Can You Drink Distilled Water?
Lindsay Knake
| 3 min read
Key Takeaways
- Distilled water is a type of purified water that is safe to drink but lacks minerals such as calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium, which can make it less enjoyable to drink.
- While distilled water is safe to drink, it may not be the best choice for people who need to replace essential vitamins and minerals through their diet or by re-mineralizing their water.
- Distilled water has several uses, including as a nasal rinse or neti pot for safety, cleaning windows and mirrors, washing hair to remove buildup, watering sensitive houseplants and mixing infant formula if a baby has a weak immune system.
While “purified” water sounds good, what does it really mean?
This term often refers to distilled water, a process that removes almost everything other than hydrogen and oxygen from the liquid. Is this better to drink? Not necessarily. You can drink distilled water, but it won’t have the same benefits as spring or filtered tap water. Here are some things to know about distilled water and when to use it.
What is distilled water?
The distillation process involves boiling water, collecting the water vapor and allowing the vapor to condense back into a liquid. This process kills most microbes, and leaves behind minerals, salts, metals and most chemical contaminants because they have a higher boiling point than water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), making the distilled water essentially purified.
Distilled water must meet purity standards from the United States Pharmacopeia and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).It’s sold in the U.S. as “distilled” or “purified” bottled water.
Distilled water is safe to drink, but the flavor is impacted because it doesn’t have minerals such as calcium, potassium, sodiumand magnesium.
What are the uses of distilled water?
The main uses for distilled water are in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, cleaning medical and dental equipment, for laboratory experiments and in certain medical devices, per the FDA.
At home, you can use distilled water in a few ways:
- A nasal rinse or neti pot for safety
- CPAP machine humidifier or other humidifier device to prevent scale buildup and make the machine last longer
- Cleaning windows and mirrors to prevent streaks
- Washing hair to remove buildup
- Watering sensitive houseplants
- Mixing infant formula if a baby has a weak immune system
- Filling aquariums
- Drinking water if your tap water is unsafe, such as during a boil water advisory
For drinking, cooking and daily use, tap water is considered fine for most people. The EPA regulates public drinking water, and the FDA regulates bottled water in the U.S. The EPA’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulations limit the levels of more than 90 contaminants, including chemicals, disinfectants, heavy metals and bacteria.
While the term “purified” sounds good, distilled water lacks minerals in water that are essential for human health. These minerals can help to replace sodium and potassium lost in sweating as part of an overall healthy diet. The World Health Organization found in an analysis of research that hard water, or water that has more minerals, may be protective against cardiovascular disease. People who drink distilled water should ensure that they are getting essential vitamins and minerals through their diet or by re-mineralizing their water.
Although the amounts of minerals in tap or bottled water are very small, distilled water may not be as enjoyable to drink because of the taste.
If you have concerns about your water safety or health, you can talk to your primary care provider about using distilled water.
Photo credit: Getty Images
