In fact, distilled water is popular in your life. You probably have heard of distilled water or even used it, right? However, have you ever tried to answer this question “Does distilled water go bad?”. Some people agree that distilled water can go bad, but others believe that distilled water will never go bad.
If you are considering which opinion is the right one, don’t break out now! This exciting article will provide you with everything about this common question. And I believe that my answer will blow your mind now. It’s time for you to find out everything! Let’s go!
Does Distilled Water Go Bad?
Do you think that distilled water does not go bad? Products like water, sugar, salt, etc., seem to have an indefinite shelf-life, so it’s not a surprise if someone would answer “no” to the question “Can sugar spoil?” or “Will distilled water go bad?”.
However, is this truly the case? Sadly, distilled water can still spoil from environmental conditions such as sunlight, temperature, or air pollution.
If you do not protect distilled water correctly, it will be attacked by contaminants, sunlight, bacteria, and green algae. These factors will directly affect your water and decrease the water’s quality. Some expressions when distilled water has gone wrong are:
- Green algae appearance
- Cloudy situation
- Strange smell appearance
- Chemical taste
This short answer just provides general information for your problem. Don’t rush! Keep on reading since fantastic detailed information is waiting for you to discover.
What Is Distilled Water?
Let’s warm up with some helpful information about the distilled water and enrich your knowledge with the advantages of distilled water as well as how it can make your life better.
Distilled water is a product of the distillation process. The water will be boiled. It takes a while for the water to boil and evaporate. After that, you will collect the water droplets that are condensed and store them in containers.
Water distillation has been a standard method for a long time. The original purpose is to discard salt in seawater for drinking. Distilled water is also used in labs, car or motorbike maintenance centers, and medical centers today.
Distilled water is spotless. By distilling water, you can remove contaminants as well as impurities in the water, such as minerals, nutrients, and dirt. These substances will be removed because they have higher melting points than water.
In addition to being extremely safe to drink distilled water, it is also advantageous in cleaning because you will no longer see a stain after cleaning with distilled water.
Go to the kitchen and try making distilled water. Watch this video:
Distilled Water And Purified Water Comparison Chart
Purified and distilled water: What is the difference? Have you ever tried to find out the differences between them? If you need detailed information, the following table can help.
Purified water and distilled water – Which is the best for our health? A detailed comparison is here. Watch this video:
How Long Does Distilled Water Last? Distilled Water Shelf Life In Different Conditions
The shelf life of unopened distilled water is more than 2 years when stored in the pantry and more than 3 years in the refrigerator.
Furthermore, the quality of distilled water is also affected by other factors such as the environmental temperature and the container’s quality. So, focus on these factors to prevent your water from going bad.
Let’s check the table below to get summarized information about the shelf life of distilled water.
Remember that the distilled water’s shelf life depends on your use purposes.
1. For Drinking Purpose
In fact, a distilled water bottle will be in the best condition for 7 days or more unless mixed with other ingredients such as lime water drinks. You should finish your water bottle within one week to ensure the water quality and protect your health.
2. For Home Appliances
If you have a distilled water bottle and use it for home appliances, an opened distilled water bottle can last for 1 to 1.5 years.
3. Home-Distilled Water
If you have distilled water at home, it will be in good condition for a week. You need to use it to enjoy its best quality at this time because strange smells will appear after that time. It’s okay for you to drink it, but you had better discard it and replace it with a new one.
Now, it’s time to talk about how to tell if distilled water has gone bad. So, keep scrolling for more.
How To Tell If Distilled Water Has Gone Bad: 5 Signs To Look Out For
Improper storage can make distilled water go bad. One day when you take distilled water for drinking or other uses. And you smell a strange odor; unfortunately, your water can be spoiled. Some fantastic tips are essential for you to determine the situation of your water.
1. Green Algae Appearance
An expression that you can see when your distilled water has gone bad is the appearance of blue patches in your water. That blue color is created when your water is attacked by green algae.
Green algae are very easy to get into your distilled water bottle and reduce water quality as well as spoil water when your water is attacked by dirt and bacteria from outside. So, you had better pay attention to your water bottle if it is opened.
The appearance of dirt, viruses, contaminants, and bacteria in your distilled water is a beneficial condition for the development of green algae. And, if water is directly in contact with sunlight, the growth of algae will be more substantial.
Remember that you hadn’t better try to keep the distilled water for drinking or cooking in your life when it has the appearance of green algae. It is not suitable for you to consume contaminated water.
2. Cloudy Situation
The appearance of water is an essential criterion that is used to evaluate the quality of water. Therefore, when you see unusual signs appearing in the water, the water can no longer keep its original state. Now, your distilled water is no longer guaranteed to be of good quality.
Cloudy situations appear when your distilled water is not preserved well. Bacteria and contaminants can attack the water, or it is exposed to direct sunlight. You can realize the situation if your water has small white clouds.
However, it would help if you remember not to use cloudy distilled water for drinking. When the water is muddy, you should get rid of it and replace it with a new one.
3. Strange Smell Appearance
One day, if you realize the strange smell appearing in your distilled water, it is terrible news. It is time for you to discard it and buy a new one. I believe that you never want to be in this dire situation. But, if you want to protect your family’s health, you had better do that.
It is a fundamental way to check the quality of distilled water or foods. For instance, when you suspect that your salmon is bad, you can look for signs indicating spoilage in salmon simply by sniffing the food. Truth to be told, that’s one of the easier ways to tell if anything has spoiled.
To determine the distilled water’s quality, you just need to smell it and compare it with the previous distilled water’s odor. If you feel a strange smell’s signal, your water should no longer be safe to consume.
4. Chemical Taste
Do you agree that it is complicated to identify the taste of water? Well, tell me your opinion! And I absolutely agree with this statement. I have tried to taste water many times to find out the exact specific taste of it. But I am a loser; the result is nothing.
Have you ever tried to taste like me? I assume that you have had, do not be confident and say, “I am a winner”. If you can taste a distinct taste in your water, you are about to buy a new one. Your water is spoiled.
The water has been attacked by bacteria and contaminants, so it does not keep its purity and quality. It is time for you to remove it.
5. Out Of Expiration Day
Another simple sign that you can check the quality of your distilled water is its expiration day. Like other products, distilled water also has its expiration for people to evaluate its quality and shelf life.
When distilled water is out of its expiration day, the water will be spoiled. You can use it for appliances, but it would not be better for you to drink it.
If you want to store your distilled water and keep it longer. Let’s come to the next part; I will give you some simple tips to protect it from going bad.
How To Store Distilled Water Effectively To Lengthen Its Shelf Life?
There are various fantastic ways to store distilled water correctly. In this article, you will have a great chance to learn 5 effective tips to keep your distilled water longer.
1. Avoid Direct Sunlight
As I mentioned, distilled water is straightforward to spoil and degrade when exposed to direct sunlight. This will create a favorable condition for the proliferation and development of green algae.
On the other hand, heat from sunlight will cause plastic containers to melt easily. If the situation happens, you need to consider distilled water elimination.
2. Right Storage Container
I highly recommend that you better use the containers created by high-density polyethylene (HDPE) (2).Why? Because it will bring perfect protection for your water, just like how an airtight garlic keeper can retain your garlic’s freshness, flavor, and quality for a long time.
In addition, you can probably preserve your distilled water in typical containers, but you need to pay attention to the quality of it to enhance the shelf life of the distilled water.
3. Close Containers Tightly
Another method to decrease the risk for your distilled water is lid control. Why do I say that? Well, the simple answer is I want to help you. If you control the container’s lid well and keep it close tightly, contaminants and bacteria can not attack your distilled water.
On the other hand, closing containers tightly also prevents the effects of strange odors.
4. Keep Away From Odorous Materials
I believe that you do not want to enjoy the water that has a horrible odor. To be able to enjoy the freshness, cleanliness, and purity of distilled water, you had better close the container’s lid tightly and keep the water away from odorous materials such as pesticides, kerosene.
5. Refrigeration
There are many places where you can store distilled water, but the best place to preserve it is in a dark place. So, where is the best place to store distilled water effectively? Well, the answer I want to mention is the refrigerator.
The refrigerator has become an essential thing in every household. Now, it is elementary for you to apply this storage method. Let’s take advantage of the refrigerator’s value to keep the water more extended.
The use of the refrigerator is to protect your distilled water from direct sunlight and provide an excellent temperature to store the water.
However, there’s one small note you need to keep in mind. Make sure you keep the water away from the fridge’s section where you should store fish, meat, onions, and other foods with strong odors. I’m certain that you don’t want your water to absorb unpleasant smells.
Many people would rather use distilled water in household appliances and automobiles that drink it. Now, I will show you the reasons to prove why people drink it rarely. Let’s move to the next part.
What Are The Dangers Of Drinking Contaminated Distilled Water?
Drinking distilled water is not wrong, but you hadn’t better drink it for the long term. Because as I mentioned, this water is created by boiling the water to discard the viruses, bacteria, but the nutrients and minerals are removed as well. So, it will not provide you with any minerals.
Scientists warn that eating spoiled food or contaminated water can cause bad effects on your body. Like foods or other types of water, consuming contaminated distilled water can also harm your health.
If you drink contaminated distilled water over a long period, it can cause serious health issues such as kidney failure, heart disease, diabetes, and poisoning.
And seriously, drinking a lot of contaminated distilled water will make your kidney work harder to remove these impurities and contaminants from your body, leading to impaired kidney function.
So, remember to get rid of the contaminated distilled water when it has signals that I mentioned to protect you and your family.
Frequently Asked Questions About Distilled Water
To provide you with other information about distilled water. Now, I will answer some frequently asked questions about the distilled water. So keep reading to gain more helpful knowledge.
Do You Think Distilled Water Goes Bad?
Water is an essential thing for humans. Like foods and other waters, distilled water also needs to be preserved correctly in order to increase its shelf life and quality. Distilled water will keep longer when stored in a dark place.
My purpose when I write this article is to provide helpful information to make your life better. If you do not know when distilled water has gone wrong, I hope that all data will help you quickly identify the quality of distilled water.
Let’s create a tight-knit community by sharing this article with others to help them know about helpful knowledge. And if you have any other information for this topic, feel free to share your thoughts via the comment. Thanks for reading!
References
- Extension.purdue.edu. 2021. WQ-12. [online] Available at: <https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/WQ/WQ-12.html>.
- En.wikipedia.org. 2021. High-density polyethylene – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-density_polyethylene> .
