Water question

[carrottop]

I learned to make soap using distilled water. It is a pain to have to buy water. Wouldn't tap water be okay? It couldn't possible upset the pH that much.

 

[Dennis]

Depends on the water in your area. I've never used anything but tap water. Our local water comes from wells tapped into the Floridan Aquifer and has lime, chlorine and fluoride added. No water plants, but lots of political and psuedo scientific opinions on fluoride. Increases the entertainment value when reading the local paper.
Easiest way to find out would be to make two small batches, one with tap, one with distilled and see what happens. Some water has more minerals and other glop than others but it is doubtful that it will explode or make small animals glow in the dark. Please let us know how it turns out.

Edit: Sorry, forgot my manners. This is a great forum with lots of nice experienced soap makers of which I am not one. Experienced, I mean. But I am trying. Welcome, you have found one of the better soap making resources among many. I have been picking brains here for a while. Still earning my soap wrappers. :wink:

 

[madpiano]

If you have cast Iron Pipes in your house to deliver the water to your taps, or copper, you can get DOS problems. I used to use rain water, but moved house and the new one has Cast Iron Guttering, made in 1870 and suitable flakey, so I don't risk it. The mains supply in my house is good old lead (also made in 1870, so hopefully fully limescaled up by now), the rest is a mix of PVC and Copper. So far no issues. Our water here is high in calcium and copper, but low in iron and other metals, so it's OK for soap, by the looks of it. Other people in London get DOS with tap water. If that is due to cast iron piping in their area (some councils haven't updated their water pipes since the Romans provided them), or due to a different mineral mix in the water, I wouldn't know.

Fouride - hate the stuff in water. It's not exactly brilliant for us to drink all the time and cook in it, if you keep tropical fish you wont be able to use the tap water and if people would clean their teeth, they wouldn't get cavities....

 

[AmyW]

I use distilled to prevent any "what ifs" with tap. My whole house smells like a public swimming pool after they treat the water, I don't want those chemicals to mess up my soap.

We don't drink the tap water either. Besides the chlorine and who knows what else, fluoride is meant for topical use on the teeth, in toothpaste/mouthwashes. I don't want much of it in my bloodstream

 

[carrottop]

Our water comes from a spring on our property. I just started a soap using it since we have nothing but plastic pipes, no chlorine/fluorine or other yuckies. I'll let you know if there is any difference.