I live in the country and have well water. It is not too bad for water that comes from the ground! But I only put bottled water in my Rowenta. This is my 3rd Rowenta in 20 years, this one does not spit yet. Love steam!!

I love those irons too. Very heavy and they press the seams flat.

I have been ironing for about 60 years and I have NEVER knowingly used distilled water in an iron and my irons last for years. I periodically fill my iron with white vinegar, let it sit and heat well, then hold the iron so it steams profusely. I push every button that pumps water through the iron. Then I empty the iron, fill it with cold water, and do the same thing all over again. If I still smell vinegar, I rinse with water a second time.

Me too...me too, Cari. Old Sunbeam from Salvation Armani. Hot and Heavy. Hooked it to a lamp, so I can'T accidentally leave it on. Love it.

I am a dry iron and spray bottle person too.

I have a Sunbeam that I bought at the thrift store (or maybe at a rummage sale) at least 10 years ago, maybe 20. I have always used distilled water in it. The directions say to use tap water and rinse the water tank with salt water periodically. I have done that about twice. I have hard water from my well, which tastes wonderful, but I won't use it in my iron.

I also have a brand new Black and Decker iron sitting on the shelf still in the box. I had thought I would be prepared if my Sunbeam would quit, but it's going strong. It has a very long cord which I finally figured out how to get out of my way. I hung it from a hook near the ceiling on a piece of elastic. It comes with me when I need it and goes away when I'm finished.

I don't put water in my iron anymore. The instructions say to drain it out every time I'm done, and that is a bother. I have some vinegar and water in a spray bottle now.

Long ago when I purchased my Rowenta, it said any water could be used except distilled. We moved to calcium rich water and sometimes that works fine, adn sometimes not. So after looking at new irons, I've decided to keep the Rowenta and use it dry. I'll go to a spray bottle of water if needed, but the heat out of the Rowenta is great and the iron is somewhat heavy, so I'll keep it!

My Oliso manual says to use bottled or filtered water.

I always get the cheapest iron that has steam at Walmart or Target for about $6 on sale, I have a nasty habit of dropping an iron about every 5-6 years, so i buy cheap. if i was to buy a pricey iron, i'd put distilled water in it. I don't have to worry about it with a $6 iron, but i do put filtered water in my irons.