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Can Deionized Water Be Used in Place of Distilled Water?

Though deionized and distilled water seem similar, there exist enough differences to make substitution a bad idea under most circumstances. Deionized water contains no ions and exists in an unbalanced state--when placed in contact with anything dissolvable or absorbable it immediately grabs the ions to return to a balanced state.

  1. Deionized Water

    • Because deionized water is unbalanced, it aggressively seeks to regain its balance by grabbing any dissolvable or absorbable ions upon contact. When a person drinks deionized water, the body immediately goes into osmotic shock and the stomach bleeds. Deionized water is used in industrial applications where a soft solvent is required.

    Distilled Water

    • Though deionized water and distilled water are similar, distilled water is boiled to create a vapor that is condensed into distilled water which makes it less aggressive in grabbing ions. Distillation effectively removes all solids, organic and inorganic, from the water, making it a more pure form of water.

    Substitution

    • Only substitute deionized water for distilled water if the use requires inorganic ion-free water, otherwise do not substitute. Applications calling for pure water require distilled water, as it is more pure than deionized water. Deionization does not remove some of the inorganic or mineral elements from water. Neither form of water should be used for drinking.

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