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A water softener reduces the dissolved calcium, magnesium and to some degree manganese and ferrous iron ion concentration in hard water. Calcium and magnesium carbonates tend to adhere to the surfaces of pipes and heat exchanger surfaces. The resulting build-up of scale can restrict water flow in pipes. In boilers, the deposits act as an insulation that impairs the flow of heat into water. This reduces the heating efficiency and allows the metal boiler components to overheat. In a pressurized system, this can lead to failure of the boiler. The presence of ions in an electrolyte (in this case, hard water) can also lead to galvanic corrosion. During galvanic corrosion, one metal will preferentially corrode when in contact with another type of metal, when both are in contact with an electrolyte.

Conventional water-softening devices depend on an ion-exchange resin in which "hardness" ions trade places with sodium ions that are electrostatically bound to the anionic functional groups of the polymeric resin. A class of minerals called zeolites also exhibit ion-exchange properties. These minerals were widely used in earlier water softeners. Water softeners are typically required when the source of water is a well, whether municipal or private.