How to get pure water from dirty water

The water from ponds or rivers often looks quite dirty.

It contains many impurities that are dissolved in the water. It also contains bacteria.

Boiling the water in a kettle kills the bacteria, but it does not remove all of the impurities.

When the kettle boils, the water turns into water vapour. This is invisible!

The impurities are left behind in the kettle.

As the water vapour cools, it condenses back into tiny droplets of water that form clouds of steam.

The water vapour cools faster on cool surfaces such as mirrors or windows. We call it condensation.

Here, condensation is forming on a flask full of iced water. It is dripping down into a glass.

The water that collects is pure distilled water. It is safe to drink.