Distilled water is ideal for using in steam irons, cooling systems, CPAP machines, and other applications that call for clean, purified water.
But if you plan to drink distilled water, you’ll probably want to remineralize it first. Distilled water is free from all impurities, including healthy minerals – and this causes it to taste “flat” or plain.
I personally own a water distillation machine, which I primarily use to distill water for my wife’s CPAP machine. But distilled water is cleaner than normal tap water and lacks dangerous trace contaminants, so I wanted to drink some of the water produced by the machine, too.
These are the 3 best methods I’ve used myself to remineralize my distilled water at home.
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🚰 The Best Long-Term Method I Tried: Alkaline Water Pitcher
The best and most convenient method I tried for long-term use was to remineralize my distilled water with an alkaline water pitcher.
These work like normal water filter pitchers, but with an added step: after filtering, they send water through an additional media, which introduces healthy minerals.
The filtration process itself is essentially redundant because distilled water is already purified. But the remineralization media adds a measured concentration of minerals to the water, without you having to do anything beyond filling the pitcher.
There are several water filter pitcher manufacturers that claim their products can produce alkalized water with a high pH.
I have personal experience using the Santevia MINA alkaline pitcher, but I’m hesitant to recommend it as the best alkaline water filter pitcher based on my own experience.
My water quality tests showed that the pitcher actually reduced calcium by 71% and magnesium by 49% (I used it to filter normal tap water). Sodium also increased by 285%, leading me to believe that the filter uses a cation exchange resin, which reduced calcium and magnesium and replaced them with sodium.
I’m keen to test other alkaline water filter pitchers in the future, since I think these are the simplest solution for remineralizing distilled water: you just add water to the pitcher and leave it to filter. I’ll be looking for pitchers that don’t use ion exchange media, so there’s no possibility of reducing greater concentrations of minerals than those that are added.
The filter cartridges in alkaline water pitchers usually last 1-3 months, and they’re super affordable, so I recommend them as a low-maintenance, low-spend long-term solution.
How it Works
Alkaline water filter pitchers work using gravity filtration.
Water is added to the pitcher reservoir, and it travels through the filter cartridge – which removes contaminants, adds minerals, and increases water’s pH level – before collecting in the filtered water reservoir.
Most of the alkalizing water filter pitchers I’ve come across use mineral stones or a similar mineral-rich media to infuse minerals into water. These mimic the process of natural mineral infusion in groundwater as it seeps through layers of mineral-rich rock.
💧 My Top Recommended Portable Method: Trace Mineral Drops
I also tried remineralizing my distilled water with mineral drops, and I found this method to be the easiest and the most portable option.
I’ve used the ConcenTrace Trace Mineral Drops, which include calcium, magnesium, chloride, potassium, sodium, boron, sulfate, and lithium.
Following the included instructions, I started by adding 10 drops a day to my distilled water. You can increase this concentration over time, but even with the smallest dose, my water took on a mildly salty taste (most likely due to its increased sodium content).
My advice is to fill a large jug with water and add the mineral drops at this point, rather than adding the drops to every glass of water you drink, which takes more effort and makes it more difficult to control the dose.
How it Works
Mineral drops are sold in a highly concentrated liquid formula. They contain one or several minerals, including calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium.
When you dilute mineral drops in water, they spread, ensuring the water is evenly treated. That makes them a great solution for introducing minerals to demineralized water with a very low mineral content.
I think the biggest bonus of mineral drops is their portability. I’ve taken them on trips and found them super convenient due to their small size – they come in a compact bottle that can be easily slotted in a pocket or a backpack compartment.
🧂 My Preferred Method: Pink Himalayan Salt
I wanted to test some methods of remineralizing distilled water that didn’t involve using manufactured filters or mineral drops, and pink Himalayan salt ended up being the most useful solution I tried in this category.
Himalayan salt is naturally high in trace minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium, so it can be dissolved in distilled water to introduce these minerals.
I found this method super simple: I just added Himalayan salt to a glass jar until it was around a quarter of the way full, then filled the jar with water. It takes a while for the salt to fully dissolve, so I let it sit for 24 hours in my fridge.
Sole water isn’t only good for you because of the calcium carbonate and magnesium it contains. The elements found in Himalayan sea salt are also said to balance the negatively and positively charged ions in our body’s cells.
How it Works
Pink Himalayan sea salt works releases minerals into water as it dissolves.
The general advice is to leave the water for 24-48 hours to allow time for the salt to fully dissolve.
Note: Make sure to use pink Himalayan salt, which is richer in minerals and has a lower sodium concentration than other table and finishing salts.
📑 Final Word
I hope this discussion of my own experiences has helped you to decide on the best way to remineralize distilled water for your family.
It’s easy to introduce many of the healthy minerals lost during the distillation process, making your distilled water healthier, tastier, and more suitable for drinking.
But if you follow a healthy diet, do you really need to add more minerals to the mix?
Not necessarily – it depends on the foods you’re eating. This report on the contribution of drinking water to mineral nutrition noted that public drinking water generally contributes a small amount to total calcium intake, so drinking demineralized distilled water would mean missing out on ingesting low calcium concentrations: not the end of the world.
Most people choose to increase distilled water’s mineral content for its taste benefits alone. My advice is to make sure you’re getting your essential trace minerals from your daily diet, then you don’t have to be concerned about reintroducing them to your water solely for health purposes.