That is a good tip BEG. I have always had hard water wherever I lived, but where I am now is the hardest I've ever seen. The island is an ancient coral reef, and I have a shallow well. I have one of those Whistler glass tea kettles. If you boil tap water in it, it is immediately coated white on the inside first time. Filtering the water with a Brita seems to knock that down quite a bit.