The Water Dictionary

Distilled Water

Distilled Water

StillUniversal

Distilled water is a category, not a brand. It is produced by boiling water to steam and condensing the vapour, a process that leaves behind dissolved minerals, salts, and most contaminants. The result is water with effectively zero mineral content. It is not classified as natural mineral water, spring water, or bottled water in any legal sense: it is a purified-water product. Source feedstock varies by producer and may be tap water, groundwater, or any available supply.


Mineral composition

mg/L
Calcium0
Magnesium0
Sodium0
Sulfate0
Chloride0
Bicarbonate0
Hardness: 0 as CaCO₃Alkalinity: 0 as CaCO₃

Compositions can vary by season and source. Read our methodology.

Mineral character

By definition, distilled water has zero or near-zero dissolved minerals. Calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulphate, chloride, and bicarbonate are all at or below detectable levels. TDS is effectively 0 mg/L. This makes distilled water the zero baseline used in TWD blending calculations: it contributes no ions and dilutes any blend without shifting its mineral balance.


Use-case suitability


Used in these recipes


Where to buy

UK

Wilko, Amazon, Pharmacy

£0.50-1.00 per litre

US

Walmart, Target, CVS, Grocery stores

$0.80-1.50 per litre

FR

Pharmacie, Bricolage, Amazon

€0.50-1.00 per litre

IT

Farmacia, Amazon, Ferramenta

€0.50-1.00 per litre

Available from pharmacies, hardware stores, and online retailers in the UK, US, France, Italy, and most markets. Common uses include automotive batteries, steam irons, laboratory applications, and specialist blending. As of March 2026.