Abstract: Disclosed is a process for preparing a water softening composition which comprises the steps of:(a) applying to finely divided solid carrier particles of an inorganic material selected, e.g., from the group consisting of aluminosilicates having an Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 content of from 1 to 75% by mole, kieselguhr, a silicic acid composition containing 67 mole % of SiO.sub.2, 1 mole % of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and 278 mole % of H.sub.2 O, a silica gel containing 12.24% of SiO.sub.2, 7.35% of N.sub.2 SO.sub.4, 0.41% of Na.sub.2 O and 80% of H.sub.2 O, aluminum oxide, alumina hydrate, bentonite and sodium sulfate, a solution of sodium aluminate having a concentration of from about 0.2% to 25% by weight and a molar ratio Na.sub.2 O/Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 of from about 0.3 to 47, in an amount which is sufficient to coat the particles with an outside layer of sodium aluminate amounting from about 0.5 to about 50% by weight of the particles; and, (b) drying the coated particles at a temperature of from about 20.degree. to 120.