Deionized Water

Most recent answer: 10/22/2007

Q:
I am learning chemistry and have set up a small lab for myself. I am very concerned about the cleaning of my glass and I have read on the internet that deionized water is often used but for a home lab it does not seem to be a practical solution.
My tap water is terribly hard and I have to distill it.
Would distilled water be the best I could hope for or is there a better alternative to using deionized water that gives good results?
Thanks in advance for your help!
- Edward (age 56)
Front Royal, VA, USA
A:
You can buy de-ionizing columns to run the water through, making your own deionized water.  You can hook them up with simple plumbing. You can also filter out organic chemicals, etc. with other columns. Columns do have to be replaced occasionally, but are probably a lot cheaper than buying lots of deionized water.

Mike W.

(published on 10/22/2007)