Key Takeaways:
- Distilled water is steam from boiling water that’s been cooled and condensed back into its liquid state.
- The distillation process gets rid of contaminants but also removes essential minerals from water.
- Drinking distilled water can cause mineral deficiencies and leach minerals from your teeth and bones. It also often costs more and is less hydrating and beneficial than other types of filtered water.
- Tyent ionizers provide hydrogen-rich alkaline water that’s free of more than 200 contaminants commonly found in tap water.
Distilled water has been a topic of interest and debate for years, with many people wondering if it’s a healthy option for daily consumption. Created through the process of boiling and condensing water to remove impurities, it’s often touted as the purest form of water. However, its lack of natural minerals raises important questions about its impact on health and hydration.
Can you still drink distilled water? In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at distilled water, exploring its benefits, potential drawbacks, and whether it’s a safe and practical choice. Whether you’re considering making the switch or just want to learn more, this guide has everything you need to know.
What is Distilled Water?
Distilled water is water that has been purified through a process of boiling and condensation. During this process, impurities, contaminants, and minerals are removed as the steam separates from the original water and is collected as pure liquid. The result is exceptionally clean water, free of most impurities, but it also lacks natural minerals found in regular water.
Distilled Water vs. Filtered Water vs. Purified Water
Distilled, filtered, and purified water all go through processes to remove impurities, but they differ in method and outcome. Distilled water is created by boiling water and collecting the steam, leaving behind minerals, contaminants, and impurities. While extremely pure, it lacks beneficial minerals, which some argue makes it less ideal for regular drinking.
Filtered water, like the water that’s created by Tyent ionizers, typically passes through materials like carbon or sediment filters to remove contaminants such as chlorine, bacteria, and sediment while retaining natural minerals, making it a more balanced choice for hydration.
Purified water undergoes a more rigorous cleaning process, such as reverse osmosis, to meet high purity standards. It removes up to 99% of contaminants, including chemicals and heavy metals, but like distilled water, it may lack minerals.
The best choice depends on your needs: Filtered water is ideal for everyday use, while distilled water and purified water suit specific situations.
Top Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Drink Distilled Water
Why should you avoid drinking distilled water? These reasons may convince you:
1. Dissolved Minerals Are Absent
The distillation process removes all beneficial electrolytes and trace minerals from water, leaving it essentially neutral.
Many nutrients naturally found in water, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, are vital to human health. Drinking distilled water can lead to mineral deficiencies and can cause health problems over time.
Some common effects of mineral deficiency can include:
- Dehydration: Ironic, but true. Electrolytes in water are vital for regulating the distribution of water in the body. Distilled water contains no electrolytes.
- Fatigue: Lack of magnesium can also cause weakness and fatigue.
- Headaches: Calcium and magnesium deficiencies can trigger headaches.
Muscle cramps: Magnesium deficiencies can lead to muscle cramping, stiff joints, and tremors.
2. Aggressive Distilled Water Wants to Find Minerals in Your Body
Not drinking minerals through your water can result in mineral deficiencies, which can cause numerous health problems. This is because mineral-depleted water is more aggressive and ends up pulling minerals from other sources in your body, like your teeth and bones. The long-term result can be health conditions like chronic cavities and osteoporosis.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), distilled water is more likely than other water that contains minerals, like filtered water from Tyent’s ionizers, to leach and absorb minerals from your body.
3. Distilling Is an Overcomplicated, Expensive Process
Distilling water at home is complicated, expensive, and requires a water distillation machine. These machines range in price, but ones capable of producing enough water for a whole home or business can reach up to thousands of dollars.
And because water distillation removes essential minerals, you’ll also need to invest in a remineralizer to keep your household healthy, which adds additional costs. Why go through a water purification process that requires multiple steps and many types of equipment rather than choosing one simple, streamlined process?
With a Tyent ionizer, you don’t need a remineralizer because these machines add more essential nutrients to your water rather than removing them. Plus, Tyent provides you with the benefits of the most molecular hydrogen of any ionizer on the market. Molecular hydrogen boosts hydration, fights free radicals, and helps everything from your gums to your skin.
Plus, Tyent ionizers use one-touch technology. Clean, filtered water comes out with just the push of a button.
4. Alkaline Water Is a Readily Available Substitute
Distilled water has its uses—primarily in medical settings when absolutely pure water is required for patients. In these cases, it’s typically used short-term, and mineral deficiencies can be managed. Distilled water is also useful for sterilizing medical equipment.
However, drinking distilled water on a regular basis is not recommended.
The reality is that there is a far more beneficial alternative: alkaline water. Tyent alkaline water is bursting with bioavailable minerals and therapeutic molecular hydrogen to help support a healthy, strong body. The benefits of drinking alkaline water include better hydration, reducing the signs of aging, promoting gut health, and providing drinkers with more energy.
Start drinking healthier, more powerful alkaline water with a Tyent ionizer.
Common Uses of Distilled Water
While drinking distilled water long-term generally isn’t recommended, there are several beneficial uses for distilled water, including:
- Sterilizing medical equipment
- Using neti pots and nasal rinses
- Powering steam-powered hair tools
- Watering plants
- Cleaning showerheads
- Baking bread
- Washing hair
- Making baby formula
- Powering irons
- Filling humidifiers
- Using a CPAP machine
How to Make Distilled Water
Making distilled water typically requires a water distillation machine or water distiller. Some water distillers are compact and need to be replenished with water, while others are significantly larger and connect to your water supply. The latter is much more expensive than the former. Most water distillers are designed to fit on a countertop, but there are some that work under your sink. Some models are so large that they need their own dedicated space in your kitchen.
A water distiller heats water until it boils, turning it into steam through evaporation. Impurities and contaminants, as well as essential minerals, cannot evaporate, so they get left behind.
From there, the steam travels through a cooling system, which is where it condenses and turns back into its liquid form, creating distilled water.
Although this process removes most contaminants, including chemicals, heavy metals like lead, sediment, and bacteria, it also removes most minerals. Demineralized water is more aggressive, and not drinking these minerals can cause deficiencies, which have long-term health effects.
Best Alternative to Drinking Distilled Water
The best alternative to drinking distilled water is drinking filtered, alkaline water from a Tyent ionizer. If you’re drinking distilled water because it’s free of pollutants, consider that Tyent ionizers use .01-micron Dialapure filters—the same filtration level that’s used in kidney dialysis machines. Tyent ionizers filter out more than 200 contaminants. And, unlike distilled water, Tyent doesn’t remove essential minerals.
Tyent ACE-13
In addition to better filtration, Tyent ionizers also provide drinkers with the benefits of alkaline water, as well as the most molecular hydrogen of any ionizers on the market. With water from a Tyent ionizer, you get tons of health benefits, from anti-aging effects to better gut health.
Get started with your own Tyent ionizer.
Can You Drink Distilled Water? Learn More
Learn more about the health effects of drinking distilled water and better alternatives.
Why is distilled water not safe for drinking?
Distilled water isn’t safe for drinking for long-term use because it’s demineralized water. Drinking demineralized water frequently can result in mineral deficiencies, which can lead to headaches, fatigue, muscle tremors, and more negative health effects. Demineralized water is also more aggressive and can leach minerals from your teeth and bones.
Is drinking distilled water good for your kidneys?
Drinking distilled water is generally safe for your kidneys, as it may help reduce the risk of kidney stones by diluting calcium and sodium levels in urine. However, relying solely on distilled water over time could lead to a lack of essential minerals in your body, which the kidneys help regulate.
What is the healthiest water to drink?
The best water to drink is hydrogen-infused alkaline water, which you can get with a Tyent ionizer. These machines filter out more than 200 contaminants and provide all the benefits of both alkaline water and hydrogen water.
Hydrogen-rich alkaline water is more hydrating, filled with antioxidants, boosts your energy, and provides many more health benefits.
Tyent H2 Hybrid
Can bacteria grow in distilled water?
Yes, bacteria can grow in distilled water if it becomes contaminated, as some bacteria, like oligotrophs, can survive in environments with minimal nutrients. However, distilled water itself is less likely to support bacterial growth compared to non-distilled water, especially when stored in clean, sealed containers.
The Bottom Line on Drinking Distilled Water
Drinking distilled water in the short term won’t necessarily harm you, but drinking demineralized water long-term can lead to mineral deficiencies and cause your body to leach minerals from your teeth and bones. Plus, distilling water can be costly and complicated and may not offer much value when you factor in the additional investment needed to remineralize it.
Tyent’s ionizers present a better way to filter your water. Using .01-micron Dialapure filters, Tyent ionizers filter out more than 200 contaminants without reducing your water’s mineral content. Tyent ionizers enhance your water, making it more hydrating and powerful than regular water. With the hydrogen-rich alkaline water that Tyent ionizers create, you get tons of health benefits, from immune system support to increased energy levels.
Get healthier, more powerful water with a Tyent ionizer.
Add a pinch of pink himalayan salt to distilled water and you have all the correct minerals in a balanced format and none of the toxins in tap water.
Hi, Michael. Thanks for the comment. Adding Himalayan salt might be a temporary solution to cleanse your bottled water and fill it with essential minerals that distillation gets rid of. However, too much salt isn’t good for our bodies. Ingesting too much salt, even Himalayan salt, can lead to illnesses. It’s better and more cost-effective to switch to drinking alkaline water, especially Tyent’s. Our water ionizers not only fill your drinking source with the essential minerals that distilled water lacks, but they also produce molecular hydrogen, the most powerful antioxidant on the planet.
A pinch of salt in a gallon will not cause health affects. While drinking too much water can lead to illnesses, in fact it can kill. One can also buy mineral drops if they fear salt.
STEAM distillation removes toxic fluoride from the water. That is all the reason I need to drink distilled water, made with my own distiller at pennies a bottle..
Hi, Nod. Thanks for your comment. We want to point out the harmful health effects of relying on distilled water so our readers know what to avoid. All water should be consumed in moderation, which is why we advise our customers to drink six to eight glasses of alkaline water per day. Mineral-rich water supplements the health benefits you get from a balanced diet while hydrating your body. Since distilled water is lacking in mineral content, it won’t replenish minerals that you lose after sweating. Distilled water is thus especially dangerous to rely on if it’s the only kind of liquid you’re drinking, which is why it’s not a good choice for a water fast.
Even WHO advises against drinking distilled or demineralized water due to its low or nonexistent mineral content. Distilled water could also mess with water distribution in your body and thus “may compromise the function of vital organs.” Additionally, you are putting yourself at risk of consuming toxic metals as this aggressive water more readily dissolves those in the places it’s stored in and passes through (ex. pipes, tanks).
Our alkaline water also helps you remove plastic bottle waste, as you won’t need to buy multiple bottles of water just to get a healthy drinking source. It’s a far more eco-friendly choice.
At Tyent, our water ionizers bring you clean, mineral-rich, and hydrogen-filled alkaline water. We also have filters that can remove over 200 contaminants, including 99% of fluoride (with a specialty 2- or 4-bank pre-filter). If you have further questions, we’d be happy to talk over the phone. Please give one of our water experts a call at 855-893-6887.
Watch out! Tyent water can be very addicting! I can’t stop drinking it as it taste great and very refreshing! The best beverage you can possibly have! Makes me feel like a teenager again and I’m 67!!
Hi, Gary. This is wonderful! We’re so happy to know that our hydrogen-rich alkaline water helps keep you young and refreshed. We’d love for you to share a picture with us, and we can feature your testimonial on our testimonials page.
What a good article! Tap water or spring water only provides maybe 15% of minerals for the body, but they do provide chlorine and heavy metals which is very dangerous to the body. Distilled water helps detox’s your organs
Hi, Nicole. Thanks for the comment. While distilled water is readily available everywhere, it’s a terrible thing to drink because it has no beneficial minerals. We recommend our hydrogen-rich alkaline water instead, which boosts your body’s immunity, energy levels, and overall hydration.
You can learn more about Tyent water by calling us at 855-893-6887 so that our water ionizer experts walk you through the benefits of drinking our water.
What a shock! Someone selling mineralized water says distilled water is “dangerous”. Been drinking it for 30 years and immediately get dehydrated if I drink water loaded with worthless minerals that the body cannot absorb from water. The body digests minerals from food (fruits & vegetables) not from water. Water is used to hydrate and detoxify. You should be ashamed for this bogus, non-scientific junk article.
Hi, Jonny. Thanks for your comment. We want to point out the harmful health effects of relying on distilled water so our readers know what to avoid. It’s true that you get most of your essential minerals and nutrients from food. However, the good kind of water helps supplement those while hydrating your body. Since distilled water is lacking in mineral content, it won’t replenish minerals that you lose after sweating. Distilled water is thus especially dangerous to rely on if it’s the only kind of liquid you’re drinking, which is why it’s not a good choice for a water fast.
Even WHO advises against drinking distilled or demineralized water. The organization emphasized that the modern human diet may not be enough to give us all of the minerals and nutrients that we need, which is why it’s beneficial to drink mineral-rich water so that we can easily absorb these minerals. Distilled water could also mess with water distribution in your body and thus “may compromise the function of vital organs.” Additionally, you are putting yourself at risk of consuming toxic metals as this aggressive water more readily dissolves those in the places it’s stored in and passes through (ex. pipes, tanks).
a pinch of Himalayan salt or a small bottle of mineralization drops debunks your story.
As to the WHO ? Who cares?
Hi, Nod. Adding Himalayan salt might be a temporary solution to cleanse your bottled water and fill it with essential minerals that distillation gets rid of. However, too much salt isn’t good for our bodies. Ingesting too much salt, even Himalayan salt, can lead to illnesses. The salt content that you consume will accumulate if you keep using Himalayan salt to remineralize each glass of water that you drink. It’s better and more cost-effective to switch to drinking alkaline water, especially Tyent’s. Our water ionizers not only fill your drinking source with the essential minerals that distilled water lacks, but they also produce molecular hydrogen, the most powerful antioxidant on the planet. Please check out the 1,000 studies on the benefits of molecular hydrogen.
Me too started a few days ago drinking reverse osmosis carbon-hepa filtered water (or distilled and carbon-filtered) which makes the water hungry for the inorganic mineral buildup in the body which the kidneys have trouble eliminating. I feel refreshed and healthy. I drink one-two glasses of distilled water per day, rest is just carbon-filtered water.
Hi, Fred. It’s good that you filter your water, but we want to point out that drinking distilled and RO water means that you’re consuming water that lacks essential minerals and antioxidants that your body needs to function well. Both methods get rid of the good and bad stuff in your source water, and they may not necessarily flush out the inorganic mineral content in your body either.
Plus, since distilled water is lacking in mineral content, it won’t replenish minerals that you lose after sweating. Distilled water is thus especially dangerous to rely on if it’s the only kind of liquid you’re drinking, which is why it’s not a good choice for a water fast.
Even WHO advises against drinking distilled or demineralized water due to its low or nonexistent mineral content. Distilled water could also mess with water distribution in your body and thus “may compromise the function of vital organs.” Additionally, you are putting yourself at risk of consuming toxic metals as this aggressive water more readily dissolves those in the places it’s stored in and passes through (ex. pipes, tanks).
On the other hand, hydrogen-rich ionized alkaline water from a Tyent water ionizer is full of essential minerals and antioxidants, like molecular hydrogen, to keep you energized and hydrated. Our ionizers get rid of over 200 contaminants from your water (check out this filter report for the full list). Tyent water also helps flush out toxins in your body and keeps your gut healthy and functional, keeps your gums and teeth healthy, and promotes good memory and concentration, among numerous great benefits.
Feel free to call our water experts at 855-893-6887 if you’d like to find out more!
You would have to drink a bathtub of water to get your mineral intake from water alone. Ridiculous reason not to drink pure water. Food works great, and add mineral supplementation to the water if you are paranoid. And baking soda adjusts the PH of distilled water just fine.
We drink distilled water, to get the chlorine out of the water, and most importantly to get the genotoxic, mutagenic, EPA designated class 4 developmental neuro toxin called fluoride out of the water.
Our kids are stupid enough with piss poor educations, without poisoning them stupid. As for the grown ups? keep drinking that fluoride, and soon enough you will have the dementia…
Hi, Nod. Thanks for your comment. You’re right when you say that fluoride – and any other contaminants – is not a good or healthy thing to have in your water. That’s why we offer a 4-bank filter that removes fluoride and Chromium-6.
If you want to deep clean your water and then ionize and remineralize it, instead of relying on distilled water, we recommend that you hook up a reverse osmosis machine to a Tyent water ionizer so that you get healthy antioxidants and minerals in your water. What you don’t want to do is take out all of the minerals in your water and then drink it because your body needs these minerals, and water is a big part of where your body gets these minerals from. You face that risk when you drink distilled water, which lacks mineral content. We get a lot of our minerals from our diet, but having a mineral-rich water source supplements the supply and absorption of these minerals. Also, owning a water ionizer more environmentally friendly since you won’t need to buy and recycle hundreds of plastic bottles. Plus, it’s better for your health in the long term.
If you still want to drink distilled water from a bottle, then you can ionize it by hooking up a FloJet. Ultimately, what your body really needs is clean and healthy water that’s filled with both essential minerals and antioxidants.
At Tyent, our water ionizers bring you clean, mineral-rich, and hydrogen-filled alkaline water. We also have other filters than can remove over 200 contaminants, including 99% of lead. If you have further questions, we’d be happy to talk over the phone. Please give one of our water experts a call at 855-893-6887.
A pinch of salt in a gallon of distilled water, will not cause me health problems. It isn\t too much. And as I said, there are also drops.
I use a pinch of salt in every gallon I drink. That is all I need. I get most of my minerals from food, as I have for the 30 years I have been drinking distilled water. I take no medicine, I am almost 60 years old with no health issues at all.
I use distilled water. And I have all the antioxidants I need.
Hi, Nod. It’s good that you have a water option that works for you and that you’re staying healthy. However, distilled water doesn’t let your body reach the optimum state of alkalinity since it has a neutral pH level. This could lead to headaches and even effects on organ function. Also, it’s true that the majority of our minerals come from the food that we eat, but drinking the right kind of mineral-rich water supplements the nutrients you get from your diet. Drinking mineral- and antioxidant-rich water is especially helpful when you’re not able to eat healthy food all the time.
If you want to continue drinking distilled water but are interested in ionizing it, you can look into hooking up your bottle to a FloJet. We want to emphasize the importance of drinking mineral- and antioxidant-rich water, which our water ionizers give you with no added equipment.
We would be happy to explain more about how the FloJet works and answer any other questions you may have over the phone, so please call us at 855-893-6887.
I recently purchased a water distiller and use it intermittently to detox. I have also purchased a Hydrogen Water Maker Machine, my question is can distilled water be put through the Hydrogen Water Maker and would this improve the PH level ??
Hi, Amigo. Thanks for your question. We’re glad that you’ve taken the steps to purify your own water at home. However, please note that distilled water isn’t the best kind of water to drink because it strips away all the essential minerals in your water along with the contaminants. This means that you’re left with water that has no mineral content, so your body has one less major source of nutrients (it gets the majority of those from your food).
Using a Hydrogen Water Maker will add extra hydrogen molecules to your distilled water but will not ionize it or make it alkaline, so the pH level will not necessarily increase. Plus, the hydrogen machine won’t add the minerals that were lost in the distillation process.
If you want the benefits of mineral-rich alkaline water that’s filled with molecular hydrogen, we recommend looking into getting a Tyent water ionizer instead. Our water ionizers remove over 200 contaminants from your tap water, ionize it, and fill it with essential minerals and molecular hydrogen to give you the healthiest water available. Plus, if you’re still interested in running distilled water through a machine to get alkalinity and molecular hydrogen, then we could provide you with re-mineralizing filters, and you can do that with a Tyent ionizer. Should you have any questions, our water experts would love to discuss the awesome features of our ionizers with you, so please give us a call at 855-893-6887.
Great, this article helped me a lot.
Hi, Su. We’re happy to hear that! If you want to know more about a healthier kind of water than distilled water, read up on hydrogen water. Tyent’s water ionizers produce hydrogen-rich alkaline water, which gives you essential minerals and antioxidants without the chemicals and contaminants from unfiltered tap water. Our water ionizer experts are happy to talk to you if you have more questions, so please call us at 855-893-6887.
If i cant distill my water il take the rain.
Hi, Martin. Drinking rainwater can be risky. While it’s generally clean, the water can become contaminated with pollutants and toxins as it falls to the ground or touches other organisms and objects in the environment. Plus, rainwater is acidic and low in minerals. You would still have to filter, purify, and remineralize rainwater if you want it to be completely safe for drinking.
On the other hand, Tyent’s hydrogen-rich alkaline water is filled with essential minerals and antioxidants (like molecular hydrogen, the smallest and most powerful antioxidant on the planet). Also, a Tyent water ionizer is connected to your tap water system at home, which makes it very convenient for you to use.
If you want to learn more about our hydrogen-rich ionized alkaline water, give us a call at 855-893-6887. Our water ionizer experts will be happy to discuss this with you.
Hi, Cooper. We’re happy to help! There are much healthier alternatives to distilled water out there, like Tyent’s hydrogen-rich alkaline water. If you’d like to give it a try, contact our water ionizer experts at 855-893-6887.
Hi, Brody. We don’t package our alkaline water in bottles because that’s costly and dangerous for the environment and our health. Instead, our water ionizers are machines that you can install in your own home to purify and remineralize the tap water that you already have.
Hi, Franco. We understand why you’d feel that way. While we are aware that distilled water is the more readily available option, what we want to point out is that there is a much healthier kind of water that is a long-term investment for your health and pocket. That water is Tyent’s alkaline water. Unlike regular distilled water, our water ionizers are able to filter over 200 contaminants in our tap water system and fill the produced water with antioxidants and minerals, including molecular hydrogen, which is one of the smallest and most powerful antioxidants on the planet.
If you’d like to know more about our machines and water, we’d love to talk to you! Give us a call at 855-893-6887 to get in touch with any of our water ionizer experts.
This is promotion, equivalent to the unreferenced info throughout this article. I suggest readers to do more research about this topic.
Hi, Nina. We understand your sentiments about us trying to sell our alkaline water. However, our article is based on research and studies from a multitude of very reputable sources, such as this 2016 study on the effects of demineralized water and this 2014 article on demineralization. What we want to point out in this article are the harmful health effects of relying on distilled water so our readers know what to avoid. It’s true that you get most of your essential minerals and nutrients from food. However, the good kind of water helps supplement those while hydrating your body. Since distilled water is lacking in mineral content, it won’t replenish minerals that you lose after sweating. Distilled water is thus especially dangerous to rely on if it’s the only kind of liquid you’re drinking, which is why it’s not a good choice for a water fast.
Even WHO advises against drinking distilled or demineralized water. The organization emphasized that the modern human diet may not be enough to give us all of the minerals and nutrients that we need, which is why it’s beneficial to drink mineral-rich water so that we can easily absorb these minerals. Distilled water could also mess with water distribution in your body and thus “may compromise the function of vital organs.” Additionally, you are putting yourself at risk of consuming toxic metals as this aggressive water more readily dissolves those in the places it’s stored in and passes through (ex. pipes, tanks).
If you’d like, we would be happy to talk to you about this over the phone. Please give our water experts a call at 855-893-6887.