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Hard water means dissolved calcium and magnesium, and it produces two completely separate problems that need two separate solutions. Confusing them wastes a lot of money.
Problem one: the water you drink. An RO purifier fixes this properly — it removes hardness along with everything else dissolved, and a TDS controller blends minerals back to a pleasant level.
Problem two: scale on everything else. White crust on taps and shower heads, geyser elements failing in two years, soap that will not lather, stiff towels. A drinking-water RO does absolutely nothing for this, because it only treats the few litres you drink. Fixing it requires a point-of-entry water softener treating your whole supply, typically ₹25,000-₹90,000 installed.
In Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Indore, Jodhpur and much of the hard-water belt, most homes eventually need both. Start with the drinking water, and cost out a softener separately once you know your hardness number.
