Water infected with germs may frequently be unsafe to drink in an emergency by boiling, disinfectants, or filtering. Boiling or disinfection will not make water that has been polluted with fuel, hazardous chemicals, or radioactive substances harmless if you know or believe that your water is polluted with gasoline or hazardous chemicals, consider using bottled water from customwater.com or another source of water. If feasible, utilize bottled water in an emergency; bottled water is the safest option for drinking and all other purposes. If bottled water is not accessible, the procedures listed below can help make your tap water safe to drink. These methods are presented in the order of their effectiveness in making your water safe.
Boiling
If you don’t have safe bottled water, boil your water to make it drinkable. Boiling is the most effective way to destroy disease-causing organisms such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
You can enhance the flat taste of boiling water by pouring it from one container to another and letting it sit for a few hours, OR by adding a pinch of salt for each quart or liter of the cooking water.
If the water is cloudy, do the following:
- Allow it to settle or filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter.
- Take the clean water.
- For 1 minute, bring the clean water to a boil (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for three minutes).
- Allow the boiling water to coo
- Store the boiled water in clean, sterilized containers with tight-fitting lids.
If the water is crystal clear:
- For 1 minute, bring the clean water to a boil (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for three minutes).
- Allow the boiling water to cool.
- Store the boiled water in clean, sterilized containers with tight-fitting lids.
Disinfectants
If you don’t have safe bottled water and boiling isn’t an option, you may typically make small amounts of filtered and settled water safer to drink by applying a chemical disinfectant such as unscented home chlorine bleach.
Disinfectants can kill the most dangerous or disease-causing viruses and bacteria, but they are less efficient against highly resistant species, such as the parasites Cryptosporidium and Giardia. If the manufacturer’s directions are followed correctly, chlorine dioxide pills can be effective against Cryptosporidium.
If the water is hazy, do the following:
- Allow it to settle or filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter.
- Remove the clean water.
- Follow the directions for cleaning drinking water that is printed on the bleach’s label.
- If the appropriate instructions are not provided, look for the sodium hypochlorite % on the label and use the information in the table below as a reference. Unscented home liquid chlorine bleach in the United States is typically between 5 and 9 percent sodium hypochlorite. However, amounts vary by country. Using a medical dropper, teaspoon, or metric measure, add the required amount of bleach from the chart below (milliliters).
- Stir the mixture well.
- Allow it to stand for at least 30 minutes before consuming.
- Keep the disinfected water in clean, sanitized containers with tight-fitting lids.
If the water is crystal clear:
- Follow the directions for cleaning drinking water that is printed on the bleach’s label.
- If the appropriate instructions are not provided, look for the sodium hypochlorite % on the label and use the information in the table below as a reference. Unscented home liquid chlorine bleach in the United States is typically between 5 and 9 percent sodium hypochlorite, however, amounts vary by country. Using a medical dropper, teaspoon, or metric measure, add the required amount of bleach from the chart below (milliliters).
- Stir the mixture well.
- Allow it to stand for at least 30 minutes before consuming.
- Keep the disinfected water in clean, sanitized containers with tight-fitting lids.
If the water contains a chemical or radioactive substance, applying a disinfectant will not make it safe to consume. Tablets, which may also be used to disinfect water, are popular among campers, hikers, and other nations. They come in various sizes and are designed to treat certain quantities of water.
Filters
Many portable water filters can remove parasites that cause sickness, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, from drinking water.
If you’re looking for a portable water filter, consider the following:
- Choose one with filter pore sizes small enough to eliminate parasites (such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium). Bacteria and viruses are not removed by the majority of portable water filters.
- Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the water filter you want to use carefully.
- After filtering, add a disinfectant to the filtered water, such as iodine, chlorine, or chlorine dioxide, to destroy any residual viruses and bacteria.
Conclusion
That being said, either boiling, filtering, or adding disinfectants can successfully provide you access to safe drinking water, which is beneficial to your health and wellbeing.