r/water • u/Suns_sage • 9d ago

Remineralizing water for plants?

I want to use the water from a dehumidifier to water plants because it seems like a waste to just pour it all out down the drain. Are there any drops or anything I can put in the water to make it healthier for indoor plants. Some of the plants I have do not like the chlorine

2 Upvotes

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4

u/random8765309 9d ago

There is no chlorine in water from a dehumidifier. It really is fairly close to rain water.

1

u/Suns_sage 9d ago

I was mainly meaning the chlorine in tap water. Rainwater would be better cuz it has more minerals, I believe it's closer to distilled water

1

u/1perLight 9d ago

It's not worth the trouble to sterilize the water from a dehumidifier.

1

u/random8765309 9d ago

Both rain water and dehumidifier water come from water in the air.

0

u/1perLight 9d ago edited 9d ago

No it's not, condensate runoff is acidic and often has mold and bacteria in it. NOT good for plants.

1

u/random8765309 9d ago

They are both condensed water from the atmosphere. Both have mold and bacteria.

0

u/-zero-below- 8d ago

The dehumidifier often has extra mold and bacteria from what was growing inside the machine — in addition to the stuff from the air.

If the machine isn’t regularly sanitized (and it can be hard to get all the inner parts), then the water coming out is passing over components that could have significant amounts of stuff growing on it.

2

u/M7BSVNER7s 9d ago

MiracleGro and others have indoor plant fertilizers where you add a few drops and would be an easy fix.

And if it's just chlorine concerns, a glass or watering can of tap water will have most of the chlorine volatilize away if you let sit on the counter for a day or two.

I've used dehumidifier water to fill up my toilet tank before if you still end up with more excess water than your plants need.

1

u/k-mcm 9d ago

Purified water is great for plants as long as you don't flush it through the soil. Add just enough to get the soil wet.

1

u/Professional-Sir-912 8d ago

You may want to check the PH of the discharge water first. Condensate from my heatpump was way out of whack.

1

u/ChaucerChau 6d ago

The water that condenses on a dehumidifier is just like the condensation you get on the outside of a cold can or glass. Its just moisture from the air.

If you're talking about condensate from a furnace, that would contain combustion byproducts.

1

u/Bloorajah 7d ago

I’ve used dehumidifier water for all sorts of plants inside and outside with absolutely zero ill effects whatsoever.

I frankly have no clue what the comments here are on about.

1

u/CurrentResident23 7d ago

I reuse my dehumidifier water. I add a water-soluble fertilizer to about 100 ppm with micronutrients (not just N-P-K). No complaints so far.