Water-King, an electronic water conditioning system developed by Lifescience Products of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, allows companies to synthetically and inexpensively convert hard water, with its attendant limescale problems, into soft water for the traditional processing of luxury cashmere knitwear. The system uses low frequency radio waves to turn hard, calcium-rich water into the synthetic soft water required for washing cashmere apparel. It prevents the buildup of limescale on pipe walls, boilers, valves, and pumps, dramatically reducing the need for cleaning and maintenance. It is inexpensive to install and operate. Until 1994, high fashion knitwear manufacturer Murry Allan of Innerleithen, Scotland, had used soft water from a nearby spring to process its cashmere products. But the local water board forced the company to convert to standard water mains, making it impossible to achieve the water lather necessary for proper cashmere processing. Installing a conventional sodium based water softener would have involved considerable time and expense. The company installed a water-King WK3 unit in January 1995 and has been very satisfied with its soft water results.