As you use your dehumidifier to get rid of moisture in your home, it collects water in its tank. Instead of dumping all of this water down your drain, you may wonder if you can drink it instead?
You can not drink the water from a dehumidifier. The water from a dehumidifier may contain harmful substances such as mold, mildew, and algae. Dehumidifier water may also contain metals from the dehumidifier that are not safe to consume.
In this article, I’ll go over why it’s not safe to drink water from a dehumidifier.
I’ll also discuss why boiling dehumidifier water does not make it safe to drink, and what you can use the water for instead.
Is the water from a dehumidifier safe to drink?
The water from a dehumidifier is not safe to drink. Dehumidifier water may contain algae, mold, mildew, and metals—so it is non-potable.
Why does dehumidifier water have all those nasty things inside of it? As dehumidifier water sits in a collection tank, organic materials can grow inside of it. Algae, mold, and mildew feed off of dust and dirt and grow inside the tank.
Eventually, you’ll have a nasty concoction of organic materials in the tank. That’s why it’s important to empty, clean, and sanitize your dehumidifier tank on a regular basis.
Even if your dehumidifier tank doesn’t have any organic growth, the water is still not safe to drink. Dehumidifier tank water will still contain metals such as aluminum, copper, and lead.
But where do the metals come from? The metals come from the evaporator coil. As the condensate drips off of the evaporator coil, some of the metals from the coil leech into the condensate.
Does boiling dehumidifier water make it safe to drink?
Boiling the water from a dehumidifier does not make it safe to drink.
Even if you boil the water from a dehumidifier, you should still not drink it. Although boiling dehumidifier water will kill microbes, it will not remove metals and dissolved solids.
The metals will remain inside the dehumidifier water after boiling it, so the water will still be unsafe to drink.
What you can use dehumidifier water for
The only thing that I recommend using dehumidifier water for is your plants. Dehumidifier water is perfectly fine to use to water your plants, as long as you don’t eat them.
If you decide to water your plants with dehumidifier water, start by using a little at a time to see how they respond. You don’t want to water your plants only to find out that they do not like dehumidifier water.
Do not exclusively use dehumidifier water on your plants. It will be bad for them in the long run.
Dehumidifier water doesn’t have minerals in it—such as calcium and magnesium. Plants need minerals for healthy growth. So be sure to water your plants with normal tap water every once in a while.
Other folks recommend using dehumidifier water for other purposes such as cleaning floors or doing laundry. I don’t recommend using dehumidifier water for either of these things.
Dehumidifier water can possibly contain harmful algae and mildew. The last thing that you want to do is spread algae around your home and clothing.
Can you use dehumidifier water in a humidifier?
You should not use water from a dehumidifier in a humidifier. Dehumidifier water may contain organic microbes that will contaminate your humidifier. You should only use distilled water in your humidifier.
Dehumidifier water may also contain dissolved metals that may impact your humidifier’s performance.
Is the water from a dehumidifier the same as distilled water?
The water from a dehumidifier is not distilled. There is a difference between the condensate from a dehumidifier and distilled water:
- Dehumidifier condensate is water that condenses from the air in your home. While it doesn’t contain minerals such as calcium, it may leech metals from the evaporator coil.
Dehumidifier water also may have organic microbes inside of it. As the dehumidifier water sits in the tank, mold, mildew, and algae may grow by feeding off of dirt and dust. - Distilled water is pure water that is free of dissolved solids. Distilled water does not contain any metals or microbes inside of it either.
