Does a Water Softener Add Sodium to Your Water?

Yes. A salt-based water softener works by swapping the calcium and magnesium that make water hard for sodium. So softened water does contain more sodium than the same water did before. The harder your water, the more sodium gets added. For most people that amount is small next to the sodium in food, but it matters if you have been told to limit sodium.

Does a Water Softener Add Sodium to Your Water?

The softener holds tiny resin beads loaded with sodium. As hard water flows past, calcium and magnesium stick to the beads and sodium is released into the water. When the beads are full, the system regenerates with salt brine and starts again. That is why hardness goes down while sodium goes up a little.

Is That a Problem?

For most healthy people, no. Food is the main sodium source in most diets. But people on strict low-sodium diets, or with heart, kidney, or blood pressure conditions, should ask a doctor. EPA's Drinking Water Advisory uses 20 mg/L of sodium as a guide for people on very low-sodium diets, and it notes that sodium becomes noticeable to taste at higher levels.

Ways to Keep Sodium Out of Your Drinking Water

• •Add a reverse osmosis drinking-water system at the kitchen sink. It treats the water you drink and cook with.
• •Keep a cold, unsoftened tap for drinking, if your plumbing allows it.
• •Ask whether a potassium-based salt is appropriate for your system and your health situation.

Where Reverse Osmosis Fits

A softener protects your pipes, water heater, fixtures, and skin from hardness. It is not a drinking-water filter. Many of our customers install a softener for the whole house and a reverse osmosis system like the Ultrefiner Elite at the kitchen sink for water they drink. The RO reduces dissolved minerals, including sodium, and the Ultrefiner Elite is tested and certified to reduce PFAS, lead, and other contaminants.

The free in-home water test measures hardness and lets us show you the numbers, so you can decide with real information.