingest the water.)

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