A clothes steamer is a perfect device for you if you hate ironing but love the appearance and feel of crisp clothing. It can make you look sophisticated and perfectly pressed more quickly and efficiently than a typical iron, but only if you take care of it properly.
Distilled water is an essential component for the longevity of your appliance. Even though you can put regular tap water in the steamer, doing so makes cleaning it more difficult and may reduce its lifespan. Read on to find out why using distilled water in your steamer is the best option and what to do if you run out of it.
What Is Distilled Water?
It is regular water that has undergone the distillation process, which includes boiling the water and then condensing a vapor into liquid form. After removing all the impurities and contaminants, only water in its purest form remains.
Experts recommend using only distilled water in steamers to eliminate wrinkles or sanitize materials like curtains, upholstery, or clothes. That is because standard water usually contains minerals that corrode your steamer’s metal parts over time. In other words, tap water leads to corrosion which will eventually wear out and break down your appliance.
What Other Kinds of Water Can You Pour Into a Steamer?
You can find various types of water on the market, which might be confusing. Between purified, demineralized, deionized, bottled, distilled, tap, and spring water, which kind is safe enough for your appliance and garments?
As mentioned, distilled water is the purest form out there. On the other hand, purified water has only been filtered to remove contaminants. Although either type will work well in your steamer, the former is a preferable option.
As you may know, distillation is just one of a few methods used to purify water. Other kinds include deionization and reverse osmosis. They both result in purified water that has a higher level of “purity” than filtered, tap, bottled, or spring water.
What If You Run Out of Distilled Water?
Distilled water is still better for your steamer than any other. But in case you do not have it at hand, the next best choice is demineralized, purified, or deionized water.
If you don’t have access to those either, it would be best to pour bottled or spring water into your appliance, followed by tap water. Any water found outside, including rain and well water, is not recommended but can be used in emergencies.
What Will Happen If You Don’t Use Distilled Water for Your Steamer?
People commonly put bottled, filtered, and tap water into their garment steamers. Most often, it is tap because it is always available and free. Although that does sound appealing, each of these three options will harm your appliance over time, leading to issues like carbon, lime scale, and white silt buildup.
And to make matters worse, this could also end up staining your expensive clothing. Nevertheless, if you don’t have access to distilled water and you intend to use tap water continually, at least make sure to clean your steamer regularly. That includes a thorough cleansing of the exterior of the nozzle and the inside of the device.
Is It Possible to Make Distilled Water at Home?
It is possible to make distilled water at home — but it might not be worth the hassle. That is because you can carry out the distillation process either by using electricity or burning fuel to boil the water. Considering the current electricity and gas prices in the US, it is actually cheaper to buy bottled distilled water.
That said, if you still wish for a DIY project, you can consult this YT video. The process itself is not complicated — all you need is a stove and ice. However, it does take up a lot of time and electricity (fuel).
Another more efficient way to make distilled water at home is with water distillers like this one. These appliances don’t require lots of electricity and can make a quarter of a gallon an hour. Nonetheless, buying bottled distilled water in local supermarkets is still the cheapest option because a gallon costs about $1.
Final Thoughts
As far as clothes steamers go, distilled water is the best option. Other types of water contain minerals that can corrode its metal parts, shortening its life span and potentially ruining your clothes.
Did you know that distilled water has many other uses as well? Check out our website to discover why distilled water is a very useful thing to have in your home.
