Pull out a clean drinking glass from the cabinet. Hold it up to the light. If it looks like a window in a post-apocalyptic movie—cloudy, spotted, covered in a white film—that’s calcium carbonate. It’s the fossilized record of your failed softener. A working system leaves your glassware so clear you might accidentally walk into it.
Pro tip: run your finger over a faucet. If you feel a gritty, chalky residue, your softener has quit like a contestant on a reality show. If it’s smooth, your system is doing its job. The surprising fact? Those white spots are actually fingerprint-resistant—so congratulations, you have ugly, but forensically clean, glasses.
