1.   Household water is directed through a prefilter for filtration to remove sediment, chlorine taste and odor, and particulate matter.

2. Water pressure forces the water through a semi-permeable membrane where a high percentage of the dissolved solids, etc. are flushed down the drain and purified water is produced.

Filtration of water is used to remove sediment or partials that can not otherwise be removed by softening the water. In this process the water flows into a filter housing and passed through a filter cartridge or layer(s) of media. There are many varying levels of filtration that can be used depending on specific needs. 

The simple, proven way to make water softer in the home is with a water softener.  Water softening with ion exchange and sodium chloride (salt) will always remove the hard minerals from your water with the added benefit of helping to reduce staining minerals like iron and manganese and heavy metals like lead.  These systems are typically self-cleaning, and do not need additional filters.  For salt free applications, sodium chloride can be substituted for potassium chloride to regenerate the system.  This does not add any additional sodium to the water.

Other methods of softening include Anti-scale units. These units do not need to use sodium chloride to regenerate, however they will need to have service preformed every so often to ensure there functionality.  These units operate based on a chemical reaction with the hard minerals to coat them and stop them from sticking to pipes and fixtures in your home.