hard water

American  

noun

1. water that contains magnesium, calcium, or iron salts and therefore forms a soap lather with difficulty.

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hard water Cultural  

1. Water in which dissolved minerals make it difficult to produce a lather with soap.

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Hard water is usually associated with well water in regions where the rocks contain a large proportion of iron-bearing minerals.

Example Sentences

“Soap doesn’t lather as well with hard water,” said Campbell.

From Los Angeles Times

She recommends it for tackling hard water stains, accidental hair dye stains, Kool-Aid stains on counters and stubborn rings around kitchen burners.

From Seattle Times

Yet stalagmites offer new insights into climate fluctuations because the German researchers could examine the isotopic composition of oxygen in a southern German stalagmite that had been formed from hard water.

From Salon

In areas with hard water, repeated irrigation deposits minerals into the soil and onto the sides of the container.

From Seattle Times

As they evaporate and refill over time, Beeler said an alkali pool can be distinguished by a white ring — similar to hard water stains — that forms on exposed soil and rocks.

From Seattle Times