Quote Originally Posted by Dixiecat View Post
It's a common misconception that distilled water is better than ordinary water. You are correct that distilled H2O does not contain minerals but because of that distilled water acts like an acid when in contact with metals. It will leach minerals out of the metal. I would never use distilled water in any iron as it will shorten the life of the iron. In fact, Rowenta issues a warning against using distilled water in their irons.

Ordinary bottled water low in calcium, manganese, iron, etc. is best.
Exactly! I just purchased the Rowenta Professional iron, and I used it for the first time a few days okay when pressing the pleats in one of my kilts - it worked brilliantly with great ease! Rowenta's instructions were quite simple and straightforward and included the point of not using distilled water in their irons, as they are designed to be used with tap water. If Rowenta (Rowenta offers the best irons in my opinion!) is saying this, then it must be quite alright to use tap water - not sure if bottled water would be okay to use with my new iron?

Oh, and I always use a pressing cloth - a lightweight, white version made of cotton.

Cheers,