23-20: The Basics of Ion Exchange SofteningThis paper discusses a recent inquiry to our technical department about minimizing wastewater from an ion exchange softener. We first will review the basics of ion exchange softening, then explain the process of calculating efficiency. As an appendix to the paper, we have included a glossary of commonly used softening terms along with a list of mathematical relationships, helpful conversions, and additional information for the reader, so that they can