PURIFYING WATER.......iii

All water is considered unsafe to drink except that which you buy from a store. Any water you find or have stored in barrels and cisterns needs to be purified before drinking. While rainwater is technically considered safe to drink, you have to worry about the barrel the water is in and the risk of contaminants and impurities getting into the water as it flows down the gutter. It is always better to be safe than sorry. Drinking contaminated water can be life threatening and cause a whole list of nasty side effects including diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration.

These are some ways you can purify the water you have stored or collected from a local body of water.

• Boiling—Boiling water is probably one of the most common ways of purifying the water. You only need to bring the water to the boiling point to make it safe to drink. Boiling purifies the water, but it does not filter it. If you have water that has some floaties in it, run it through a cotton t-shirt before boiling it.
• Water Purification Tablets—This is a quick and easy way to purify water using chlorine tablets. These are a good idea to keep on hand if you will be bugging out. There are typically about 30 tablets per jar and you will need 4 tablets per gallon of water. Store a lot if you plan on relying on these to clean your water.
• Filtering—Filtering is not purifying! Filtering will not remove all of the harmful viruses that can be found in water you collect from the wild. Ideally, you will want to purify the water after you have filtered it. If filtering is your only option, choose a filter with the smallest pores that will catch the majority of bacteria and viruses.
• Household Bleach—This is a quick, cheap and effective method to purify water. A few drops in a gallon of water is all that is needed. The problem with this method is the fact household bleach only has a shelf life of about 6 months. It is important to keep a fresh gallon on hand at all times. Learn more How To Purify Water With Bleach
• Iodine—This is often thrown around in survival circles, but it just isn’t feasible. You must use a lot of iodine to clean a single gallon of water. Anybody who is allergic to shellfish will likely be allergic to iodine. It just isn’t worth the effort when there are other options that are less expensive and just as effective.

If you have been putting off storing water, don’t wait another day. Start investing in containers and storage methods that will keep your family alive. Food is important, but water is a much bigger necessity. You can’t afford to put it off another day.