#9 – Cleaning Up Dirty Water

Cleaning up dirty water

Interruption of the water supply by natural disaster is a very real possibility at some point in everyone’s life. Going without water is a whole different ballgame than food. A healthy person can live as long as eight weeks without food but only a matter of days in the absence of water. Thus, it is absolutely critical to the survival of your family that you know how to properly disinfect water in the event you have to make an alternate source safe to consume.

Boiling – This tried and true standby will kill most disease-causing organisms. Boil water for about one minute, let it cool, then store it in clean containers with a cover. If the water is cloudy before you start, let it settle and pour the clearer liquid off the top for boiling. You can also filter it through clean cloths first.

Bleach – Yes, you can use bleach to disinfect your water prior to drinking. Household bleach will kill some, not all, disease-causing organisms. It goes without saying, you don’t need very much! Only eight drops per gallon of water of regular, unscented, liquid bleach. Add the bleach, stir it well and let the water stand for 30 minutes.

Local officials will normally make an announcement if a large water supply has become contaminated. Aren’t you glad you followed our advice and bought a portable, battery-powered radio so you can listen to boil water orders?

And if you’ve properly stocked your food/water emergency supply, you should have plenty of clean bottled water on hand. Good job!

Jason Hartman, https://holisticsurvival.com