TOOTAl2 need help to clarify doubt about : is it ok distilled water in carpet steam cleaner?
I have very hard water where i live so im thinking of trying distilled water from wal-mart to use in my hoover carpet cleaner.
Try this:
Answer by Recessed
yes its perfectly safe since its 100% water with no minerals
Add your own answer in the comments!
I would use spring water. I bought a new iron & the instructions said to NEVER use distilled water.
It would be OK, but a little pricey. Most home carpet cleaners aren’t really steam cleaners, but rather they spray hot water on the carpet, then vacuums it up.The reason you’re not supposed to use distilled water in irons or clothes steamers is because they require soft water. This is accomplished by adding salt to your hard water; approximately 1 tablespoon per gallon. This prevents calcium build up in the unit. These true steamers are not cleaning, but removing wrinkles.
If you don’t want to soften your water with salt, you may consider using half tap water and half distilled. This would cut your cost in half, while softening the water also. Spring water has a lot of minerals that are not found in tap water that could cause build up in your machine, but it would take a lot of cleanings for that to happen. If it does, you can run water and vinegar through it to clean it out. The bath tub is a great place to do this.
Good Luck!
I have very hard water too, but remember the cleaning solution buffers some of those minerals. If you want to use distilled or even mountain spring water, it would be fine. You could also add a little bit of Calgon water conditioner to the hard water.
I don’t know if your Hoover cleaner has a heating element to heat the water….then I might want to use distilled or maybe 50:50 beause our hard waters do muck up heaters real quick.
Sorry it’s not true that distilled water isn’t soft. Its the minerals in water than make it hard, and when water is distilled its boiled and the steam is collected and turned back to water – all the mineral salts are left behind, and you’re left with nothing but pure water. (Which is why distilled water tastes of nothing…) You should be able to clean off hard water deposits when your cleaner needs it, with a descaler sold for kettles and shower heads. This would be easier and cheaper than using distilled water.. Check that you can get at the part where the deposits will settle, which will probably be at the bottom of the water tank. Vinegar will also dissolve them to some degree but not as effectively or a quickly.