I never have emptied my iron on a regular basis. Maybe that is why they stop working. I do use distilled water, but only a couple weeks back I was watching (Fons & Porter I think) and she had a guest from Oliso. He said to never use distilled water and to just use water that you would drink. The only water he said not to use is real hard water. He was not too clear on the recommendation. I did not understand why distilled water is not good. He just said not to use it. Period.