Finding distilled water in Australia

[in_awe]

October 2016 - I just returned from a terrific month long vacation in Australia. Because I would be flying weekly while there I would need to regularly replenish my supply of distilled water. So, before leaving I contacted ResMed (based in Australia) about where to find distilled water. They told me any grocery store or Woolworths would carry it.

My first stop was in Cairns, a popular tourist destination, where I would explore the Great Barrier Reef and the tropical jungle parks. I spent my first day there trying to find distilled (aka "pure") water at Coles, Woolworths and several regular and discount chemists and pharmacies. It was not carried by any of those stores, so I settled for demineralized water. The following week I flew to Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the middle of the outback. Amazingly enough the small IGA store in Yulara stocked 2L bottles of "Black & Gold Distilled Water"! My next stop in Melbourne yielded the same results as in Cairns - but I then found a tiny IGA store and once again they carried the distilled water. The same held true in Sydney, where only an IGA store carried distilled water rather than the more widely available demineralized water.

Bottom line - in Australia use your smartphone to Google the location of an IGA market where you are staying for your easiest and best chance for locating distilled water.

[chunkyfrog]

Thank you for a useful tip.
Australia is on my "rich" bucket list.

[Julie]

FYI - Woolworths in Oz is not a discount dept. store, but a supermkt.

[BlackSpinner]

Demineralized water is the same as distilled water as far as a cpap machine is concerned. If you had bothered to ask anyone they would have told you. If fact the main reason you wand it is that the minerals have been removed so they won't coat you humidifier. Otherwise you can use tap water anywhere you are and rinse your humidifier in the morning.

[lathnos46]

I do not think it is true that demineralized water is the same as distilled. When in Denmark recently I had a terrible time finding either. First I found demineralized water at Matas and bought a big jug of that. I noticed a funny taste to it in using in that night. The next day I went back into Matas and asked if it was the same. They said they did not think it was, that distilled water was purer and they thought I needed to get it at the pharmacy. At the pharmacy they said it was definitely a different product. She also said there has not been much Cpap use in Denmark (socialized medicine probably doesn't want to pay for all this stuff) so it is hard to find there. The small container I bought of distilled water in the pharmacy was WAY more expensive than what had gotten at Matas (kind of a drugstore, cosmetics kind of store) and it didn't even last my whole week.

[Uncle_Bob]

Demineralized water is the same as distilled water as far as a cpap machine is concerned.

I noticed a funny taste

we are not talking about drinking it

[chunkyfrog]

Distilled water doesn't taste good, either.
I don't know if minerals in water are necessary for health, but some people believe it is.
A former colleague drank only distilled water, because she bought the distiller
and the hokum that came with it.

[Goofproof]

I do not think it is true that demineralized water is the same as distilled. When in Denmark recently I had a terrible time finding either. First I found demineralized water at Matas and bought a big jug of that. I noticed a funny taste to it in using in that night. The next day I went back into Matas and asked if it was the same. They said they did not think it was, that distilled water was purer and they thought I needed to get it at the pharmacy. At the pharmacy they said it was definitely a different product. She also said there has not been much Cpap use in Denmark (socialized medicine probably doesn't want to pay for all this stuff) so it is hard to find there. The small container I bought of distilled water in the pharmacy was WAY more expensive than what had gotten at Matas (kind of a drugstore, cosmetics kind of store) and it didn't even last my whole week.

Distilled water bought at the pharmacy, could be medical grade, to be used to formulate medical drugs, therefore the save soak the consumer would apply. Also distilled water isn't meant for drinking, and it does taste different, plus it can get oid, nothing is added to keep it from picking up taste and smells. Jim

[BlackSpinner]

I do not think it is true that demineralized water is the same as distilled. When in Denmark recently I had a terrible time finding either. First I found demineralized water at Matas and bought a big jug of that. I noticed a funny taste to it in using in that night. The next day I went back into Matas and asked if it was the same. They said they did not think it was, that distilled water was purer and they thought I needed to get it at the pharmacy. At the pharmacy they said it was definitely a different product. She also said there has not been much Cpap use in Denmark (socialized medicine probably doesn't want to pay for all this stuff) so it is hard to find there. The small container I bought of distilled water in the pharmacy was WAY more expensive than what had gotten at Matas (kind of a drugstore, cosmetics kind of store) and it didn't even last my whole week.

They saw the word "sucker" on your forehead.

You don't need either for cpap to function. As long as you can drink it, you can use it in your humidifier. The only thing is you can't be lazy about cleaning it.

Maybe there is 50% less use of cpap in Denmark because they have less obese people.

[lathnos46]

"They saw the word "sucker" on your forehead.

You don't need either for cpap to function. As long as you can drink it, you can use it in your humidifier. The only thing is you can't be lazy about cleaning it.

Maybe there is 50% less use of cpap in Denmark because they have less obese people".

I don't think they did. I realize I do not have to use distilled water in my machine, or any water for that matter. I am trying to be compliant and follow instructions to get the best therapy possible. If I can find distilled water in other countries, I am darn sure going to find it. I did not say they have 50% less sleep apnea in Denmark. She actually implied it is almost unheard of, which I do not personally is the case it all. It is just not recognized and so they are untreated. The cost of their distilled water as it is now is almost cost prohibitive, another reason I know they do not have many Cpap patients.

[BlackSpinner]

You judge the number of people using cpap by the comments of one person because people don't buy something they really don't need?

[lathnos46]

The water in Denmark has an extremely high level of calcium, or what they call calc, in it. You have to use water softeners for EVERYTHING. It leaves a film on everything it touches. I doubt very much that anyone uses the regular water in their Cpap machine. You would need to clean the humidifier every day. The very scarcity of distilled water backs up what the pharmacist told me.

[BlackSpinner]

The water in Denmark has an extremely high level of calcium, or what they call calc, in it. You have to use water softeners for EVERYTHING. It leaves a film on everything it touches. I doubt very much that anyone uses the regular water in their Cpap machine. You would need to clean the humidifier every day. The very scarcity of distilled water backs up what the pharmacist told me.

DEMINERALIZED water by osmosis works. DEMINERALIZED water by osmosis works. DEMINERALIZED water by osmosis works. DEMINERALIZED water by osmosis works. DEMINERALIZED water by osmosis works.

Medical level distilled water is not required. Medical level distilled water is not required.Medical level distilled water is not required.Medical level distilled water is not required.
I hope that by repeating the information it might actual sink in.

People are quite capable of washing their humidifier daily, after all the brush their teeth and do dishes daily too. I am sure, having known a few Danish people, that the concept is not alien to them. They are also quite capable of reading the internet.
And here is a study done in Denmark on people using cpap machines
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4399513/

And here is a cpap supplier serving Denmark
http://cpapshop.xyz/tag/cpap-machine-denmark-ia-52624/

[lathnos46]

Can you explain to me then why the demineralized water had a funny taste to me? And also why when I went into Matas and asked about if that water was OK for Cpap machine I was directed to a apotek (pharmacy) for actual distilled water and told that demineralized water was only for irons, etc. ? I do not think I could have stood the taste of the Matas water for more than one night. It seemed strange and not at all like the water I was used to.

By the way.... I surrender. You win. Match over!

[Goofproof]

"They saw the word "sucker" on your forehead.

You don't need either for cpap to function. As long as you can drink it, you can use it in your humidifier. The only thing is you can't be lazy about cleaning it.

Maybe there is 50% less use of cpap in Denmark because they have less obese people".

I don't think they did. I realize I do not have to use distilled water in my machine, or any water for that matter. I am trying to be compliant and follow instructions to get the best therapy possible. If I can find distilled water in other countries, I am darn sure going to find it. I did not say they have 50% less sleep apnea in Denmark. She actually implied it is almost unheard of, which I do not personally is the case it all. It is just not recognized and so they are untreated. The cost of their distilled water as it is now is almost cost prohibitive, another reason I know they do not have many Cpap patients.

25 years ago, we had the same here in the U.S., deaths were called organ failure, Heart Attacts, Strokes, ECT.... Then we learned about the vaule of Breathing all night. Jim