Distilled water in france

[mml4]

I'm going to France and need to know where I can get distilled water for my humidifier. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Marc

[LSAT]

Probably the same place you would get it here...Pharmacy or grocery store

[LinkC]

Bottled drinking water is easier to find. (But it you think it's expensive here...expect to pay up to 5 euros a liter. That's 8 or 9 bucks! I can't imagine what distilled would be...)

I'd seriously consider tap water if it's just a couple of weeks. That's what I did.

[Otter]

Why so expensive? Do the French have a tax on water?

[hobbs]

Why so expensive? Do the French have a tax on water?

They seem to have an aversion to water. Ever been on a Paris bus at rush hour?

[ifrimmel]

You will find it in the baby section just like any other place in the world. It may be called purified water - same stuff. No floride or other shit added to it.

EU's standards for "healthy" bottled water are very different to the US. Certain amount of minerals and "bio" material are permitted and you don't want any of that crap depositing itself onto your humidifer or your lunges. Tap water in most of Europe is EXTREMELY hard.. don't use it either!

[LinkC]

Why so expensive? Do the French have a tax on water?

Probably! Not to mention the $ isn't worth the paper it's printed on these days.

(But I'm still pondering how those nasty minerals are gonna make the jump from the tank to my "lunges"... )

[ifrimmel]

You will find it in the baby section just like any other place in the world. It may be called purified water - same stuff. No floride or other shit added to it.

EU's standards for "healthy" bottled water are very different to the US. Certain amount of minerals and "bio" material are permitted and you don't want any of that crap depositing itself onto your humidifer or your lunges. Tap water in most of Europe is EXTREMELY hard.. don't use it either!

Or even your lounges... spell check FAIL.. Your Lungs will thank you <blush>

[zweible]

Just got back from Europe. You find Distilled Water in the strangest place.... You Local Gas Station! Distilled water is what you put in your auto battery. About 2 Euros a Litre..

Hope that helps...

Dan

[LinkC]

Just got back from Europe.

So did I! Three weeks in Italy, France, Switzerland, Netherlands and the UK. Wasn't driving...but I did eat in an "Autogrill"!!

[billbolton]

You will find it in the baby section just like any other place in the world.

Probably not in France, nor in most places outside the USA.

Cheers,

Bill

[máirtín]

I took my machine to Europe last year. I had no problem finding distilled water in France - you ask for "eau démineralisé". You can find it easily in large supermarkets. Pharmacies don't tend to carry it because it takes up a lot of space but doesn't have a big profit margin.
I never found distilled water in Ireland and had to use regular bottled water. I know they have it but I just wasn't in a large town for long enough to track it down.

[archangle]

If you're worried about bacteria in the water, you can always simply boil some water each day, sit it aside long enough to cool to body temperature, then put one night's supply in your humidifier.

That won't help with mineral buildup in the tank, but it will probably also help remove chlorine smell.

[LinkC]

I don't think I've ever been in a hotel room in France that had a stove to boil water on. Or even a microwave. And if it has a chlorine smell, it probably doesn't have live bacteria in it.

But you need not fear the water supply in France:

However, in recent years (largely as a result of pressure from the EU, it has to be said) the French government has invested heavily in water treatment works, with a major programme of investment that is ongoing. The system of quality control in France today is also rigorous, and carried out along the whole of the supply chain - at the point of capture, at treatment stations, and within the distribution network itself.

Not only do the water companies themselves do their own tests, but there are also regular independent tests carried by officials from the French Ministry of Health. The frequency of these tests will depend on the size of the population served by a particular supply, and by the risks that may be present within an area. The tests regularly show that over 99% of the supply complies with quality standards, which are set by the European Union.

Moreover, as the eminent scientists above have stated, a breach of the norms does not necessarily translate into a risk to public health. If a breach of standards does arise, and the water is considered unsafe to drink, it is the responsibility of the local mayor to ensure that the inhabitants of the commune are informed.

--http://www.french-property.com/news/fre ... er_france/

[Bluecat]

Distilled water isn't easy to find in France... "Eau déminéralisée" isn't the same as "Eau distillée" (which is the correct translation for distilled water). Eau déminéralisée has had it's minerals "removed" by use of chemicals, and I wouldn't recommend breathing it, at least not on a regular basis! Eau distillé can sometimes be found in pharmacies, but they don't all stock it.
Bottled water is found in any supermarket, etc... it costs around 0,40€ per 1.5 liter bottle (that would be 0,55$ I think).
Regarding tap water, we have good quality water, although in rare parts of France, it will have a high quantity of "calcaire" (white deposit, limestone?) and that can be a nuisance. But in and around Paris, no problem with tap water in your humidifier (that's what I use!).