Distilled Water vs. Other Types of Water for Drinking

The average consumer in a developed country has many different options when it comes to drinking water. There are dozens of bottled water companies, a multitude of water filter brand names, and public water systems across most populated areas. For those looking for another option, distilled water can provide water in one of its purest forms, though this may not always be desirable.

Collection

• Unlike many other kinds of drinking water, distilled water is devoid of most additives or imperfections. This result is attained by turning liquid water into steam, then returning it to liquid form once more for human consumption, leaving behind most particles, minerals, even some chemicals and bacteria. A number of home systems can perform this distillation process rather quickly, churning out distilled water in a matter of minutes. Other kinds of drinking water typically gather water from natural bodies or ground supply, after which it is processed as a liquid until safe for human consumption. This may include adding chemicals like chlorine, as with public water system.

Safety

• Distilled water proponents prefer this type of drinking water because it helps may increase water safety. By removing unknown particles, chemicals and bacteria, distillers ensure a potentially safer and purer form of H20. Some may even use distilled water specifically to remove additives that were added to other types of drinking water, as with the chlorine often found in public water. Still, most other types of public drinking water have been deemed safe for human consumption, including bottled, spring and public water. Certain authorities even believe some kinds of water additives are good for health, and public water suppliers often often intentionally add fluoride to help protect the public's dental health.

Cost

• Home water distillation systems can be costly in terms of money and time. These systems vary in price from a couple hundred dollars to much more. Additionally, each system needs to be cleaned regularly to avoid buildup of all of the impurities that water leaves behind. And distilled water drinkers have to get water from somewhere, which makes any distillation cost an expense on top to of what the average person spends on drinking water.

Taste

• Many people have become accustomed to the taste of water with certain additives. Public water drinkers may come to expect the taste of chlorine, and spring water drinkers commonly enjoy the taste of the particular mix of minerals found in their favorite kind of water. Distilled water has one of the most muted tastes of any type of water precisely because it has few or no additives, which may be less desirable than other types of water. But for the purist, little or no taste could still be desirable.