Is Distilled Water the Same as Purified Water? (Key Differences)

If you've ever been overwhelmed by all of the different types of bottled water in the water aisle at the grocery store (identified as "distilled", "purified", or "filtered"), you're not alone. The terminology for these various types of water often feels as though it's intentionally ambiguous. 

So what's the difference between distilled water and purified water? 

On the surface, both types of water appear to be similar; they have both been treated to eliminate contaminants, and both are promoted and marketed to consumers as "cleaner" products than tap water. However, after you examine both types of water in greater detail (and consider what type of water is most suitable for both your home and your health), you'll discover that they are very different. 

Let's make the distinction easy to understand.

What Is Distilled Water?

Distilled water is produced by the process of distillation, which involves the following steps: 

1) Water is boiled to turn it into steam.

2) The steam is then captured (and collected);

3) The steam is condensed back into a liquid form.

Because most contaminants do not vaporize during this process, they remain in the boiling vessel with the water converted to steam.

What Distillation Removes:

• Heavy metals such as lead, mercury & arsenic

• Salts and minerals like calcium, magnesium, & sodium

• Pathogenic microorganisms like bacteria and viruses

• Pesticides and other chemicals

• Sediment and particulates (small particles of organic or inorganic matter)

The distillation process yields very pure H₂O, or empirically clean water. However, distillation can also remove beneficial minerals; thus, distilled water tends to taste bland or flat because it has no flavor. Therefore, although distilled water may be chemically pure, it is nutritionally deficient.

Distilled water is commonly used for:

• Medical and laboratory applications

• Industrial processes

• Steam irons and humidifiers

Distilled water is intended for technical applications rather than day-to-day consumption.

What Is Purified Water?

Purified Water is a broader category of water than Distilled Water. Unlike Distilled Water, Purified Water refers to water that has been treated to remove harmful contaminants to an acceptable level for human consumption. The primary distinction between Purified and Distilled Water is found in the manner/technique by which they are treated.

Methods of Purification:

• Activated carbon filtration

• Gravity-feed filtration

• Ultraviolet (UV) light treatment

• Microfiltration

Purification of beverage-quality water by any of the above methods will result in Beneficial Minerals remaining after treatment, though many Harmful Contaminants will have been reduced or eliminated.

So again, the question remains, what's the difference between distilled water and purified water? Ultimately, the answer lies in the method and the mineral content.

Distilled vs Purified Water: The Core Differences

Let’s clarify the distilled vs purified water comparison in practical terms.

When evaluating purified water vs distilled water, you should always consider the following: they are both types of purified water; however, only distilled water is classified as such. To understand this difference, you must also realize that they differ from one another, as well.

What's the Difference Between Distilled Water and Purified Water for Drinking?

The answer becomes relatively clear when we discuss our own water consumption.

Distilled water:

• Has no mineral content

• Generally does not taste good

• Has the ability to deplete your body of essential minerals when consumed exclusively

Purified water (especially good quality filter water):

• Removes harmful contaminants while retaining beneficial trace elements (i.e., minerals)

• Generally tastes better than distilled

• More easily used in the home

So when customers ask us what's the difference between distilled water and purified water, we tell them this... distilled removes what is there, whilst purified removes what you do not want, while keeping what you do want.

Minerals such as calcium and magnesium play a crucial role in all of our bodies; therefore, while not necessarily the greatest source of mineral consumption, if we eliminate our body's ability to retain any of those minerals, it does absolutely nothing for our hydration levels if that is all you are drinking.

The Science Behind Distilled vs Purified Water

 Let us look at them more closely.

Distillation Strengths:

• Highly effective for eliminating metals

• Destroys/kills pathogens

• Provides consistent purity levels

Distillation Limitations:

• Requires substantial energy to distill

• Takes a long period to distill (could take hours), therefore not practical for daily needs.

• Depletes water of beneficial minerals

• May miss out on certain VOCs due to their boiling point; therefore, if you are consuming non-purified water (i.e., potentially harmful VOCs).

Purification Strengths:

• Customizable Filtration Ability

• Retain Healthy Minerals (Depending On System)

• More Effective for Home Use

• Better Taste Profile

When deciding between distilled vs purified water, it’s not a matter of which one is “cleaner,” but rather which works best for the situations in which you will be using it.

Laboratories? Distilled would be the most appropriate.

Kitchen Countertops? Purified would be the best answer for home use.

Why Phoenix Gravity Water Filters Focus on Purification

The goal of Phoenix Gravity Water Filters is to make it easy for people to get clean drinking water without any hassle.

Gravity water filtration systems are capable of:

• Decreasing the amount of lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals in your water

• Filtering out chlorine and other chemicals from your water

• Making your water taste better and retaining essential minerals that can be found in your drinking water

Our systems need no electrical power, require no plumbing, and require no complex setup. They provide dependable, high-quality filtered water for home use, off-grid living, and emergencies.

When potential customers ask, what's the difference between distilled water and purified water, we explain to them that the method used to achieve effective water purification does not require the boiling of water or the creation of laboratory-grade H₂O.

Both methods produce clean and safe drinking water; therefore, the difference between distilled and purified water is determinative on practicality.

Cost and Convenience Comparison

Distilled water production:

• Utilizes a tremendous amount of energy

• Takes a considerable amount of time to produce

• A customer must generally purchase water in plastic containers

• Is an ongoing cost for the customer

Purified water systems:

• Has a lower long-term cost

• Provides a means for recycling (reducing) plastic

• Provides the end user with a constant supply of water daily

• Has less negative impact on the environment

In the debate of purified water vs distilled water, the major difference remains practicality. Distillation may produce the highest technical purity, whereas purified water is much more practical in everyday life.

Is Distilled Water Safe to Drink?

Short-term consumption of distilled water is perfectly safe, but it is not ideal for long-term exclusive use because of the following reasons:

• No minerals.

• It could alter your taste preferences.

• It does not provide any nutritional support.

This brings us back to what's the difference between distilled water and purified water in daily living; one was created for precision usage, whereas the other is intended to provide optimal healthful hydration.

Which Should You Choose?

If you want to:

• Perform laboratory work of medical grade → Distilled water (distilled).

• Ensure appliances are safe → Distilled water (distilled).

• Drink daily → Purified water (high-quality).

• Stockpile for emergencies → Use a gravity purifying system.

When comparing distilled vs purified water, the distinction will no longer be label-dependent, but rather functionally dependent.

Final Thoughts

The difference between distilled water and purified water is that distilled water is created by boiling and then condensing the water, which removes virtually all of the content from the source, including minerals. Depending on the method used, purified water removes contaminants that are harmful but does keep some beneficial elements.

When considering distilled vs purified water, the ultimate answer to the question has to do with your intended use of either product. For everyday use, cooking, and family health, we think that a high-quality purified water product provides a more balanced solution.