You may have asked yourself “is it safe to drink distilled water?” The answer is yes. Distilled water is safe to drink, but does that mean it’s the most beneficial water available to us? We’re about to find out.

Distilled water is purified through a distillation process. During this process water is boiled and evaporates into steam. The steam is collected and reforms as refined water. This water is then considered pure, since most of the chemicals and minerals previously in the water did not stay bound to the H2O molecules at the point of evaporation. This means that while the water is safer to drink due to the removal of pollutants, the coinciding loss of minerals makes the water taste flat.

The benefits related to drinking distilled water centre around its purity. Distilled water is great for homes and communities without access to clean tap water. If a municipal water supply is polluted, registering high percentages of lead, or known to carry harmful chemicals, then distilled water is a much healthier option. Distilled water is often available in small 4 litre bottles; but those small bottles are most useful for filling household appliances, such as humidifiers and irons, which benefit from the use of mineral free water. If distilled water is someone’s choice of daily drinking water large bottles for water coolers are much more convenient.

So far, distilled water sounds like a healthy option for drinking water. But there are some disadvantages to drinking it. The first is the taste. Spring water is often preferred for its flavour, which varies from one spring to another. Many describe the taste of distilled water as ‘flat” or “metallic”. This is due to the lack of minerals in the water and it might take some time before you’re used it. The lack of minerals is also the reason why distilled water isn’t the most common drink of choice. Because the water is demineralized it cannot provide your body with minerals such as calcium, magnesium or potassium, which are normally present in spring water. Although these mineral levels are not extremely high, it is still beneficial for our bodies to receive an extra dose of them daily, even in small amounts. If one chooses to drink distilled water regularly they are encouraged to make up for the lack of minerals with mineral supplements and/or by significantly increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in their diet.

Some also believe distilled water can extract minerals from our bodies because distilled water is essentially “empty”, which causes it to chemically attract salts and other minerals. In addition, both distilled and reverse osmosis waters are acidic, because of the lack of minerals. Cedar Springs’ premium spring water on the other hand is naturally alkaline, with a pH close to 8, due to the unique combination of the natural minerals in the water. These are some of the reasons why most people prefer to drink spring water instead of distilled.

Purified water is not always distilled water, although the names are sometimes used interchangeably. Purified (filtered) water can still contain minerals. If you enjoy drinking tap water but its potential impurities concern you, then a filtration system is an excellent way to remedy that worry.

Cedar Springs’ filters are a convenient option with our worry-free installation and maintenance service. We are proud to offer these filters as another option for clean, great tasting drinking water. Call 1-800-952-3327 today to learn how our purification systems can boost the quality and taste of your water.