Can you use tap water instead of distilled water for irons?

Recently moved out of your parent's home to live in your own place? Career change or kids starting school forcing you to confront a creased wardrobe for the first time in forever?

If the wonderful world of ironing is new to you, well, sorry to hear that. However, running hot metal over wrinkled fabric to make it flat is less hassle than it used to be, thanks to technological and design improvements.

One piece of old ironing lore was that you couldn't use tap water in your iron because its mineral content would build up and destroy it. Mineral-free distilled water, we were told, was what was needed in steam irons. It was widely acknowledged that using distilled water instead of hard water from the tap reduced the potentially catastrophic build-up of limescale or calcium.

By the early 2010's, however, this received wisdom was roundly refuted when a study by Consumer Reports debunked it as a “myth”.

After researching 46 different irons the study 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.

It’s not always quite so black and white though.

Today, good quality irons (and please, don't risk damaging your clothes by buying a low quality one that could end up costing you more in the long term) are almost always designed to work with water from the tap rather than distilled water.

In fact, manufacturers usually advise that tap water is not only possible, but preferable because distilled or demineralised water will only convert to steam at a higher temperature, and may cause the iron to drip, spit or leak.

In its Verve irons, Sunbeam has specially designed CeraFlow ceramic soleplates that allow the use of tap water without affecting steam performance. Other leading iron manufacturers, including Tefal, Philips and Braun, also have mechanisms in place to ensure maximal performance using tap water.

So, does that mean there's no place for distilled water any more? Not quite.

Despite modern irons being built to deal with calcium and minerals in regular Australian tap water, there are instances when manufacturers advise using distilled water.

If you live in an area that has particularly hard water, even the most advanced irons may struggle to cope. In Australia, most States and Territories have relatively soft water, but WA and SA have harder water. If you live in these area and experience issues with hard water calcification, it's often advised to use a 50/50 mix of distilled and tap water.

If you're looking for a high quality iron from a leading brand that you can trust to look after your clothes, look no further. Appliances Online stocks a range of irons from Tefal, Philips, Braun and Sunbeam that will happily work wonders with your wardrobe without needing special distilled water.

Appliances Online delivers to 95% of Australia's population with its legendary FREE delivery - and can usually get your steam iron to you by the next day (Mon-Fri) as long as it's in stock. Plus, we now offer paid Same Day Delivery in NSW, QLD, and VIC metro areas if you order before 12pm Mon-Fri (how urgently do you need that ironing done?)

For more advice, or if you have any questions, call our friendly team 24/7 on 1300 000 500, or message us via the chat icon at the bottom right of your screen.