Essential Water Purification Ideas
Did you know that your body has around 60% water? A human cannot survive any longer than about 3-4 days without drinking water and therefore thrives on it. Have you ever found yourself in a situation that left you without safe drinking water? All around the world, people are struggling to find a reliable resource for this precious element. After all, it is one of the main building blocks of life and not just for human beings but animals and plants as well. Contaminated water will and can affect everything in negative ways.
In the U.S., it is easy to find and purchase clean water from the stores. Stocking up your supply can be extremely easy if you have the money, but what if you were one of those families that can’t even make ends-meat let alone buy a gallon of water? Here are a few great ideas for you if you happen to find yourself in this situation.
Boiling Water
The number one way to make sure your water is safe is by boiling it, doing so will cook the contaminants out. Any bacteria or viruses that may lie within it cannot survive the temperatures that boiling water reaches. Afterward, if you notice that the water looks cloudy or even has dirt at the bottom of the pan, then using a coffee filter or a clean cloth to filter it will remove these contaminants.
Water Purifiers
If you are willing to invest in any water purifier, then do so. There are many types on the market, but not all of them work the same. The most popular one is the Brita Filter. This company has quite a few different options available, such as the sink attachment for the home, the portable water bottle for people always on the go, and even the pitcher.
Another option, which is a little pricier, would be the Berkey. The Berkey filter is more of a home filtration system but also has other options available (like the water bottle). If this is not exactly what you are looking for, then check out the mini Sawyer filtration system. The Sawyer is perfect for outdoor recreation use. If you are a big camper, hiker, or even a doomsday prepper, then this is the one for you. The Sawyer Mini allows you to filter any water that you may come across through your trip.
One more great option to try would be the Steri-Pens. These happen to be a much newer invention but tend to be very useful in purifying your drinking water. It claims to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses found in contaminated water by using an ultraviolet light. One charge seems to last long enough to do up to 50 treatments, which can keep you alive long enough to get help if you find yourself lost at any time.
Solar Water Disinfection
SODIS is a fascinating method of purifying water. If you happen to have a PolyEthylene Terephthalate made water bottle on hand, then fill it up and lay it in the sun for about 6 hours. A lot of people may be skeptical about this process, considering that specific reports show that leaving a full water bottle in the sun’s heat can cause harm to the human body, but keep in mind that it depends on the kind of water bottle. The World Health Organization, as well as the Red Cross, approve of this method of disinfection.
The heat isn’t what is doing the disinfection, but the UV rays coming from the sun. Keep in mind that with this process, you will possibly still get cloudy water at the end, which should be filtered the same way boiled water gets filtered. If you find that the weather isn’t right for this (cloudy days specifically), this process will require a minimum of 2 days in the UV exposure.
Distilled Water
Distilling water is by far the best and safest way to purify your drinking water. The process of distilling is merely catching the steam of boiling or hot water. Distilling allows you to skip the filtration process altogether because you are not getting any of the debris or contaminants in your supply. As stated before, the boiling process kills any bacteria and viruses, so there should be no worries when collecting the droplets that flow from the rising steam.
Shocking Your Water
When you think of using pool shockers and bleach to purify your drinking water, it may sound a bit sickening, but in fact, there is a safe process for doing so. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there is a safety measure to shocking your water. By using a 1 part chlorine solution to 100 parts water, you should be able to clean your potential drinking water safely. You may hear that people use bleach as well, but in all honesty, neither of these things is good to ingest, especially bleach. Most homes find that their faucet water has something of the sort added to the water to meet the minimum safety levels.
To learn more about survival head over to The Wooded Beardsman.
Originally posted 2020-08-27 08:54:47.