Home/  Products/  Water Softening/  Water Softening Facts/  What Makes Water Hard?       What Makes Water Hard? Do You Live in a Hard   Water Area? Why Hard Water is Hard   on You Why Soft Water is Such an   Advantage around the House How Your Water Softener   Turns Hard Water into   Soft Water Why Softening Salt is   Important Pellets with System Saver®   II Formula Make a Big   Difference in Your Water Pellets with System Saver®   II Formula Make a Big   Difference in Your Water   Softener Potassium Chloride Pellets   Soften Your Water With Morton, Your Soft   Water Solution is in the Bag What Makes Water Hard? Hard water is water that contains calcium and magnesium, the hardness minerals. Rain water begins as soft water, free of these minerals. As rain water passes over and through the earth, flowing into lakes, rivers, streams and ground water, it absorbs the hardness minerals. While these minerals aren't harmful to your health, they do affect the properties of water and its effectiveness for washing and cleaning.