Is There a Difference Between Purified and Distilled Water

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Think of purified and distilled water like cake and cheesecake. Both are desserts, but they go through different kitchens. Purified water is the broad term for water that’s had its impurities removed. Distilled water is just one specific kind of purification—like the overachiever in the class who does everything the long way.

So, all distilled water is purified, but not all purified water is distilled. Cue dramatic gasp. I know, it’s not exactly breaking news like "Cats Can’t Taste Sweetness," but stick with me—it gets weirder.

How They Get Clean: A Tale of Two Processes

Let’s start with distilled water. This is the old-school method: you boil water until it turns to steam, then you catch that steam and let it turn back into liquid. It’s like making rain in your kitchen, minus the lightning. The boiling kills bacteria, and the evaporation leaves behind minerals, salts, and that weird film on your coffee pot.

Now, purified water is a broader category. It can be distilled, but it can also be run through reverse osmosis (fancy filters that squeeze water through a membrane), deionization (zapping it with electricity to yank out minerals), or carbon filtration (your basic Brita pitcher). Basically, purified water has met some standard of cleanliness, usually with at least 99.5% of impurities removed. Distilled water is held to that same standard, but it gets there via the “steam and scream” method.

Here’s a joke for you: Why did the distilled water break up with the purified water? Because it couldn’t handle the pressure. (Reverse osmosis joke. I’ll see myself out.)