How to Distill Water? Purify it for Plants, Fishes or Your Iron with a Simple Homemade Device!

Water is such an essential resource for our lives, without which we cannot live even a day. Sometimes there is a need to purify it for various household purposes through distillation to separate the dissolved particles and chemicals from this vital liquid. You should distill it by evaporating and then condensing the steam back into a liquid. This process serves for providing clean water for home plants, for your fishes in aquarium, for steam ironing clothes, or even for drinking. However, when you want to drink it, you should consider that in its distilled form, it lacks essential minerals. Nevertheless, if you’re unsure about the quality of your tap water, drinking distilled one instead will be a valuable option to reduce potential health risks. Stay on this page, as we are going to show you in this topic how to distill water at home and answer some important queries in this connection.

How to Get Distilled Water at Home?

While industrial distillation methods involve complex equipment, it is possible to purify water at home using a simple setup. Here’s a step-by-step process how to distill it for your home needs:

1. Pour water in a large pot. Leave some space at its top to prevent overflow, and place the pot on a heat source.
2. Put a heat-resistant container inside the pot. Ensure that it floats on the water and is not submerged.
3. Place the lid upside down to cover the pot. The inverted lid will serve as a collector of the steam and channel the condensed water toward the container.
4. Put ice cubes over the inverted lid. Their role is to cool the vapor so that it to condense at once and flow quickly to the top of the lid.
5. Bring the water to a boil. As it boils, the steam will rise, hit the lid, condense, and drip into the inner container.

Do You Know How to Distill Water for Plants?

Distilling water for plants is particularly beneficial, as usually tap one contains minerals or chemicals that can harm delicate roots. This process is similar to distilling water at home, but there are only a few additional considerations. Pour the water that should be distilled in a separate container, ensuring that it is free from any debris. Follow the steps mentioned earlier to evaporate and condense it, using an enough large pot to cover the quantity, which your plants require. Allow the distilled water to cool before applying it to your home flowers. Water with it, as you would do with regular tap one. The absence of impurities will promote healthier growth and development in your plants.

How to Distill Water for Fishes?

Providing clean and safe water is crucial for maintaining a healthy aquarium environment for your fishes. Distilling water for fish tanks helps eliminate impurities and toxins that could harm aquatic life. Here’s how you can distill water for fish. Fill the pot with water, which is suitable for your fish tank, ensuring it is free from chlorine or other harmful chemicals. Follow the steps mentioned earlier to distill the water, collecting it in a container, whose size matches the volume needed for your aquarium. After distillation, let the water cool to room temperature before adding it to the fish tank. Monitor its parameters regularly to have a balanced and healthy aquatic conditions for your fishes.

Read also: How to choose freshwater aquascaping fish species – beginners’ guide

Is it Safe to Drink Distilled Water?

While distilled water is free from most impurities, it lacks essential minerals, which are beneficial for your body. So drinking it occasionally is generally safe, but relying on it as the sole source for an extended period of time may lead to mineral deficiencies. Therefore, in such a situation, it is advisable to consume a varied diet and obtain the needed minerals from food and other sources.

Is Rainwater Distilled?

Rainwater can be considered as water that has passed a process of natural distillation. Because it forms as a result of evaporation from oceans, lakes, and rivers, then condensing in clouds and finally falling down like a rain. Rainwater is relatively pure, as it does not contain the same contaminants that we find in tap water. However, its purity can vary depending on the atmospheric and other environment conditions, as well as on the way in which it is collected. Before using rainwater for drinking purposes, there is a need for proper filtration and treatment to ensure it is safe. Because it can pick up pollutants and contaminants from the air and from objects with which it comes into contact, such as rooftops or collection containers and pipes. Therefore, it should be purified and stored in the suitable way before consumption.