How to Distill Water: 2 Ways to Make Distilled Water

Distilled water or purified water is water that has undergone a cycle of evaporation and condensation. When water evaporates, it leaves behind impurities and minerals and rises as pure water vapor into the air. With the right tools, it’s possible to re-condense this water vapor, and then capture it, creating a source of clean drinking water or distilled water. Rainwater and snow are forms of naturally distilled water. Water evaporates into the atmosphere, condenses in clouds, and falls as liquid water or snow.

Distillation is valuable if you’re unsure about the quality of your water, which is often the case if you’re out in the backcountry and drawing hydration from uncertain sources like mountain streams or snow, which may contain harmful microorganisms or heavy metals. The distillation process removes impurities as well as beneficial minerals, like calcium and magnesium, so distilled water has a relatively flat taste.

You can also distill water to further purify it for drinking. In the home, distilled water is also suitable for hydrating houseplants, and for using in appliances like clothing irons, since there are no minerals to cause unwanted buildup.

There are different methods you can use to make distilled water. Whether you are starting with tap water, bottled water, or water from a mountain stream, distillation is an option for removing anything unwanted from the water. You can use a heat source to speed the process of condensation, collect condensation from moist soil, or use a home distillation kit for distilling high volumes of water. The simplest method is to collect rainwater in a container with a fine-mesh top to prevent contamination.

If you have access to a heat source, you can distill water by boiling it and collecting the condensation. Follow these instructions:

1. 1. Gather your materials. You'll need a large pot with a curved lid, a heavy glass bowl or another container that will fit inside the pot, and a heat source for boiling water. Having ice cubes or an ice pack also helps.
2. 2. Pour your water into the pot. This can be water from your faucet, water from a stream, or rainwater.
3. 3. Place your bowl in the pot. Place a bowl or another container inside of the pot of water.
4. 4. Heat the water to boiling. The idea is to use heat to speed the process of evaporation. Water will eventually evaporate on its own, but this will happen much more quickly if you have a heat source like a stovetop burner or camping stove.
5. 5. Place the lid over the pot. Ideally, the lid will cover the edges of the pot tightly, but can be reversed so that the convex surface points down at the center. This will collect the water that condenses and allow it to drip into the bowl.
6. 6. Place ice on top of the lid. If you have ice or an ice pack, you can place it on top of the lid to make the process of condensation happen more quickly.
7. 7. Remove the pot from heat. Once the water has all evaporated from the pot, remove it from the heat. Take out your bowl of distilled water and pour it into a clean container.

The time this method takes will vary depending on the volume of water and your elevation—higher elevations require lower temperatures and less time to boil water.

If you’re in a pinch, you can use this survivalist method to distill water from any source of moisture available. Follow these steps:

1. 1. Gather your materials. You will need a container, like a coffee can, glass bottle, stainless steel pot, or water bottle for this method. The bigger the opening of the container, the better. You will also need a digging implement to make a hole—a stick, spoon, or trowel will work. You will need a small pebble or rock. You’ll also need plastic, preferably clear or translucent, to cover the hole. Finally, you’ll need some plant material or very moist soil to place in your container.
2. 2. Dig your hole. Dig a hole in moist soil or an area with plants. Try to make the sides even and straight; this will help you get your container in and out of the hole. Ideally, the hole should be in a place where it can receive sunlight. This will create a greenhouse effect in the hole, speeding up water evaporation from the plant material or wet soil.
3. 3. Place your container. Put your receptacle in the center of the hole.
4. 4. Cover the hole with plastic. Use plastic to seal the opening of the hole, so evaporating water cannot escape around the sides. The plastic should be translucent so that light can pass through it.
5. 5. Place a pebble on top of the plastic. Use a small rock or pebble to make a slight depression in the center of the plastic; this will create a concave surface above the container that will collect the water. As the water evaporates and collects on the plastic, it will run down the inside, eventually dripping into your container.
6. 6. Remove the container from the hole. After you collect enough water in the container, you can remove the container from the hole and drink.

Distilled water will quickly pick up impurities from roof surfaces, leaves, or tree trunks, so it is essential to store distilled water in a clean container directly after distilling.

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