Tap water instead of distilled water for irons is OK, says study

March 2nd, 2012

Appliance News Ironing Centres

Mineral-free distilled water has often been touted as the way to go in steam irons. It is widely known that by using distilled water instead of hard water from the tap, the build of up of lime/calcium is reduced.

But a new study by Consumer Reports has debunked this as “myth”.

After researching 46 different irons the study has concluded that you should not use distilled water and if you do, you could risk ruining your iron as well as rendering your warranty useless.

The effects of hard water (lime/calcium build up) on a pipe

It’s not quite so black or white though.

Tell us…Do you use tap water in your iron?

It depends on the iron and the level of hard water in your area. It is true that many manufacturers, such as Rowenta, have developed their steam irons to be used with tap water. As such, Rowenta specifically requires that users use regular tap water, as one curious buyer was told:

Modern irons such as this shmick Panasonic are good to go on tap water

“Rowenta irons are specially constructed to deal with normal levels of water hardness found in ordinary tap water (make sure the tap water is not filtered or softened in any fashion).

If hard water is used, it will cause your iron to emit minerals from the soleplate. The use of 100 per cent distilled/reverse osmosis waters should be avoided, due to the fact that it will only convert to steam at a higher temperature. Additionally, if 100 per cent distilled water is used in our irons you may encounter dripping, spitting and leaking.”

Sunbeam irons, such as the Verve, also have a specially designed soleplate that allows the use of tap water without affecting steam performance. Sunbeam manuals do however, recommend the use of distilled or demineralised water in very hard water areas.

As part of it’s caring tips, Morphy Richards also advises the use of normal or tap water – it has it’s own ‘anti-scaling system‘. But if the water is particularly hard, bottled or distilled water is best, it says.

 

Having once had to sit on the washing machine to stop it from bouncing into oblivion, Keri is today delighted with the new (smoother running) technologies that make housework easier every day. A self-confessed lazy-bones, Keri seeks out quirky inventions that ease the human workload, such as the robotic vacuum cleaner (wow). And as soon as someone figures out a Jetsons-like self-cleaning house, she will happily lay her pen to rest and retire from appliance journalism. Until then, her pick is a fridge that will tell her smartphone when it's time to pick up more beer on the way home. Magic.

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