Color me a skeptic. One of our supply house salesmen constantly hounded me regarding citrus-based no-salt water softeners. I never did buy into the sales literature hype, so we never installed any. Linda, a best friend of my wife, lives in Las Vegas and recently asked for my advice regarding her citrus-based water "softener." Apparently, mold and/or bacteria gained a foothold inside the filters and its head, causing concern.
Here’s the exchange with the name "Widget" substituted for the manufacturer’s name.