Can Distillers Remove PFAS from Drinking Water?

Short answer: Yes! Water distillers can effectively remove PFAS (those pesky per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from your drinking water.

How Distillation Tackles PFAS – The Science Behind It

Think of distillation like giving your water a spa day: it gets boiled, turned into steam, and then cooled back into fresh, clean water. Here’s the science bit—PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” have way higher boiling points than water, so they don’t hitch a ride with the steam. Instead, they’re left behind in the boiling chamber. That means your distilled water is sipping pure, while those forever chemicals stay put and sulk.

This isn’t just mom intuition — independent labs have shown distillation can remove over 99.9% of PFAS, including common culprits like PFOA and PFOS. One study even tested water with seven different PFAS compounds and found none detectable in the distilled output!

Distillation Without Microplastics? Yes, Please!

Not only does distillation zap PFAS, but it also avoids microplastics sneaking into your glass—a double win for pure, clean water! Because the process boils and condenses steam, those tiny plastic invaders don’t make the cut. So when you’re thinking about distillation without microplastics, you’re on the right track.

What Distillation Does—and Doesn’t—Do

• Highly effective for most PFAS: Since these “forever chemicals” have high boiling points, distillation keeps them behind, giving you nearly chemical-free H2O.
• But boiling alone? Nope! Just boiling tap water won’t cut it because PFAS stick around and even get more concentrated as water evaporates. So no shortcuts—distillation is where it’s at.
• Mineral-free water alert: Distillation strips out all minerals too, so your water ends up super pure but also mineral-empty. You might want to add minerals back or make sure your diet covers them.

For more info on these nuances, check out My Tap Score’s guide.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

PFAS is actually a huge family—thousands of compounds with different traits. Most have high boiling points and behave like we talked about here, but a rare few might play by different rules and vaporize with the steam. Luckily, those aren’t usually the ones worrying our water safety experts.

Also, don’t let your distiller’s chamber run bone dry during use! Keeping some moisture helps keep contaminants locked away where they belong. Reddit’s Water Treatment community has some great practical tips on this.

How Does Distillation Stack Up Against Other Options?

There are other solid ways to tackle PFAS—reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, and certain activated carbon filters (especially for those long-chain PFAS) do a good job too. The EPA has a handy overview if you want to nerd out on treatment technologies: EPA Science Matters.

Heads up: Most everyday pitcher filters or fridge filters aren’t certified for PFAS removal unless explicitly stated. So don’t fall for packaging fluff—always check those specs first! More on that at My Tap Score and Slater Zurz.

In summary: If you’re hunting for a reliable home method to ditch those forever chemicals from your drinking water, distillers are a top pick. With lab-tested results showing over 99.9% removal of most PFAS types, distillation is a smart choice for keeping your family’s water safe and clean.

For more info on PFAS-free products and learning how to avoid these sneaky contaminants, check out the PFAS Free Life Database—because what mom isn’t looking out for her tribe?

Stay hydrated and chemical-free!