Is Distilled Water Good For You?


The fact that the question “is distilled water good for you” is even asked in this world is really a shame.  It’s a shame because many people just assume it’s bad for you to drink when it’s not.  In fact, it’s good for you.

But in order to see the sense in what I’m saying, you have to confront the #1 most pervasive and commonly believed myth about distilled water and that is that drinking distilled water:

“leeches minerals from the body.”

Now here is where it gets too complicated for most people and that is where they stop thinking.  I know it was that way for me for all the years I just assumed this myth was true.  I just left it at that, stopped listening and then went back to sipping my alkaline water.

But the fact is, distilled water will only leech minerals from your body that your body does not need.

Yes, you read that right.  Distilled water will only leech a certain type of mineral called “inorganic minerals”.    Inorganic minerals are commonly the type you find on the sole of your shoe.  That is they are minerals that have not been processed through a plant.  “Organic minerals”  on the other hand are minerals that that are created by the foods we eat.  They are ionic minerals.  If you eat a carrot it will have minerals in it but those are a kind of mineral that your body can use.  In other words, it would be ‘good for you’ minerals.  And the good for you minerals your body needs are called “organic minerals’ and the punchline to all of this is…..

Distilled water will not leach organic minerals from the body.

The fact that distilled water actually ‘leeches’ inorganic minerals is a good thing.  So going back to the carrot example, let’s say there is some iron in the carrot (there usually is).  That iron will be organic iron that your body can use for nourishment.  Contrast that to scraping a spoonful of dirt off the road and eating it.  That spoonful of dirt will also have some iron in it, but it will be inorganic iron that your body will not be able to use.  In fact, there are some inorganic minerals that the body will not know how to get rid of or use at all and then try to store it somewhere in the body.  As those mineral build up over time, in joints and kidneys and bladders, they can cause problems.  Something I always think about are kidney “stones”.  Where does all that material (to make a ‘stone’) come from and why does it build up?

“Water hardness (inorganic minerals in solution) is the underlying cause of many, if not all, of the diseases resulting from poisons in the intestinal tract. These (hard minerals) pass from the intestinal walls and get into the lymphatic system, which delivers all of its products to the blood, which in turn, distributes to all parts of the body. This is the cause of much human disease.  For that reason alone we recommend distilled water to all of our patients at the clinic.”

Dr. Charles Mayo, MD.

Distilled Water Actually Cleanses the Body of Toxins

Because distilled water is so clean I have heard it described as a “hungry water”.  That means it will readily attach to heavy metals, other toxic materials AND flush them from your system.

That being said it will also grab stuff right out of the air.  Which brings us to the #2 Myth about distilled water and that is:

“It is acidic”

And again that is only true for water that has been allowed to sit long enough to grab carbon dioxide from the air and that is what will put it more on the acid side of the acid/alkaline scale.  HOWEVER….

freshly made or newly distilled water is pH Neutral.

Another way to say it is distilled water in a vacuum is at pH 7, perfectly neutral.  Once it grabs carbon dioxide from the air it forms carbolic acid.  This is the same stuff that is put into or is natural in many famous spring waters, but it tends to make for a mild acidity.

“For reasons I don’t understand, any number of myths – some quite extreme – have grown up over the years about distilled water. A quick Internet search today will take you to sites that put forth such views as “distilled water leads to early death.” Nonsense! One claim holds that distillation removes all of water’s beneficial minerals. While it’s true that distillation removes minerals as well as various contaminants from water, we don’t know that the human body can readily absorb minerals from water. We get our minerals from food, not water. By one manufacturer’s estimate, you would have to drink 676 eight-ounce glasses of tap water to reach the RDA for calcium alone!Your question as to whether distilled water leaches minerals out of the body reflects another persistent myth. While pure water helps to remove minerals from the body that cells have eliminated or not used, it does not “leach” out minerals that have become part of your body’s cell structure. As far as acidity goes, distilled water is very close to a neutral pH and has no effect on the body’s acid/base balance whatsoever.” 

Dr.  Andrew Weil 

The Acid/Alkaline Controversy

I don’t want to get into the acid/alkaline controversy much since I was a really a big fan of alkaline water for a very long time.  However, from personal experience, I don’t think it was that good for me and my family.  Yet that is a subjective thing so these days after having had such good results from distilled water, I sit on the fence and have settled for moderation.  If the water is neutral in pH and pure I’m happy.  I no longer have an interest in healing my body with pH levels in water because I believe that it is not the pH of the food or water we eat that is as important as the pH of the body.  But that’s another subject altogether.  I might need a whole new website for that, and recently my focus has been on getting the most consistently clean water I can get and that is distilled made in my own distiller.

Here’s why:

There are more toxins in the water coming from the tap than we assume.  AND I believe (you will have to do your own research here) there are many more toxins in the water than we are being told about.

At this point, I have worked for the government and I have worked for private companies.  I have worked for individuals and do you know what I discovered?  That nothing and no one is perfect and that people will do the most amazing things to keep their jobs or their product looking perfect.

There is Something in the Air

For me, the evidence is clear enough though.  There are heavy metals in the air and if they are in the air, they are in the water.  For more on how that is happening, you can read my article on it here.  But if you don’t feel comfortable going that far off the beaten track research-wise, then consider what is openly known.  What is openly known is that radioactive particles from Fukushima as well as THOUSANDS of nuclear test over the past few decades are floating around as dust all the time.  Anytime and anywhere you may be in the world.  At this point, EVERYONE in the world has some amount of radioactive material in their bodies.  And that is true for other toxins like pesticides and insecticides.

The boiler tank of my water distiller just after being cleaned
Is distilled water good for you?
I should have cleaned the boiler tank sooner but I read something about it being ok to leave it for longer than a month. This was what three of us and a dog DID NOT drink in 3 months. It looks pretty much the same after one month only not as thick.

It’s for this reason that I believe we are already in a survival situation when it comes to the air and water at the very least and have gone far off track for the theme of this website.  A water distiller will not fit in a bug out bag but it is a tool that can be used as the disaster unfolds.  Just think about all the kids in Detroit who drank lead poisoned water.  When it comes to water, it’s about survival NOW not just when the earthquake or hurricane comes….it’s here now…the emergency is now, even if you live in a relatively quiet place where nothing seems to happen.

The key is not to keep all the poisons out of our bodies.  The key at this point is to at least try to reduce the amount of poison we consume every day.  We are consuming it as we breathe, and there is no point in drinking it too if I can help it.  That’s my perspective.  I know there are the fatalists out there who say “Oh well we’re all going to die someday anyway might as well enjoy life and not worry about it”  I would agree but getting a distiller isn’t necessarily worrying about it.  In fact, drinking distilled water is a pleasure.

Distilled Water Tastes Better and Goes Down Smooth

Once you try it you will notice, at least I did, that tap water will kind of ‘catch’ in your throat’ by comparison and you will have to take more sips to get as much as you would in one swallow of distilled.  Distilled is smooth and knowing it is absolutely pure helps it taste that much better too.

Water distillers are not just the most effective form of water purification, they are the simplest. And because they are simple mechanical devices, they seem to last forever. Here is a picture of the ancient distiller I bought used and cleaned up. It was cheap and in rough shape when I found it but works like a charm. I estimate this distiller is somewhere over 40 years old. (it also doesn’t hurt to put positive affirmations on your clean water tank. It gives the water good ‘vibes’ lol)

Below is a schematic of roughly what is on the inside of my machine and all distillers will have the same 3 basic components.

  1. boiler tank with a heating element
  2. Condenser (coil)
  3. Clean water tank (in mine the condenser drops the water down into a separate tank where the positive words are)

A fourth but essential component will not be in all distillers so when shopping around make sure the one you get has a pre-carbon filter or a place where you can put charcoal where the water runs through before reaching the storage or both.

Making sure your distiller is made of stainless steel will reduce the amount of leaching that happens.  Sure stainless steel might look intimidating and kind of ‘industrial’ but it’s there for a reason on distillers.  Glass storage containers are best for the same reason.  As was mentioned earlier distilled is hungry water and will attach to plastic VOC’s more readily than other types of water but that means it will also help to cleanse and flush your system of those same toxins when in your body.

For more articles in this series about distilled water and distillers for emergencies

Water: types of water purification

Emergency Water Purification Systems: An Overview for bug out bags, camping and hiking

Off Grid Survival:  Off Grid Water Distiller Reviews



10 thoughts on “Is Distilled Water Good For You?”

  1. brilliant post Gord,
    I did a mechanical engineering degree years ago and i don’t think we learnt that much about water.
    I have worked in enough water treatment plants now to know that the water coming out of the large scale water treatment facilities fluctuate A LOT and a simple process like distillation can’t any sort of major dramatic effect to the water quality.
    I know there are extremes where the chemical make up of water can have detrimental effects to concrete and probably humans, but that is from a completely different chemical process called ion exchange.

    1. Ya I’ve heard of that….when water starts eating concrete its time to stop drinking that water! From what I heard it was Flouride that eats the concrete.

  2. Gordon
    You have written a fantastic article about consumption of distilled water. It is a new point of view and sounds good. I have to research more on this subject before making a decision. We have not seen anyone drinking distilled water, in our part of the world-South Asia, I request you to share more articles on this subject to know more.
    Thanks for your article.

    1. Thank you for the kind words Prabakaran!  Follow me on FB or Google plus and I will be posting updates and throw in a couple of distilled water videos for you too:)

  3. Hello Gordon,

    I am very interested in your article. This is absolutely new to me. I might have two small questions ? Would you recommend distilled water for children too ? Which quantity is best ?

    We can buy distilled water, instead of making it everyday, but may be that one is only for ironing. I will wait for your answer before trying it.

    Thank you in advance,


    1. Hi Francoise,

      My kids did not do well with high alkaline water that (mineralized) they developed acne and sore joints and they are feeling WAY better since we started distilled …no more sore joints…Of course children are like everybody else and they benefit from distilled.  It will cleanse them and keep toxins from getting in at least from the water.  It seems like there are a lot of people who wonder if the store bought distilled is ok to drink.  And according to one guru on distilled water Andrew Norton Webber, it is fine to drink distilled.  Personally my feeling is it would be better to make your own water since distilled is ‘hungry’ is will leech the VOC’s from the plastic bottle and since it will be older it may be more acid than neutral in pH.  Making it fresh is better IMO however, a lot of people start with bottled distilled from the store.  Interesting that many people feel afraid to drink distilled water because it is labelled “for the iron’ or “for batteries”.  As long as the it says 100% pure “water” or “distilled” with no additives it will be ok.  Wal Mart has it cheap in the pharmacy section as people use it for humidifiers.  In addition to the Andrew Norton Webber link above describing how to use a distiller, here is another video of him testing water for purity.  If you are looking for some inspiration, and this is for everyone who has commented, one of my favorites is Annette Larkins.  She is over 70 YEARS OLD!  If you can believe it.  Of course she has other strict dietary things going on, but she drinks only distilled.  In the video they call it rainwater but that is not true.  It is the same process but rainwater today is not going to be as pure as it once was.  Distilling is the only way of replicating rain water how it used to be before pollution.  Thanks for commenting and let me know if you have any issues or other questions!

  4. I read a book many years ago by a famous author on the topic of distilled water and it was very interesting as he showed the benefits on using distilled water along with going on a fast and how it causes so many people to be healed of many illnesses that doctors’ had given up on. Your post is well detailed and has a lot if good information.

    1. Yes there are lots of stories about miraculous healing with distilled water.  From what I have heard at about a gallon a day, people have grey hair turning back and even lost hair coming back!…increased vitality, wrinkles going away, and of course the illnesses!  So much to say about that and maybe I should write an article about that.  But so much of the battle is to try to convince people its NOT BAD for you.  Fighting a myth is an amazing challenge.  Thanks for commenting and look forward to hearing from you again, Norman!

  5. Hello there! I found your article realy interesting and informative. Right now my family and I drink spring water. And I read that distilled water are good water to clean out toxins in my body. I want to drink it but how does distilled water compare to alkaline water and spring water? I really appreciate your response.

    1. Hi John, Distilled is not as Alkaline of course and Spring water may be more alkaline but not always.  It’s best to try to test it with a Ph meter even if it is labelled high pH if that is your concern.  The thing that will make Spring water more alkaline are the minerals in it, in particular Calcium.  I used to try to get spring water with high calcium for that reason.  But that was before I found out that the calcium in water inorganic and it is the organic calcium that our bodies need.  It really comes down to how important you think alkaline water is for you.  As mentioned I now feel that it is not the pH of the water or food we consume that is important, it is the pH of our bodies and how our bodies process whatever it is we consume.  For example, when we drink alkaline water it goes right to the stomach acid and goes immediately anyway.  Some feel this might even interfere with digestion if the water is too alkaline.  But to measure the water pH and have a high pH and then measure say the blood, saliva or urine only to find it is acid is a possible and very common situation.  In that case I think there is some kind of nutritional deficiency that the water is not making up for even though it is alkaline.  Thanks for commenting.  That was a great question.  Keep an eye out for my pH meter testing article I have lined up.

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