Is it safe to drink and brush my teeth with?
You’ve just learned how to begin accumulating water. When you store your own water in pre-emergency times, using tap water and taking measures to preserve it for years, you can safely trust your supply. However, if you are collecting rain water, any water that comes from outside, or water that comes from your sinks when it’s likely been compromised [See blog post: How Do I Know If My Water’s Been Compromised?] then you must purify.
Purify, Purify, Purify
Cleaning your water is for: drinking, brushing teeth with, bathing in, cooking, and washing dishes. It’s impossible to get around if you want to stay healthy and not have the nasty, often deadly, water-borne diseases nab you. What can you do?
| Purifying Method | Pros | Cons | Ease | Expense | Speed | Favorites |
| Boiling | Gets outs most pathogens when it’s a rapid boil for at least 10 minutes | Takes energy, which may not be available at all or last for very long | Easy – at home with energy,Fair – in the wild with a pot and heat source | Moderate to LowOnly the cost of your fuel—fire wood or propane for a burner | Slower | Jetboil |
| Personal Water Filter | Gets out vast amount of pathogens;Very portable | You will need to anticipate, if in a long term emergency, having back up filters.Can only do small quantities at a time | Easy | Moderate to Higher | Faster | Katadyn |
| Home Water Filter | Creates higher volume of purified water | Portable in a vehicle but not so with a person on foot | Very easy | Higher | Slower | Big Berkey |
| Mini Water Filter | Inexpensive solution to keep on hand and travel with | Small yield | Easy | Cheaper | Slower | Straw filter system |
| Iodine | Inexpensive solution to keep on hand and travel with | Must be exacting about the dosage | Easier | Cheaper | Slower | Tablets |
| Chlorine | Inexpensive solution to keep on hand and travel with | Must be exacting about the dosage | Easier | Cheapest | Slower | Packets |
Tips on Cleaning Water
- No matter what, water exposed to radiation or chemical warfare cannot be purified to drink.
- Micron-rating is really the factor you’re looking for. If a filter can sift out the nasty bugs down to the 0.2 micron range, you are safe from 99.9% of the killer biological elements.
- Taste is affected by the minerals in the water. The ultimate is to get to colorless and odorless water.
