Skip to Content

Preserving the Quality: How Long Does Distilled Water Last?

There are many advantages of distilled water, which shows, why should we be concerned about the distilled water?

Distilled water is commonly used in steam irons, aquariums, watering plants, in the cooling systems of cars, laboratory experiments, medical devices.

It has been said that distilled water improves your health (source). Maybe distilled water doesn’t taste like normal bottled water.

Does distilled water go bad? The problem with distilled water is that it leaches the minerals of the container in which it is kept.

You should be concerned about the container in which you are storing the distilled water. There are many products available in the market as sports drinks or refreshments.

According to LiveStrong, people take distilled water as sports drinks because it doesn’t contain sodium and helps in preventing fluid retention.

It is also used as a sports drink because it reduces weight also. There are many uses of distilled water as a sports drink. 

How to Store Distilled Water Properly?

We can store distilled water in the same way we store the plain water. You can distill the water at home as well with the help of steam distiller.

The storage of the distilled water depends on how much time you want to store the distilled water.

Here are a few tips which should be followed for storing the distilled water:

Keep the container in which you have stored the distilled water in a cool place away from the sunlight.

If you open the container, do not forget to close the lid or cap of the container again.

If you are not storing the distilled water for drinking then, keep it away from the substance or liquids like gasoline, household cleaners, paint thinners, cleaning chemicals which are dry, etc.

Moreover, if you want to store the distilled water for a longer time, then you should prefer those containers which have a high-density of the polythene material.

In case you distill the water at home for drinking, the best container for this purpose will be a glass container.

If you want to store the distilled water for an emergency, then you can store it in any container.

The distilled water remains safe if you close the container after opening it.

The distilled water remains best by date after storing, but for your precautions, you should change the water monthly.

You should do so especially when you have stored the distilled water in a plastic container.

Does Distilled Water Go Bad? How Long Does Distilled Water Last?

drinking-distilled-water

If we talk about the plain or normal water, this water doesn’t get worse if we kept it packed in any container or bottle. The environment of the water affects its quality.

Distilled water has to be passed from a purification process which is known as distillation. This process gives the water, which is totally free of unwanted minerals and impurities as an end product.

Because of such properties, the acidity level of the distilled water increases because it absorbs more carbon dioxide, which in turn reduces the shelf life of the water.

What about the shelf life of the distilled water?

The activity of continuing hitting the air on the distilled water results in an increased conductivity of the water.

Because of this contamination occurs in the distilled water. The contamination occurred will be minimum as compared to the plain or normal water.

This whole activity increases the shelf life of the distilled water or we can say that it increases the time duration within which we can store the distilled water safely.

Distilled water is also used in many home appliances.

For example, in a coffee maker, it is recommended to use distilled water. This is so because the distilled water does not leave any residue in the appliance which increases the efficiency and life of an appliance.

It has been said that do not use distilled water which is older than 2 weeks. If you use this distilled water instead of a fresh one, then old distilled water will absorb carbon dioxide from the air, which results in the lower PH of the carbonic acid which in turn will damage all the parts of the appliance. 

If we keep the container of the distilled water unopened, then we can use that water for many years.

On the other hand, if we talk about opened distilled water, if you are using this water for drinking, then this water would be best by date up to 2-3 weeks after storing.

If you are using it for the purpose like washing vehicles etc. Then this would be best by the date after 10-12 months of storing.

How to Tell If Distilled Water Is Bad? Distilled Water Shelf Life!

According to MedicalNewsToday, these are some things which should be checked before drinking the distilled water. These are listed below:

  1. We should check the quality of the tap from which we are taking the distilled water.
  2. The taste of the water.
  3. We should check the minerals and vitamins.
  4. We should check the cost of the distilled water.
  5. We should check the expiration date.

These are some of the causes because of which the distilled water becomes bad:

  • The distilled water leaches the minerals from the metal of the container in which it is stored.
  • If it is kept open, then it will absorb carbon dioxide and becomes contaminated.
  • It has very few or no minerals in it.
  • It has a bad taste because the air, which is present in the water leaves it during the boiling process.
  • The water has exceeded the expiration date.

Here are some signs which show that distilled water is bad:

  • Distilled water contains chlorine which is very bad for health.
  • Distilled water is acidic as it absorbs carbon dioxide.
  • There are no dissolved minerals in the distilled water. That’s why it absorbs toxic substances.
does-distilled-water-go-bad

Does Distilled Water Go Bad? How Long Does Distilled Water Last?

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Shelf Life
Servings 1 Serving

Ingredients
  

  • Distilled water
  • Air-tight containers
  • Labels and markers

Instructions
 

  • Read the guide thoroughly to learn how long it lasts.
  • Check the u0022Best-by-dateu0022 to know when it expires.
  • Make sure to store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place (pantry or fridge).
Did you make this recipe?Mention @EatDelights or tag #eatdelights!

About The Author

Sharing is caring!

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)
Recipe Rating