Can You Eat Water Softener Salt?

November 1, 2021

Is Water Softener Salt Edible?

Water softener salt is categorized as sodium or potassium chloride. 

During the regeneration cycle, these water softener crystals or pellets are broken down to use sodium or potassium only. 

A small percentage of sodium or potassium may enter soft water. However, that water is completely safe to consume!

But water softener salts aren’t edible or safe for human or animal consumption. 

This is because they have different properties compared to food-grade salt and are in the form of pellets or crystals. 

If you happened to try consuming these, it would cause a stomachache or a more serious issue, especially if a large quantity was consumed. 

Food grade salt is derived from sodium chloride. However, the process of making these salts into pellets makes them harmful to be used for food processing as well!

Conclusion

As answered, water softener salt is neither edible nor safe for consumption.

So be careful before you think about adding it to your food!

About the author
Jodie Calhoun
A stay-at-home mum with two young kids and an experienced researcher and writer passionate about household products, particularly water filtration systems.