The myth about the danger of distilled water exists in every household. We explain the difference to tap water.
What is distilled water?
Distilled water contains neither minerals nor trace elements. It is pure H2O and is made by heating water. The rising water vapor is caught and collected. When the steam condenses, distilled water is obtained.
Is drinking distilled water harmful?
Many believe that distilled water has a detoxifying and revitalizing effect. However, that is not correct. The body needs the minerals and trace elements contained in water.
Is therefore the consumption of distilled water harmful to health? This too was believed for a long time. There was even a theoretical statement that consumption can lead directly to death. Allegedly, cells in the human body can burst through so-called osmosis when they come into contact with distilled water, because they try to compensate for a lack of minerals and therefore absorb excessive amounts of water.
That’s the theory. In practice, however, one’s own body cells rarely come into direct contact with food. On the digestive route, distilled water is mixed with other liquids that make up for the deficiency.
Only then does contact with the cells occur, so that there are hardly any problems to worry about. So if you accidentally drink distilled water, you don’t need to call an ambulance right away.
Harmful does not mean life-threatening
While drinking mineral-free water is not life-threatening, it can still be harmful to your health. The body depends on minerals. Therefore, you should avoid prolonged consumption of distilled water. Otherwise, deficiency symptoms may occur. On the other hand, you should be skeptical about theories that claim that distilled water is healthy.
Make your own distilled water
You can also easily make distilled water yourself at home. For this you need:
a large saucepan with a lid
a bowl that fits in the pot
ice cubes
How to make distilled water:
Fill the pot with tap water and place the bowl in it. The bowl should float in the water, not touching the bottom.
Turn the stove to medium-high until the water begins to evaporate. Then place the lid upside down on the pot. The rising water vapor condenses on the lid and drips into the bowl. If you want to be quick, you can put ice cubes on the lid, they cool the lid and the larger temperature difference speeds up the process.
Simply fill the distilled water from the bowl into a previously boiled bottle.
What is distilled water used for?
Distilled water is available in supermarkets and drugstores. In private households, it is required, among other things, for air humidifiers, for car windscreen washer systems, for the water tank of the iron and for cleaning.
In addition, industry uses distilled water to manufacture many products.
