How to make distilled water for free

[JJJ]

Actually, that would be false. Distilled water contains no minerals and, as far as I know, Gaia cannot produce water that has no minerals. She's fickle that way. Minerals are her trademark.

I may have been too subtle, or maybe it was too early in the morning. I was thinking of rain water. Gaia "delivers it right to your house," get it? And yes, I know rain water is not 100% pure, but neither is the distilled water you get in the store.

My mother was from the US midwest and she told me how they saved rain water from the gutter downspouts in barrels for washing their hair. The only other water was well water, which had such high mineral content that you couldn't even get soap to lather. On the other hand, I use city tap water in my humidifier, which is snow melt from one of the nearby volcanoes. In the shower it takes me forever to rinse soap off because the water here has practically no minerals. But if I lived in an area with high mineral content I'd just buy a bunch of the biggest funnels I could find, stick them into jugs, and set them out where they'd get rained on.

[TorontoCPAPguy]

I used non-distilled water in my humidifier for a week by accident and it got fuzzy on the bottom; I swear things were starting to grow. It started to develop an odor after a while. I had to clean it well and use only distilled water. No fuzzies on the bottom to trap any bacteria or germs that might be airborne. Distilled water is cheap, about $1 for a huge container of it - so I don't bother to make it at home (the cost would be 5X that). And I pour it into a smaller container that is easy to use for filling the tank. DO NOT use anything but distilled water in your tank guys. Please. You are asking for grief. Trust me on this one.

You can use tap water to wash your gear, but only distilled water in the tank and only from a reputable supplier (Walmart is ok). The dead giveaway that you are using other than distilled water is either an odor (any odor) in the tank OR a fuzzy and not a smooth feeling when you feel the bottom of the water container. Clean that fuzzy away immediately.

Again, I say, better safe than sorry. Ask me how I know... (never mind).

Just ordered a five year supply of Control III disinfectant online on eBay for $118. I am sure it is available for less but this was a supplier I have dealt with before. One ounce of Control III per GALLON of water disinfects. I usually use a couple of ounces and put it in the soak water in the sink or in a sprayer and spray the surfaces generously before soaking. Keep it clean. You only have one set of lungs and one life.

[PaulaO2]

What kind of water did you use that it was getting 'fuzzy'? It must have already been contaminated.

I have spring water, not municipal water. I never get fuzz or mold in the humidifier tank. I get a white mineral deposit that, if I am in the mood, I clear up with a vinegar solution soak.

The vast majority of bacteria is too small to travel with the water up through the hose and into your sinuses. There's a bigger risk of mold growing in the hose and becoming airborne. And that stuff will grow no matter what kind of water you use.

This topic is a subject of long debate. We basically all agree to disagree and use whatever water we are comfortable with.

[Sleepster]

I used non-distilled water in my humidifier for a week by accident and it got fuzzy on the bottom; I swear things were starting to grow. It started to develop an odor after a while. I had to clean it well and use only distilled water.

You must have hard water. You may be noticing problems in the kitchen with your tea kettles and other cookware and problems getting dishes clean. And problems in the bathroom and laundry, too.

DO NOT use anything but distilled water in your tank guys. Please. You are asking for grief. Trust me on this one.

Not everyone has hard water, but to those who do, this is good advice. An alternate solution for you would be to install a water softener and a ro filter.

[Sleepster]

I have spring water, not municipal water. I never get fuzz or mold in the humidifier tank. I get a white mineral deposit that, if I am in the mood, I clear up with a vinegar solution soak.

Hard water can contain calcium, magnesium, and even iron. And probable some other nasty stuff, too. These different ions leave different color deposits on tea kettles and other cookware, and in the bottom of your humidifier tank, too. And they can stink, too.

[PaulaO2]

Yes, friends of mine had hard water and it stunk so bad they couldn't drink it from the tap. They had to install filters. Even then, it stained everything.

[memnoch1974]

My method (just like a previous one mentioned here) is to buy distilled water at wal-mart. Basically out of convenience. City/well water hardness really differs from region to region. Some treatment plants chlorinate the water heavily as part of their treatment process as well. Personally, I can taste the minerals/chlorine levels in tap water when I travel from place to place. So it's more of a matter of a personal choice; however, to eliminate any other variables in hardness or other contaminants, I'd go with distilled water (purchased or home-made).

But to toronto's point, proper cleaning and best practices will go along way to minimize bacterial/fungal growth. These organisms need moisture and food to grow...and a humidifier is a perfect harborage point. If you're getting white fussies, that's more than likely Erotium spp mold or it could also be Aspergillius mold or early stages of Penicillium. Fussies are indicative of a lack of effective cleaning; plus, you'll see Aspergillius and Erotium types grow in the southern states. Penicillium mold is common throughout. With the exception of Penicillium, Erotium and Aspergillius can cause serious medical issues and must be treated with antifungals. Backterial infections, like staphylococcus, are another concern with similar consequences as well. Anyway, I recommend weekly cleaning/disinfecting of the water tank, hoses and masks. Soaking and brushing in disinfectant is ideal as toronto pointed out. His disinfectant of choice is a four chain quaterinary ammonium which is a broad spectrum sanitizer - kills bacteria, yeasts, molds and viruses. I'd recommend that.

[mikael26288]

We use distilled water.

Rain water might of been safe to use decades ago but today with all the Chemtrail activity, we would never use rain water.

[archangle]

My mother was from the US midwest and she told me how they saved rain water from the gutter downspouts in barrels for washing their hair.

Yes, that's distilled water. Mixed with bird and animal droppings, chemicals from the shingles, pollen and tree litter that collects on the roof, dust, mold that grows on the roof, etc.

[Sleepster]

When I was a kid we lived in the country and had a well. My sister would capture rain water for washing her hair. (Some people who regularly capture rain water will let the first of the rain wash off the roof before they start collecting it for drinking, etc.)

Every once in a while the tap water would start to stink, so my mother would order one of my older brothers to go down to the well and remove some dead animal!

This was back in the day when if you tried to sell bottled water people would laugh at you. Sort of like if you tried to sell bottled air nowadays. Hmmm ... Does that mean that fifty years from now people will be buying bottled air and debating the pros and cons of making your own?