Water - Distilled? Purified? Tap?

bottled water

Often people ask when I'm making homemade products, what kind of water do you use and why?  Now, I'll go on to explain the differences between these two, however, please note that my thoughts on waters may be quite different if I'm comparing various other waters as compared to these for "drinking".  Distilled water is generally my water of choice when I'm making cleaners and lotions. 


Distilled Water: 
This is water which has been boiled and then the vapors/steam is collected.  As the steam is forming, some of the heavier molecules (possible contaminants) do not rise and collect with the pure water.  These heavier  molecules can also contain scant minerals that we might normally get in our foods.  This removal of impurities and lack of "additives like iron and fluoride make it a good choice for cleaning.  Additionally, it is a good water to choose for filling up your iron when you take to doing that chore because it will leave no residue on the clothing AND is a good choice when you are concerned about mineral build-up in your small electronics.  It does not taste great, however, so I don't recommend it for your drinking water. 


Purified Water:

EPA Flyer-Water Health

In general, purified water is safe for drinking and has gone through a process of removing some unwanted contaminants similar to distilled water.  Purified water can simply be "boiled tap water".  If you are purifying water in case of a emergency, you might add a small amount of bleach to the water if you don't have time or tools to boil water (3 drops to 1 quart of water).   Other common methods of commercially purifying water could include: distillation, reverse osmosis, filtration, etc.  These all make water "drinking water".   Purified water seems to have no real "definition" in terms of how it is treated, however, it is mean to be a water free from contaminants and no additives, unless stated so on the label.  Drinking Water, however, typically does have fluoride added to it. 
Generally, the cost a of generic brand-gallon of either of these will run about the same price, though sometimes I see purified a little higher.  
Here, you can find a link to this great flyer from the EPA that defines all the different kinds of water very well: EPA FLYER- Water Health Series