A laundry treatment appliance comprising: a fresh water supply; a treatment chamber; a water softener; a liquid delivery system connected to the water supply, the water softener, and a treatment agent delivery system configured to store a water-soluble treating agent pod and/or a steam generator. The liquid delivery system is configured to supply fresh water from the water supply or soft water from the water softener into the treatment chamber. The appliance can perform one or more treatment cycles including at least one of: a first cycle in which the process liquid supplied by said process liquid delivery system further includes laundry treatment agents contained in the pod, and a second cycle in which the steam generator is activated to steam into the treatment chamber. The appliance further comprises a control unit to activate the water softener to provide the process liquid delivery system with soft water.