Bexx -- we have super hard water too! It is SUCH a pain to clean showers/tubs!! Where I grew up in California the water is just dirty lol, but when I moved to Idaho I learned the true meaning of scrubbing, yikes! We're also getting a water softener shortly, I hope it helps you too. Come and commiserate hard water with me -- I have a fridge full of watermelon and an embarassing amount of chick flicks to watch.
PS: Glad I'm not the only one who considered getting a maid! I don't mind cleaning TOO much, but it's a bit exhausting after working a full 8 hours then coming home to cook/clean. Also, I thought about getting a maid just to do the rough stuff, especially right before baby arrives -- i.e. scrubbing the hard water muck, doing floors, deep cleaning etc...