Potassium chloride is an increasingly popular alternative to salt in an ion exchange water softener. It might be more expensive, but it’s suitable for people on low-salt diets and it doesn’t give water a slippery feel.
But in a market that’s still dominated by traditional water softener salts, where can you buy this low-sodium alternative?
📌 Key Takeaways:
- You can buy potassium chloride for softeners in most of the places that sell traditional water softener salts, including directly from the manufacturer, online marketplaces, third-party sellers, and big-box stores.
- You can often get the best deal by shopping direct with the manufacturer.
- Consider bulk-buying a potassium chloride product to save money per kilogram.
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🏪 Where Can You Buy Potassium Chloride For Water Softener?
You’ve visited your local Lowe’s, and the only softening product on the shelves is traditional water softener salt. What if you want to use potassium chloride in your ion exchange water treatment unit instead?
Here are the best places to look:
Direct From The Manufacturer
Brands like Morton, Diamond Crystal and Nature’s Own might sell salt alternative products that you can buy directly from their websites.
This isn’t always the case. Sometimes, a brand will direct you to other places to buy its products, like partner sellers and online marketplaces.
However, it’s worth checking the seller’s website first as this is where you can often get the best deals.
Just keep in mind that shipping fees for water softener salt products are often sky-high due to the heavy weight of the packages.
 Morton Potassium Chloride Pellets |  Nature's Own Potassium Solution |
|
|---|---|---|
| Price | $8 | $30 |
| Weight | 50 lbs. | 40 lbs. |
| Use for | 2-4 bags/month | 2-4 bags/month |
Third-Party Sellers
You’ll also find salt alternative softener products on third-party sellers’ websites.
There are tens of sellers with websites dedicated to water treatment, water softening, or – even more specifically – water softener salt and salt alternative products.
Again, shipping might be high due to the weight of the packages, but some third-party sellers are mindful of this and may offer deals like free or reduced shipping if you spend so much on potassium chloride at once.
Just make sure to choose a legitimate, highly-reviewed seller with a secure payment process and clear refund policy.
Big Box Stores
While your local big box store might not stock anything other than traditional water softener salt, some larger stores should have at least one or two salt alternative products on their shelves.
🕵️♂️ Check out Menards, Ace Hardware, Homax, Lowe’s, and The Home Depot, and look for bulk-buy deals. Be wary of sales – they’re usually to clear stock that can’t be shifted, and this stock is usually unpopular with customers for a reason.
If you don’t want to carry big batches of potassium chloride home with you, enquire about home delivery costs.
Local home delivery might cost more than collecting the potassium chloride yourself, but it takes the hassle off your hands and it should be cheaper than shipping across the country.
Online Marketplaces
Finally, you can buy potassium chloride on online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay.
Different sellers compete to sell the same product, which means you can sometimes get a better deal than you could elsewhere.
Unfortunately, online marketplaces often have the most expensive shipping fees. You’re unlikely to get a good deal on shipping because the product is likely to be shipped from a warehouse across the country.
💸 How Much Does Potassium Chloride Cost?
Potassium chloride costs $25-$40 per 40-pound bag, depending on how many bags you buy at once.
This is up to four times the average cost of water softener salt, which is about $7-$10 per 40-pound bag.
📌 Why is potassium chloride more expensive than sodium chloride? It’s largely due to mining costs. Extracting potassium chloride is more expensive than mining sodium chloride, and the cost of the product reflects this.
You also need to use more potassium chloride than salt to soften water, so you’ll pay for more bags of potassium chloride per year.
Finally, a few brands might add an extra few dollars to their potassium chloride products because the fact that potassium chloride is a low-sodium alternative is a selling point to many customers.
🤔 Why Choose Potassium Chloride Instead Of Salt?
Potassium chloride still isn’t as widely available or affordable as traditional water softener salt. So why should you consider buying potassium chloride instead of normal salt?
Potassium chloride works in the same way as salt in a water softener – the primary difference is that potassium, not sodium, is used in the ion exchange process for replacing hard water minerals.
The key benefit of potassium chloride vs traditional water softener salt (sodium chloride) is that it’s a very low-sodium alternative. If you want to watch your sodium intake or you don’t enjoy the slippery feel of salt-softened water, potassium chloride is the best solution.
Potassium chloride pellets aren’t quite as effective as traditional water softener salt, so you’ll need to increase your water hardness setting by about 25% to ensure you get the same thorough water softening with this mineral.
❔ Where To Buy Potassium Chloride For Water Softeners: FAQs
Where can I find the cheapest price for water softener potassium chloride?
You can usually find the cheapest prices for water softener potassium chloride by shopping online and comparing prices on online marketplaces, the manufacturer’s website, and partner stores. Just watch out for shipping fees – the cheapest products might actually be the most expensive once the cost of shipping is added on.
What’s the cheapest way to buy potassium chloride?
The cheapest way to buy potassium chloride is usually to bulk-buy it from a store that doesn’t have extortionate shipping fees. This might mean buying at a brick-and-mortar store and taking the potassium chloride home yourself. Bulk-buying often gives you a better deal as you pay less per pound.
Can I buy potassium chloride in the grocery store?
No, you can’t buy potassium chloride for water softeners in a grocery store. While some grocery stores might sell potassium chloride supplements, these aren’t intended for use in a water softening system.
