You normally can’t contract any form of urinary tract infection (UTI) from a properly functioning water softener. In fact, a working water softener can potentially reduce your risk of developing a UTI since it removes calcium and other minerals from the water that could irritate your body.
If your water softener isn’t properly sealed, then there’s a risk that it could contaminate your water. The same could be said for a water heater and any other device connected to your home’s plumbing system.
Water treatment appliances are supposed to be clean and not allow bacterial or any other organism to get into your water supply in any large numbers. If your water softener wasn’t cleaned and had some sort of mold growing in it, then it could potentially act as a breeding ground for some nasty bugs that could cause UTIs.
Homeowners should always make sure to clean and maintain their water softeners following the manufacturer’s original instructions. Regardless of how well you maintain your system, though, there’s a greater risk of developing an infection if you bathe as opposed to shower.
Anyone who lives in a home that has water softener-related issues or finds that they have extremely hard water that doesn’t get clear even when using a softener should make sure to shower so they’re not soaking in it.
Can Hard Water Cause a UTI?
Hard water itself can’t actually cause a UTI, but it could cause problems that might make one worse. Since hard water contains a cocktail of different minerals, there’s a good chance that it could irritate existing health conditions and cause inflammation.
One study published in Nephron Journal looked at whether or not the additional calcium found in hard water could produce kidney stones in otherwise healthy people. Drinking hard water could increase the risk of developing a high urinary calcium concentration by up to 50 percent.
While this certainly doesn’t mean that the people in this study were developing UTIs, the fact that they were getting some other kind of nephrological condition surely increased their risk for other related problems. If a person with a mild infection were to be exposed to this kind of water on a regular basis, then it could make it mushroom into something worse.
Keep in mind that bathing in or drinking soiled water is a good way to get UTIs as well as worse conditions. Hard water that’s also contaminated with something else is certainly dangerous.
There’s also a risk that hard water might have rust or sand in it, which are both toxic. While being exposed to toxic chemicals isn’t the same thing as developing an infection, many of the symptoms are actually quite similar.
Can Ocean Water Give You a UTI?
Ocean water can give you a UTI if it’s contaminated with some kind of microbial organism. Those who spend many hours in ocean water while wearing the same pair of boardshorts may be at an increased risk for developing UTIs.
The fabric in swim trunks can provide a perfect environment for bacteria to grow out of control. This is especially true in the warm and humid summer months, since the elevated temperature and additional moisture can help them reproduce.
Over time, bacteria can swim upstream into your urethra and start to breed as soon as they find human flesh. You might feel a burning sensation while urinating several hours after this happens, which will let you know that a colony of microbes have started to grow.
In some cases, otherwise benign bacteria can start to grow out of control in the shorts of people who spend too much time in the ocean. The ocean water itself doesn’t cause this type of UTI, but it normally impacts those who spend most of their free time on the beach.
Regardless of the underlying causes, there are a few ways you can protect yourself from UTIs when you go swimming. Make sure that you rinse off in a shower before and after you jump in the water. Change into clean clothes as soon as you’re done and don’t use the same trunks again until you get a chance to clean them.
Some beaches now have dedicated artificial swimming pools, and you’ll want to be doubly sure that you shower before and after using these. While they might be filled with ocean water, they’re still technically swimming pools and might be filled with nasty stuffy that washed off of other people.
Drinking ocean water could theoretically cause you to develop a UTI as well, if it has any sort of microbe in it. You’ll usually be unable to do so because of the salt, which makes most people want to throw up.
If you distill or filter ocean water before drinking it, then you shouldn’t have to worry about UTIs though.
Common Triggers of a UTI
Sexually transmitted diseases constitute the most common cause of UTIs. Other issues related to intimacy, such as being unable to urinate after intercourse, can also dramatically increase the risk of developing one.
Some studies have suggested that chlamydia and gonorrhea might be responsible for a small majority of UTIs because these diseases allow other organisms to take up residence in a human urethra. That being said, simply holding it too long and not using the bathroom can lead to developing a UTI over time.
Not drinking enough water might lead to one as well. When you urinate frequently, you’re also flushing bacteria out into the toilet.
Those who don’t go on a regular basis or don’t drink enough water aren’t flushing these bacteria colonies out, so they might start to grow out of control and lead to a UTI. Pregnant women have an elevated risk of developing UTIs in this way.
Some decongestants and sinus medications can actually cause a condition called urinary retention, where people are unable to pass urine while they’re using the product. Extended use of this kind of product can lead to a UTI.