The Best Water softener cleaner that works

A Water softener cleaner is a cleaning solution that helps clean Resin beads and keeps water softeners operating at full efficiency by removing residual minerals from the resin tank. It can also reduce iron and scale buildup in the tank, as well as help lengthen its life

Resin beads need to be cleaned after the accumulation of dirt, sediments, iron, and other contaminants and this is only done using water softener cleaner.

How to use water softener resin cleaner

It is recommended to use a bottle of water softener cleaner every 4 months to keep the system running efficiently.

The manufacturer’s instructions should be followed when using water softener cleaner. This typically involves pouring the entire 16 oz. of cleanser into the brine tank and allowing it to sit for several hours before flushing it out.

Additionally, some manufacturers recommend adding a bottle of water softener cleaner every 6 months to help reduce iron and scale buildup in the resin tank and extend the life of the system.

Comparison table of the water softener resin cleaner

NameImage
1Kenmore 3442707 Water Softener Cleaner Kenmore 3442707 Water Softener CleanerCheck Amazon for the best price
2Whirlpool Water Softener CleanserWhirlpool Water Softener CleanserCheck Amazon for the best price
3Ecopure EPCL Universal Water Softener CleanerEcopure EPCL Universal Water Softener CleanerCheck Amazon for the best price
4Pro Products Rust Out Water Softener CleanerPro Products Rust Out Water Softener CleanerCheck Amazon for the best price
5Pro Products Softener Mate Water Softener CleanerPro Products Softener Mate Water Softener CleanerCheck Amazon for the best price
6ResCare All-Purpose Water Softener CleanerResCare All-Purpose Water Softener CleanerCheck Amazon for the best price
7Pro Products Ban T Alkaline Water Neutralizer & CleanerPro Products Ban T Alkaline Water Neutralizer & CleanerCheck Amazon for the best price
8Morton Water Softener CleanserMorton Water Softener CleanserCheck Amazon for the best price
9Magnetic water technology Resin Restorer and CleanerMagnetic water technology Resin Restorer and CleanerCheck Amazon for the best price
10Tier1 Water Softener CleanserTier1 Water Softener CleanserCheck Amazon for the best price
11Water2buy Soft Tec Water2buy Soft TecCheck Amazon for the best price
12OUT Filter Mate OUT Filter MateÂCheck Amazon for the best price
135 pk Pro Products Softener Mate 5 pk Pro Products Softener MateCheck Amazon for the best price

Types of water softener cleaner

There are two types which include

  1. Powdered 
  2. Liquid 

The top pick in this article

Water softener cleaner reviews

  1. Whirlpool Water Softener Cleanser 16 Ounces
Whirlpool Water Softener Cleanser 16 Ounces

The whirlpool water softener cleanser helps remove the harmful deposit from your water softener resin bed, valve, and system.

Use of this product will help the water softener peak efficiency, and performance and extend the warranty of any new whirlpool water softener purchase from one to ten years full parts and labor. Meaning you get an extra year if you use Whirlpool water softener cleaner and keep receipts.

It is recommended to use after every four months.

  1.  Kenmore 3442707 Water Softener Cleaner 
 Kenmore 3442707 Water Softener Cleaner 

The Kenmore 3442707 Water Softener Cleaner is used to remove iron and rust from the resin bed.

For easy use follow the instruction included with the cleaner.

It is compatible with Kenmore, Kenmore Elite, and other models.

  1. Ecopure EPCL Universal Water Softener Cleaner
Ecopure EPCL Universal Water Softener Cleaner

The Ecopure water softener cleaner removes iron, sediment, rust, and dirt from water softener resin beds.

It is designed to use in any brand of water softener including EcoPure, Whirlpool, Omni, Culligan, GE, Kenmore, Morton, and numerous others.

This product is recommended to use after every four months.

Use of Ecopure water softener cleaner help extend your Ecopure water softener parts and labor warranty up to five years keep your proof of purchase and helps maintain the water softener’s peak performance and efficiency.

The Ecopure has made work easy it is not like any other product where you have to mix and measure the powder. This product is different from pouring the content of one bottle into a brine well and regenerating it.

For those people who forget when to clean your resin bed text Ecopure to 444999 to sign up for cleanser use reminders.

  1. Morton MWSC Universal Water Softener Cleanser 
Morton MWSC Universal Water Softener Cleanser 

Morton MWSC Universal Water Softener Cleanser helps remove the harmful deposits from the resin bed, valve, and water softener system that salt alone cannot remove.

This produces iron, sediment, dirt, and rust from your water softener’s resin bed.

It is designed to use any brand such as Morton, Whirlpool, EcoPure, Omni, Culligan, GE, Kenmore, and many others.

The product is recommended to use after every four months that is three times a month.

Making use of Morton MWSC Universal Water Softener Cleanser helps extend your water softener parts and labor warranty up to five years to keep your proof of purchase.

  1. Water Softener Repair Resin Restorer and Cleaner- magnetic water technology 
Water Softener Repair Resin Restorer and Cleaner- magnetic water technology 

The magnetic water technology resin restorer and cleaner help rejuvenate fouled and dirty resin making your softener work.

If you can open a bottle you can use this water softener cleaner yourself, no tools needed or professional experience. You need to pour ¼ bottle and run regeneration.

Every water softener needs this product after every two to three months to clean the resin beads.

It can clean water softener that has a brine tank which most of the brands have.

  1. Tier1 Water Softener Cleanser
Tier1 Water Softener Cleanser

The tier 1 cleanser is ideal for most water softeners.

It is quick and easy to use you only add pre-measured solution direct in the brine well.

Use tier 1 water softener cleanser every three months.

It is available in a pack of two, three, and four.


Pro products water softener resin cleaner

Pro product water softener cleaner offers several products to make sure your system has the right products. The such product includes:

  1. Pro Products RO12N Rust Out Water Softener Cleaner And Iron Remover
Pro Products RO12N Rust Out Water Softener Cleaner And Iron Remover

Pro-rust-out water softener cleaner removes iron and rust build-up. This formula works by dissolving iron chemically allowing it to be rinsed away

  1. Pro Products Softener Mate SM12N City Water Softener Cleaner
Pro Products Softener Mate SM12N City Water Softener Cleaner

Pro Products Softener Mate is designed as a cleaner water softener with a limited build-up of iron, manganese, silt, metals, and organic compounds.

It is dissolved in water for the first application and can help maintain the performance of all types of water softeners.

This product can also be added to the salt storage tank for routine preventive maintenance.

  1. ResCare RK64N All-Purpose Water Softener Cleaner Liquid Refill
ResCare RK64N All-Purpose Water Softener Cleaner Liquid Refill

The Pro rescare is a liquid water softener cleaner designed to remove contaminants salt alone cannot remove.

Regular use of this product will restore the softener beads and control valve parts to peak efficiency and maintain the life of the unit.

Pro Res Care is NSF Certified to meet NSF/ANSI Standard 60 for drinking water additives.

The pro product highly recommends the use of a pro easy feeder to keep continual maintenance of your system. Pro easy feeder automatically and easily installs inside or outside of the brine tank. It comes with a Starter Kit that includes everything required for an initial start-up.

The automatic Res-Up feeder uses a wick to transfer your resin-cleaning liquid into the brine tank/well

Res-Up Liquid Resin Cleaner Feeder – 0.4 oz Feeder w/Yellow Tube

Res-Up Liquid Resin Cleaner Feeder - 0.4 oz Feeder w/Yellow Tube

Installation of the Pro Res-Care Easy Feeder

For manual application our 4 oz. (1/2 cup) Of Pro Res-Care resin cleaner per cu. Ft. directly into the brine well (for softeners with no brine well, pour directly into the salt tank when salt is low) and manually regenerate the system. If taste, odor, or discoloration is detected repeated regeneration, then run a cold soft water tap nearest the softener until the smell or taste is gone.

  1. Ban-T Water Softener Iron Removal Alkaline Water Neutralizer & Cleaner
Ban-T Water Softener Iron Removal Alkaline Water Neutralizer & Cleaner

Pro Products Ban T neutralizes alkaline water and preventive maintenance for softeners.

This product comes in different packages including a package six, seven, and eight.

Bonus Video 


  1. Water2buy Soft Tec Water Softener Resin Cleaner
Water2buy Soft Tec Water Softener Resin Cleaner

Water2buy Soft Tec is used in any water softener system irrespective of the type of salt used.

it is used every 6 months

How to use Water2buy Soft Tec

Pour 1/3 rd of the solution directly into the softener when the salt is low and stir the water and salt solution.

  1. OUT Filter Mate Water Softener Cleaner and Salt Booster Powder 
OUT Filter Mate Water Softener Cleaner and Salt Booster Powder 

OUT Filter Mate is recommended for city water.

It can be used to remove light iron build-up (<1ppm) and low levels of calcium, lime, manganese, tannins, dirt, and silt in your water.

Cons

  • Not used in water with a high iron level
  1. 5 pk Pro Products Softener Mate All-Purpose Water Softener Cleaner
5 pk Pro Products Softener Mate All-Purpose Water Softener Cleaner

What makes resin beads dirty?

The whole process of water softening occurs inside the resin beads, but they only remove hardness in your water.

In case your water has iron, manganese, silt, metal particles and organic compounds the resin beads do not remove them in the water.

Over time if you do not install the water filter before the softener system, the contaminants, and metal will enter the resin tank coating the resin beads, therefore, causing failure or inefficiencies.

In such incidences, the resin beads need to be cleaned to restore and peak their efficiency.

The accumulation of iron, manganese, silt, metal particles, and organic compounds on the resin is called resin fouling.

How do you know your resin beads need to be cleaned?

Two conditions cause resin fouled or coating. These include:

  1. The resin bead is fouled or coated with manganese and iron
  2. The resin bead become fouled with organic compounds

It is tough to inspect the resin visually and tell if it is organic fouled or iron, and manganese fouled.

The best method to determine is to use cleaning reagents such as hydrochloric acid, sulfamic acid, sodium hydrosulfite, citric acid, and acetic acid.

The choice of the product depends on the material of construction of the softener’s shell and internal distributors. 

Soak a small sample of resin in the hydrochloric acid solution for five to ten minutes. If the hydrochloric acid solution has more than 5 ppm of iron, then the resin needs to be cleaned.

Also if you notice your softened water is red staining the sink, bathtubs, showers, and toilets the resin already coated with iron and manganese requires to be cleaned.

Iron and manganese you will find in water contact with certain rocks, and humanmade materials such as iron and steel pipes. Groundwater and old home that have galvanized iron water pipes and fixtures have a level of iron.

Another case is when your water has tea-like color it indicates it is organically fouled.

Organically fouled resin is not common in tap water it occurs in a home that uses well water.

Organic compounds are a by-product of decomposed plant material. They cause the water supply to have an odor, bad taste, and color. That’s why you hear people complain about my water softener smell bed.

When they coat the resin beads your water has tea-like color and needs to be cleaned. Cleaning organically fouled resin beads is different from iron and manganese fouled resin.

Read everything you need to know how to clean water softener resin whether organically or iron-fouled.

How do you feed water softener resin cleaner in the system?

This is a common question that so many people ask where and how to use or feed water softener cleanser?

The water softener cleaner is added to the brine solution while the salt content is low.  Follow the package instruction to know the recommended amount of resin cleaner required to add to the resin tank. The most typical right dose is 1 pint to 50 gallons of brine but refers to your package instruction.

How does a water softener resin cleaner work?

Water softener resin works on simple principles. Once you add the cleaner to the tank, they drop the resin column making the iron soluble.

Some resin cleaner changes the ferric form of iron making it more soluble.

In other cases, the resin cleaner reacts with iron to form a complex compound that is not attractive to resin beads.

Water softener resin life

Resins are supposed to last 20 years if well taken care of.

How to put resin cleaner in a water softener brine tank

Does vinegar clean water softener resin?

Vinegar is not used to clean water softener resin but is used in cleaning both resin and brine tank

More articles on resin

  1. Water softener resin types
  2. Water softener resin replacement