homemade distilled water not worth it?

[mtp]

Have you tried tap water?
I've used distilled water as a professional for years until the day the commission that grants the organic label requested that I stop buying and throwing away the plastic bottles.
I'm now using tap water like most professionals I know and have not had any issue for 3 years and tons of soap.
We have hard water but it's not a problem.
However I think that the formulation should be well balanced and I do not guarantee that you will not experience problems (DOS) with oils that have a INS below 100.

 

[StarChild]

Have you tried tap water?
I've used distilled water as a professional for years until the day the commission that grants the organic label requested that I stop buying and throwing away the plastic bottles.
I'm now using tap water like most professionals I know and have not had any issue for 3 years and tons of soap.
We have hard water but it's not a problem.
However I think that the formulation should be well balanced and I do not guarantee that you will not experience problems (DOS) with oils that have a INS below 100.

Do you have issues with scum?

 

[mtp]

You mean lather?
There's less lather the day I unmold and cut the soaps but the difference disappears with time.

 

[StarChild]

You mean lather?
There's less lather the day I unmold and cut the soaps but the difference disappears with time.

I read that the metals in water will cause your soap to produce scum residue which I did experience myself, but I live in a hard water area.

 

[TheGecko]

Here is how I got 6 gals of distilled water delivered to my door when there was none to be had. I put the word out among friends and family to be on the lookout for it, that I would trade two bars of soap per gallon.

We've got a bit of a bartering system going on in our community...my last trade was 4TP, 2 soap, 4 lotion bars for 5 lbs brown rice and 1/2 jar of yeast.

 

[StarChild]

Here is how I got 6 gals of distilled water delivered to my door when there was none to be had. I put the word out among friends and family to be on the lookout for it, that I would trade two bars of soap per gallon.

We've got a bit of a bartering system going on in our community...my last trade was 4TP, 2 soap, 4 lotion bars for 5 lbs brown rice and 1/2 jar of yeast.

This is such a lovely way to get your friends to help you out. I just got 5 litres for £2.29 from Euro Car Parts.

 

[IrishLass]

Distilled water in gallon quantities has been back on the shelves here in my area for over a week now. I can find it at my local neighborhood Fry's/Kroger grocery store and also at our neighborhood Walmart. At both places it is in stock in their normal, pre-panic quantities, and both stores even took the 'limit' signs down in that section, so you can buy as many as you want just like you could pre-panic. Yay!

Although some here use distilled water for drinking, several others use it as the water of choice for filling steam irons, car radiators, making tinctures and other concoctions of the like, not to mention soaping, of course. It's also recommended to use distilled water when diluting StarSan (it lasts/stays active for longer periods of storage).

Hopefully, it will be the same for the rest of you soon in your areas.


IrishLass

 

[RacerSpuffy]

...
Although some here use distilled water for drinking, several others use it as the water of choice for filling steam irons, car radiators, making tinctures and other concoctions of the like, not to mention soaping, of course. It's also recommended to use distilled water when diluting StarSan (it lasts/stays active for longer periods of storage).
...
IrishLass

I use it in my Keurig. I've had it for 8 years and I don't believe I've ever ran anything through it that wasn't distilled water. Absolutely no issues with it, still works the same as the day I unboxed it.

For everyone else that has hard water and does or does not use it in soap? Do you have any idea what the TDS of the water is? In previous jobs I've done water quality analysis and always wanted a pH/TDS probe but the ones I used are too expensive for the amount I'd use them. But I found some inexpensive ones (that also look pretty 'cheap') on amazon and ordered. More of a toy than anything, but since I have one I'm curious if anyone else does or happens to know the TDS of their water and if they use it in soaping. Mine from the tap is 171ppm.

 

[k'Spec]

Hi,
I'm new to soapmaking, I wouldn't mind ideas from you professionals

 

[Microchick]

I'm surprised that distilled water seems to be consumed so readily in the US. In NZ it's not recommended for drinking, as it lacks the essential nutrients found in spring or mineral water. In fact, only one of the supermarket chains here actually sells it in the water aisle - next to all the various barons of 'natural' waters.
Must be a bummer for those in the US actually wanting to buy it for soap!

More importantly, for those of us who use CPAP's!

 

[KiwiMoose]

More importantly, for those of us who use CPAP's!

What's that?
ETA - Googled it

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Someone may have mentioned this above, but if not... This would be the time to try rainwater if you've ever thought about giving it a go. The air pollution is probably as low as it's been in decades and possibly much longer for urban areas.

 

[mishmish]

Up until now I'd always bought my distilled water wherever I could get it cheaply. With the covid-19 panic buying, the local pharmacy is out of stock and the grocery store limits the amount you can buy. So I ordered from Amazon, and just finished setting up, a 4 liter stainless steel water distiller. Running it now because you have to throw away the first 4 or 5 liters it makes. It cost around $200, but I hope it will last for years. The instructions were like trying to decipher hieroglyphics but I got there in the end.

 

[dippy]

I hope it works well mishmish. I didn't have any trouble finding distilled water here in the UK (I got the deionised car stuff in my local supermarket - thanks KiwiMoose I saw you post where it could be found!) but it is really strange some of the things that have been restricted supply.

Things like bread flour and kitchen roll that couldn't be found for weeks are back in stock now.

In terms of the water I am just a beginner so will be sticking with Tesco car water for a while but if I carry this hobby on long term I would be interested in processing my own water as I hate plastic waste.

 

[LilianNoir]

I've been looking into a home water distillation unit for a while now, since I need distilled water for my fish tanks as well as soap.

I live in Orlando and our water is SUPER hard. pH is 7.8 -8.0 out the tap. A brita pitcher helps a little but even filtered water leaves deposits on our electric kettle for example.

I use distilled water to top off evaporation in my fish tanks, because if I add more tap water I'm increasing the hardness(total dissolved solids) and pH even more.

Unfortunately, I can't find any reliable reviews of home water distillation units.Only thing I can find is on Amazon with so-so reviews.

Before covid19, I'd use the distillation machines outside my grocery store but I'm super high risk so going out is pretty scary.

Has anyone else used a home machine? I saw one recommendation but it only has one review on amazon.

 

[Adobehead]

Literally, 5 minutes ago I finished making a gallon and I made one yesterday, too and was thinking about how I really like my machine. It must be 5 years old by now, but seems brand new. I never have to go looking for distilled water, never have to store it in plastic. Barely ever clean it. I live on top of an aquifer and have thermal well water, it just doesn't leave much behind. I only use distilled for soap and the iron, so I don't have to make it very often. I have two glass bottles for storage. Here is a fast and dirty photo, it is a Mega Home. Yes, it cost a couplahunnertbucks. To me it is worth it.

 

[Susie]

My husband uses a CPAP, so we keep the stuff on hand. I have now learned to stockpile that also since this mess began. Everyone who just had trouble finding it needs to prepare for the second wave of Co-vid19 when all the plants are going to be quarantined, so buy more now.

 

[LilianNoir]

Literally, 5 minutes ago I finished making a gallon and I made one yesterday, too and was thinking about how I really like my machine. It must be 5 years old by now, but seems brand new. I never have to go looking for distilled water, never have to store it in plastic. Barely ever clean it. I live on top of an aquifer and have thermal well water, it just doesn't leave much behind. I only use distilled for soap and the iron, so I don't have to make it very often. I have two glass bottles for storage. Here is a fast and dirty photo, it is a Mega Home. Yes, it cost a couplahunnertbucks. To me it is worth it.View attachment 46321

Ah! Thanks for this. My husband and I were looking at machines, and saw this on Amazon, but we couldn't find info on the company or other reviews outside of Amazon. I've learned to be cautious of reviews on Amazon because a lot of companies pay people to give high reviews. Without an external or third party review I was cautious.
We may be giving this a try!

 

[mishmish]

I've made the first few liters that you're supposed to throw away, and another couple of gallons of good water for the next time I make soap. I wondered if it would be possible to make distilled flower waters by putting the botanicals into a cotton bag inside the boiler part of the machine. Has anyone ever tried it?

 

[LilianNoir]

I've made the first few liters that you're supposed to throw away, and another couple of gallons of good water for the next time I make soap. I wondered if it would be possible to make distilled flower waters by putting the botanicals into a cotton bag inside the boiler part of the machine. Has anyone ever tried it?

Although I don't have one yet, I wouldn't recommend it unless that's the only thing you plan on doing with it. Why are you looking to do this?. You can steam distill essential oils from some botanicals, but it's a bit more complicated process requiring separation at the end stage. If you're looking to make hydrosols, you'll need to separate the hydrosol from the rest of the water, and I'm not sure how you would do that in the tabletop unit. Since the tabletop units aren't made for that, I'm not sure if the oil would recollect and sit on top of the water, or if it would condense and collect within the machine. Not all botanicals will respond to steam distillation.
Curious to see if anyone else has used a tabletop for this, but it doesn't seem like it would work well to me.