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Rodney Local Board deputy chair Beth Houlbrooke has some tips for Warkworth residents tearing their hair out over the quality of local water supplies.
Residents have been fuming about local water ever since Warkworth switched from sourcing water from the Mahurangi River to an underground aquifer in December 2018.
They soon found that the “harder water”, containing more minerals such as sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride and silica, were leaving deposits that clogged up appliances and left filthy stains on sinks and showers, which proved impossible to remove.
Despite this, Beth’s sinks, shower and laundry tub still look brand new, even though they have no special protective coatings nor the benefit of a fancy water filter.
She says luckily, she spotted the problem with the new water supply soon after it started flowing from her taps.
At the first sign of water deposits, she resolved not to leave any water droplets anywhere.
That means using a squeegee and sponge, with no cleaning product added, to get rid of any droplets each time after using a sink or the shower.
She says it only takes a few minutes and it’s all a matter of priorities.
“Some people’s priority is to go to the gym. My priority is to clean my shower off.”
If any deposits are detected, Beth immediately polishes them off. Unfortunately, Beth’s cleaning regime will not work if dirty stains have been allowed to remain for any length of time, because silica tends to fuse to surfaces such as glass, and scrubbing vigorously with commercial products is extremely hard work and makes little difference.
Beth says she could not afford to have to redo her kitchen and bathroom once she comes to sell her home – hence her diligence.
“I’m protecting my investment – it’s a good quality for someone who is responsible for investing other people’s money,” she says.
