What type of water makes it difficult to produce suds or rinse laundry?

Hard water makes it difficult to produce suds or rinse laundry effectively due to its high mineral content, primarily calcium and magnesium ions. When soap is used in hard water, these minerals react with the soap to form insoluble compounds, known as soap scum. As a result, less soap is available to create suds, which diminishes cleaning effectiveness. Additionally, hard water can hinder rinsing because the soap scum can cling to fabrics and surfaces, leading to residues and less effective laundering.

In contrast, soft water is low in these minerals and allows soap to lather effectively, facilitating better sudsing and rinsing. Spring water can vary in hardness depending on its source, and distilled water, which is devoid of minerals, does not encounter the same issues with suds. Therefore, the characteristics of hard water make it the primary contributing factor to the difficulty observed in suds production and efficient rinsing during laundering processes.