Improving Softened Water Taste

Q: What’s wrong with the taste of my softened water? I just installed a softener and my water now has a sort of plastic-like taste. I ran the cleaning cycle after installation, then added rock salt to the reservoir, following the instructions. Did I do something wrong? I find the water almost undrinkable.

A: It doesn’t sound like you’ve ruined anything, since it’s common for water to taste different once it has been artificially softened. The most common way around this problem is to install an unsoftened water line to the cold water tap in the kitchen. If you don’t notice soap and shampoo lathering more fully in fixtures supplied with softened water elsewhere, have a service technician check the unit, just to be sure it’s working properly. I’d bet it is.