# No distilled water in steam iron

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-distilled-water-in-steam-iron/290965>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 20, 2005, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-distilled-water-in-steam-iron/290965 "2005-02-20T00:27:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-distilled-water-in-steam-iron/290965/21 "2005-02-20T18:58:52Z")

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[This](http://www.usace.army.mil/publications/armytm/tm5-813-8/c-9.pdf) document says,

> [@](#):
>
> Pure water is a relatively reactive chemical. When air is dissolved in extremely pure water, the resulting solution is extremely corrosive.

According to [this](http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/matter/faq/is-distilled-water-a-solution.shtml) page, distilled water is a solution, and there’s no such thing as pure water. 😕

[This](http://www.finishing.com/115/09.shtml) page says,

> [@](#):
>
> Ultrapure water has a very low conductivity and is a very aggressive solvent which will attack stainless steels and even glass. Really pure water is actually difficult to work with and store–it readily absorbs gasses and requires Teflon coated containers under inert gases.

[This](http://vea.qc.ca/vea/articles/heatingprob.htm) page says,

> [@](#):
>
> Midly hard tap water is safer for your car than distilled water or very hard water. The worst water you can use is distilled water. Distilled or deionized water is very aggressive. Water “wants” to contain minerals and distilled water will attack cast iron and aluminum far more aggressively than mildly hard tap water.

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**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-distilled-water-in-steam-iron/290965/22 "2005-02-20T19:06:26Z")

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> [@Crafter\_Man](#):
>
> [This](http://www.usace.army.mil/publications/armytm/tm5-813-8/c-9.pdf) document says,
> 
> According to [this](http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/matter/faq/is-distilled-water-a-solution.shtml) page, distilled water is a solution, and there’s no such thing as pure water. 😕
> 
> [This](http://www.finishing.com/115/09.shtml) page says,
> 
> [This](http://vea.qc.ca/vea/articles/heatingprob.htm) page says,

Um…makes me think that maybe I shouldn’t be drinking distilled water, or using it in my coffee maker…

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**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-distilled-water-in-steam-iron/290965/23 "2005-02-20T19:57:28Z")

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I think the superheating explanation may have something to do with it…but it’s got nothing to do with the temperature of the steam.

**yabob** was right on track with mentioning that lack of nucleations sites to start boiling. So the distilled water in the iron will go well past 212 F without boiling…superheated water. The problem with superheated water is that when disturbed (i.e. picking up the iron) it will flash boil. Just like the whole thing about exploding microwaved water (_see_ Mythbusters). They don’t want people picking up their irons and getting scalded by rapid flash boiling.

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