Distilled Water Shortage 2022-2023 Why is there a Shortage of Distilled Water?
Do you remember what it felt like the first time you went to the grocery store and saw the shelves completely empty? I know I felt shocked, stunned, confused, anxious, and I couldn't help feeling panic trying to creep into my mind and heart. At the same time it was kind of funny... I laughed because I felt like I was in a Zombie Apocalypse movie or some end of the world movie. But honestly, that first time I saw the grocery store shelves bare and items out of stock with buying restrictions, I admit it was kind of scary and nerve-racking. Unfortunately, seeing bare grocery shelves seems sort of normal now. This picture is the distilled water isle at Walmart. I have checked it every week for the last 4 weeks and it has been completely out of stock. What is even more worrisome is that it is not being restocked. It's not like the stock is low and there are still a few 1 Gallon bottles of distilled water; there are none. I also went to 4 different Walgreen stores to find 1 gallon jugs in 2 different cities. I checked Target yesterday and they were completely sold out as well. The KSL news story below follows a couple who went to 10 different stores searching for distilled water, but this same scenario is repeating in every state.
BREAKING NEWS: Watch this news story about the Distilled Water Shortage
Why is there a Shortage of Distilled Water in the USA?
There has been a shortage of distilled water since 2017 in different parts of the country. But these shortages were temporary, localized, and random. But during the last 18-24 months it has changed from a temporary issue to a more permanent issue due to supply chain problems and manufacturing trying to catch up since it was completely shut down. It has gotten even worse recently! Some of the main reasons are:
- Plastic Bottle Shortages for the distilled water
- Labor Shortages
- Supply chain slow down
- Higher demand for distilled water than ever before
Why is distilled water sold out?
Distilled water is sold out because of a combination of record high demand, shortages and supply chain slow down. Distilled water is used by dentists, doctors, veterinarians, laboratories, organic and all-natural product manufacturers, medical devices, appliances, batteries, industrial uses, cleaning, for drinking and more.
Who even buys and uses distilled water anyway?
DENTISTS
I got a phone call from a dentist yesterday who was desperately looking for distilled water. Many dentists use distilled water to sterilize their equipment. They also use distilled water to rinse your mouth out during cleanings and procedures. If your dentist uses tap water never go back to them! How would you like it if there was an unknown ecoli outbreak in the tap water of your city and your dentist were spraying out your mouth with this poopy tap water? Pretty gross to think about! But this is why excellent dentists use distilled water for the health and safety of their patients. Click here for Dental Distilled Water Machine information.
DOCTORS - SURGEONS - VETERNARIANS & HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS
Distilled water is used in the health care industry for cleaning and sanitizing surgical instruments and more. So doctors, surgeons, veterinarians, hospitals and health care providers need distilled water.
COMMERCIAL ALL-NATURAL & ORGANIC PRODUCT MANUFACTURERS
For many all-natural and organic product manufacturers the base of their products are clean and pure distilled water. For example: all-natural or organic shampoo and soap uses distilled water at the base. Last year an all-natural beauty manufacturer called me and said, "I am tired of going to all of the grocery stores to get the 200 gallons of distilled water we need each week for our production."
FAMILIES WHO DRINK DISTILLED WATER
Thousands of families drink distilled water because they want pure and clean water that does not have virus, bacteria, parasites, toxic heavy metals (like lead), poisons (like arsenic and mercury), chemicals (like chlorine and fluoride), radioactive particles (like radon), pesticides, oil, gas, nitrates and anything that would be bad for them. There are also many people who use distilled water for personal health conditions every day like CPAP machines (I explain this in detail below) and need a dedicated CPAP water distiller . Or they need a Water Distiller for Humidifier because they need a constant supply of distilled water for humidification. Or they need distilled water for oxygen concentrator (aka oxygen machine). My Mom used an oxygen machine, it was an amazing machine and really increased her quality of life! I am grateful for engineers and inventors who dream up cool things that improve our lives.
LABORATORIES
Distilled water is used in pretty much all laboratories. They need distilled water for experiments, testing and many more laboratory applications. If you ever took chemistry class in high school you may remember using distilled water.
Is this Distilled Water Shortage Thing Real?
Yes, especially since the spread of Covid-19, off-the-shelf distilled water has become more and more scarce. Buyers of distilled water are scratching their heads, not being able to find it anywhere.
Will the Shortage Continue?
With the rise of Omicron, the availability of distilled water may remain in jeopardy. Commercial manufacturers can only produce distilled water if they have bottles to fill and since the supply chain is so backed up it causes a chain reaction of frustration. I guarantee the bottled water manufacturers would love to meet the current demand for distilled water. But the process of distillation and packing water into bottles takes time and requires bottles and working water distillers. One other thing you may not have thought about is... what happens if the distilled water bottle plants have their water distiller machines break down? They may not be even be able to get parts to repair the water distillers for months!
Should You Worry?
Distilled water is important for users due to a variety of reasons. Patients suffering from respiratory conditions such as Sleep Apnea constantly need distilled water to humidify the oxygen. Without distilled water, they’ll run into trouble and would struggle to breathe. These patients require distilled water in sufficient quantity every day.
Those who regularly consume distilled water should worry as they might not find it at stores like they used to. The supply of distilled water at stores is fast dwindling, and there is no guarantee that it will restore any time soon. Making your own distilled water at home remains the only viable long-term solution for users.
What About CPAP Machine Users?
Things aren’t easy for Sleep Apnea patients, especially those who rely on CPAP machines for breathing at night. CPAP machines cannot use tap water as it can damage the equipment. This water can deposit layers of minerals inside the dehumidifier and render it useless for Apnea patients. The tub may see the buildup of excess minerals, and buildup will also damage the tub of the device.
Using distilled water is the only viable solution that keeps your CPAP machine up and running flawlessly. There will be no mineral deposits as distilled water contains none. Distilled water ensures that no harmful chemicals will build up inside the tub of your CPAP machine.
Where to find Distilled Water in Grocery Store?
Unless you have a water distiller for your home or business and the ability to make your own distilled water, then you are at the mercy of the grocery stores' distilled water supply. The best deal is to buy the 1 gallon water jugs. If you are using distilled water for any medical application or to use with any appliance or machine, DO NOT BUY DISTILLED WATER WITH ELECTROLYTE MINERALS! These added minerals will stick to your medical equipment, appliances, and machines and clog them up. It may also void the warranties. You will find distilled water with added electrolyte minerals at stores like Walgreens and CVS. These bottles are usually very small (1 quart or 1 liter) and very expensive.
Where is Distilled Water in the Grocery Store?
- Bottled Water Isle
- Baby Section
- Pharmacy Section
You can find distilled water in the grocery store water isle, baby section or possibly the pharmacy section. The 1 gallon bottles of distilled water (with no minerals added back into it) give you the best price per gallon of distilled water. Right now the prices range from about $1.00 cents to $1.50. You can find distilled water in grocery stores most often in the bottled water section or the baby section. Since distilled water is scarce, looking off the beaten path can be helpful. Bottled water manufacturers make distilled water and market it for babies to be used for baby bottles. They usually have two different types of distilled water in the baby section of the grocery store: 1. Distilled Water (often called nursery water) and 2. Distilled Water with minerals added. So check the baby section of the grocery store because that is another location that is stocked with 1 gallon distilled water bottles.
Do grocery stores sell distilled water where I live? Where should I look?
I had a phone call today from a customer in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He bought a Durastill Water Distiller yesterday, but since they are on backorder he still needs to get bottled distilled water to meet his needs until he gets his new distiller.
He called me and said, "I have looked at both of the grocery stores in Jackson Hole and there is no distilled water. The shelves are bare! What should I do?"
I told him that he may have to drive to another city to find distilled water. Unfortunately, the largest city near Jackson Hole, Wyoming is Idaho Falls, Idaho, which is about a 200 mile round trip drive. Before you go to all of these grocery stores on a wild goose hunt for distilled water, you should see if there is a local bottled water store that makes distilled water. There are many bottled water stores that make lower quality, reverse osmosis water. It is very difficult to find a distilled water store, but it is worth a try. You should find one if you live in a large metropolitan area like Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Jacksonville, New York City, Phoenix etc. They may even offer home delivery of distilled water in 5 gallon bottles or may offer pickup at their store. In addition to a specialized distilled water store, here is a list of stores where you could possibly find distilled water in 1 gallon bottles:
- Ace Hardware
- Acme Fresh Market
- Amazon.com
- Albertsons
- Aldi
- Autozone
- Big Lots
- Costco
- Cub Foods
- CVS
- Dollar General
- Dollar Tree
- Family Dollar
- Fred Myer
- Frys
- Food 4 Less
- Food Lion
- Giant Eagle
- Giant Food
- Hannaford
- Harris Teeter
- HEB
- Home Depot
- Hy-Vee
- Jewel Osco
- King Soopers
- Kroger
- Lidl
- Lowes
- Market Basket
- Meijer
- Menards
- Natural Grocers
- Office Depot
- Piggly Wiggly
- Publix
- QuikTrip
- Rite Aid
- Ralphs
- Safeway
- Sam's Club
- Save A Lot
- Shaws
- ShopRite
- Smart and Final
- Smiths
- Sprouts
- Staples
- Stater Bros
- Stop and Shop
- Stater Bros
- Target
- Tom Thumb
- Tractor Supply
- Trader Joe's
- Vons
- Walgreens
- Walmart
- Wawa
- Wegmans
- Weis Markets
- Whole Foods
- WinCo
- Winn Dixie
- 7 11 (7-Eleven)
- Your Local Dollar Store
- Your Local Hardware Store
- Your Local Gas Station
- Your Local Mom and Pop Grocery Store
- Your Local Pharmacy
What about buying distilled water online from Amazon?
If you can't find distilled water from your local store, then what about buying from Amazon online? One gallon jugs of distilled water from Amazon are incredibly expensive: $54.97 for 6 gallons of distilled water, that is $9.16 per gallon! Remember the price at your local grocery store should be about $1.00-$1.50 per gallon. Just search "distilled water gallon" on Amazon and you will see the results. Remember, 1 gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds and this Amazon, 1 gallon six- pack, weighs at least 48 pounds. It says "free shipping" but the cost of shipping this heavy distilled water is built into the $9.16 per gallon price. I guess you would have to compare the difference between buying Amazon distilled water or the cost of $4.25 per gallon gasoline plus your time to drive to another city to buy distilled water if your city is out of stock.TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR DISTILLED WATER SUPPLY
STOP worrying about distilled water shortages and take control of your distilled water production by buying a Durastill Water Distiller for your home or for large capacity business use. If you have your own water distiller, then you never have to experience that feeling of anxiety when you see the empty distilled water grocery store shelves again! Because you know you have a commercial-grade water distiller that is Made in the USA and lasts up to 30 years! At Rocky Mountain Distillers we provide high quality water distillers for home, business and commercial use. Elaborate video tutorials help users unbox and install the distillers quickly and easily. Durastill distillers produce 8 to 84 gallons per day and store 4 to 150 gallons of distilled water. Durastill distillers are available and never run out of supply. Order yours now and make as much distilled water at home as you want.