3 fast ways to purify your drinking water
We’ve covered some easy water purification techniques here, including using the sun, but I’ve got even more for you.
The first order of business, however, is to try to find the cleanest water to begin with. Here are some rules of thumb:
- Avoid water with a strange hue or film on it, and avoid water that is not clear
- Try to find moving water as opposed to still water
- Avoid water where there is active growth in it such as algae or scum
- Avoid water near roadways or pavement as it likely has oil and pollutants in it
- Stay upstream of industrial facilities, mines and construction
- Avoid water from farmland, as it might have large amounts of fertilizer and pesticides in it
Now onto some easy tips for making sure you have clean water anywhere, any time.
Boiling
This seems obvious but is really the surest way to make sure your water is clean. Water should be boiled at least 5 minutes straight to kill the bacteria existing in most water. Every “bug out bag” should include a way to heat and boil enough water for everyone in your family. Don’t skimp on your pot or your stove, as these could be your lifeline if there is no clean water available.
Filtering
There are many commercial filters available. Stick to brands you trust and make sure they are made in the USA. There are plenty of crappy filters out there that are made in China that could leave you literally high and dry.
For a more primitive method, try the Birch cone method. Cut a 1ft by 1ft square of birch, aspen, or other paper like bark from a tree. Roll it into a cone. Place some small stones in the bottom to keep your material from falling out of the bottom. Tie a couple pieces of string around the outside to keep it in the cone shape. Now alternate putting layers of charcoal, grass, and sand. The sand and grass will filter the suspended solids in the water, and charcoal can filter bacteria. Run your water through the filter at least 3 times and keep changing the materials inside it for best results.
You can also use the earth to filter your water. Dig a hole next to a stream and let water filter through the sand and silt into your hole. This water will be reasonably clean, but may not be free of all bacteria.
Distilling with the Sun
Once again our old friend the sun has a great solution for us. Mother Earth news has a great article about how to build a solar still from scratch.
The still works by causing the water to first evaporate, then condense on a surface where you can collect it. Since 99% of solids and bacteria won’t evaporate with the water, the condensed water will be pure.
Let me know in the comments what your favorite water filtration methods are.
Well, as always,after reading all comments and conjectures, I end up asking myself, “who’s right”?
I know most people have considered water filtration, and ways to make the initial stages as portable as possible, but I thought of another way.
Keurig “K-cups.”
See, each one comes with coffee/tea/something else, which is always good to have on hand, but the more important thing they contain is a small paper filter.
If it keeps coffee grounds and tea leaves out of your cup, surely it can do the same for primary water filtration, when you’re in a jam, right?
Used ones are already prepared, as they’re punctured with a small drainage hole already. Just peel off the foil cover, empty the spent coffee grounds/tea leaves (chuck those in the composter or out in the garden where they’ll do some good) and give ‘em a quick rinse to get rid of the lats of the residue.
Sure, you won’t be able to use them for ten thousand gallons, but in a pinch, it’s a starting point in the filtration process. One that the vast majority of people will simply throw away, to fill local landfills to absolutely no benefit to anyone.
Just a thought…
What will filter out the chemical that got into West Virginia river January 2014?
News media seem to be hiding the chemical name.
They have issured a “Do not use” order and have not said anything about filtering. They also claim boilling will not help, another reason to have on hand at least a 2 week supply of water. Three months supply would be better.
I have taught science for 15 years and enjoy teaching more than the basics. Freezing water pushes impurities to the middle of ice cubes. We all have seen the cloudy cores. Let half the cubes melt then toss the cores. The ice melt is deionized and pure. You can boil it for absolute kill, but it is better than grass filtered any day.
What about chlorination?
I recently spent 3 days in the hospital from drinking bad water at my deep woods tent camp where I have drank the water for 40+ years without a problem. Terrible bacterial infection that literally caused pieces and strips of my colon to come out in the toilet bowl!
I could fliter but it would take forever to pump as much water as I use (3-4 gallons every 2 days) so I am thinking about cholrination????
Any suggestion appreciated.
Bill
As time progresses and we read your blogs we discover that you are no different than the other
Hype blogs although you might disagree on this but if you go back and read your stories you are found to be empty of substance and character. You only look for the bottom line which is how much
cash can you you get out of us who read you. Too bad, you are a disappointment to us who car read between the lines.
There are many people who enjoy the information from the blogs. Why not stop reading them if you don’t like it.
boiling/filtering
Joi, if you are saved and believe in God, Jesus, you won’t be here for the tribulation.
Hi Joi – I read your comment regarding the distilled pure water for drinking issue. I am a green girl who is going to look into drinking and cooking with distilled water. I think I might have to replenish the calcium with a tablet though. I am blessed by your mention of the “trib”, I have thought about what I will do to help myself and my loved ones get through the 7 last years before Jesus comes again Hallelujah!
Yes i agree water purification is a serious issue through the all above mentioned process but on the course of fast life its not possible always to go through all this process to purify water so why not to use such product that instantly gives us purified and germ free water.
Water purification through the process of distillation or water purifiers is always not possible in every place we go for work,travel or any other situations.The simple and easy way by which we can go for water purification without requirement of electricity,battery to charge or any other access. And its Life straw. for getting a complete details we can log in with http://www.safetykart.com
Try http://www.Sawyer.com…Its small,has a micron filter to remove bacteria and viruses,to clean it simply BACKFLUSH it with the very filtered water you get from it..Filter will filter 1 MILLION GALLONS of water..Ben from Texas
Because there’s so many seriously concerned intelligent survivalists on this blog, it will be worth the effort to straighten out the few misconceptions.
1.Distilled water is the best water to drink for general health and water purity purposes. It is akin to rainwater before our industries and habitat abuse polluted the skies and created such things as acid rain, and now with Monsanto style toxic chemtrail weather control,
Rain water is bad in some areas of the country. Pure distilled water, because of it’s molecular integration, has the chemical characteristic of being a natural super solvent and is a best kept secret among health proponents. Well, maybe not outside the tyranny of the AMA such as in Europe and other parts of the world. Besides being free of all pathogens and carcinogens,it actually leaches out the harmful excessive heavy metal mineral deposits we have built up in our bodies over the years which cause most of our ‘aging problems’. In other words distilled water is a cheap natural chelation method. The minerals and ground chemicals that well and lake waters carry ARE NOT THE SAME as the organic vitamin minerals you take. The iron from dirt in hard water is NOT the iron you supplement yourself with. Same with calcites, etc. The minerals and toxins you have been absorbing all your life from tap or well water is a big part of whats killing you. Most filters don’t remove these. That’s why Steam Distilled water bottles are in virtually ever grocery store these days, as people catch on to the health value–or at least the absence of further toxicity in your system. Steam distilled water would be what comes out of you teapot. If you added a coil to condense and capture that ‘steam’, it would be pure distilled water.
2. Hydrogen Peroxide comes in several different commercial forms. While the off the shelf 3% you buy everywhere is okay for gargling, it is NOT for consumption because of the chem residue during processing. ONLY food grade H202-which is nothing more than H2O with a second oxygen molecule, is for therapeutic consumption but NOT at the straight 35%. This will actually burn your skin as Ox is caustic in concentration. However it was used for many skin problems in old days.
The reason it kills bacteria and other pathogens is because they can’t survive in an over ox’d environment. There is seerioius evidence that the proper protocols cure most diseases, even cancers. Oxygen therapies are used my many physicians, mostly not in this country. (look up ‘The One Minute Cure’.)
3. Sorry to bust out our little survival ‘comfy-zones’ but in water filters, you get what you pay for. Otherwise a quick run through any cloth to get dead bugs and debris and simple boiling will be just as adequate. Add in a drop of chlorine or H202 and that would be even better. But Since situations are different, you would be prudent to analyze from you own situation and needs. For just a light bug out bag, which could possibly extend to many days of traveling, without time to boil, a good quality compactl pocket filter would be the best thing instead of carrying around extra weight and bulk coffee filters and sand/charoal For your stationary retreat, if you don’t have a decent well, and must rely on a lake/stream type water source or rain collection set up, then you should look into long term filtering processes.
There’s another type of very expedient and effective ‘Solar Still’ that i rarely see mentioned, likely due to our natural modernistic propensity to have the mentality that if it’s not a complex piece of machinery, it ain’t any good. It is simply a piece of plastic, preferably transparent, about 4′ square, that has saved many a downed pilot and other military personnel. Works very good if you have good daytime sun exposure and vegetation nearby. Its natural distilled water. Check into it.. .
3.
The problem with drinking distilled water is that is mineral free and tends to leech minerals from your body. Be sure you have a high quality multi mineral supply to go along with it.
Actually, William,the mineral difference between tap water and distilled water is minimal. So long as you’re eating normally, distilled water is safe and pure to drink.
I’m not debating that distilled water attracts and collects minerals. I’m simply saying that given the amount of minerals that people get from water verses the amount that we get from food, distilled water is not unhealthful to drink. It certainly won’t kill you in 72 hours. If your choice is to drink infected, but mineralized, water or drink distilled water, I do not want anyone believing they should not be drinking the pure water.
It’s not a myth!!! I use distilled water to remove unwanted impurities from gold when I refine it! Distilled water has to many free ions that naturally attract calcium & iron molecules to make it complete again & balanced, If you Had ever studied chemistry 101 you would known this even the military teaches you that, a little knowledge makes you dangerous to your fellow man. I would hope you will do your research before you talk out your backside. You have too many people following your every word! With that said you can make distilled water safe by simply adding a 500 mg calcium or iron tab to every gallon of water
That’s actually a myth. Distilled water is perfectly healthful to drink. Be careful about getting your water facts from filter companies.
i had to reply. i have drank nothing but distilled water everyday of my life since 1990!!! fact! i use it in ice, coffee, juice. rehydrating anything. i do not know where “goldenbullets” gets his 411 but brita is one of my best friends.i am lousy with taking pills of any kind. and yes i am aware of vitamins especially in an food crisis situation. dehydrated food has very very litle nutritional value. freeze dried foods do. so when you stock your emergency meal replacements do not forget the vitamins.the trib is gonna last 7 years the last 3.5 years are the worse. if u do not have the mark you will die. starve to daeth. because money will have no value and no one will sell to you without the mark. wee are rapidly progressing to a cash less society. i do not mind dieing for not taking the mark. but i’d rather be alive when jesus returns. thanks for all you do frank:)
You don’t want to drink distilled water without replacing the calcium & iron minerals back it Will strip the minerals from your body and kill you within 72 hours if you drink too much just a little will make you have flu like symptoms
Hey goldnbullets…I have an electric distilling machine. We drink and cook with this water
exclusively. The only time tap water touches us is in the shower. This
has been our only drinking water for over 15 years. In the summer I
drink a gallon a day. I’m not dead…What am I doing wrong???
solar still what date mother earth magazine is it in. thank you
solar still
the commit about adya clarity is incorrect see the articles at natural news and raw food world . bleach is a toxin and will cause liver failure with continued use . the solar still works well , used this process while in nam . hydrogen peroxide is a strong detox agent and is useful in moderation . when using distilled water make sure to get enough minerals from other sources . thank you frank for all you do .
Susan (and anyone else who needs it):
Here is the correct link to the Mother Earth News article: http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/solar-still-zmaz74sozraw.aspx#axzz2TrCHXlYk
Good Luck!!!!
I went to look at the solar still from scratch from Mother Earth news, and I couldn’t get on. This sounds like an easier thing to do.
Looking to build, on a shoe-string budget, a Drinking Water Distillation unit and a Solar Still for drinking water. One more item I saw a while back a solar unit for energy that looks like a dish (satilite type). Does anyone have the pictures and building instructions/materials? Article said it could be built for about $100.
Thanks for all you help. I live in the very hot SW desert where sun is abundant. Gardening has been a challenge, but the article from Ghost Dancer Wene was very helpful. Thank you Wene! And to all of you who contribute your great articles.
G-Ma (hard as nails)
The Swiss Army fiter is increadable. I have on many survival exercises taken the filter and pur it a mud trench from the road and it comes out drinkable and looks & taste clean. This filter is able to open and the filter & system may be cleaned. I am not sure of the filter spelling but I’ll give it a try “KADAYANE”
This system works. “I have used it many times with out fail”.
Most people do not have the pills for the water purification plus it does not taste great.
PURIFYING water involves sanitizing and filtering. Sanitizing means killing pathogens. Filtering means removing undesirable elements – most won’t harm you but some will (think lead or arsenic). While bacteria and virus are relatively easy to kill, some large pathogens are very hard to kill and they should be filtered.
A little pure Clorox will sanitize water – typically 5-20 drops per gallon (Lower for clear water, higher for dirty water. Stir/shake well and let stand for 30 minutes. Afterwards the water should have a slight chlorine smell. If not, add a few more drops and repeat the process.) The released chlorine will kill MOST pathogens however cryptosporidium and giardia cysts can survive in pure clorox for a good while. Almost EVERY raw water source, even Coors’ Rocky Mountain water, in the USA has crypto and giardi in it. You should ALWAYS pre-filter water with a maximum 5 micron absolute filter. BTW, the chlorine in Clorox declines about -2% per month if it is stored in a relatively cool location (even higher when warmer!) so if your Clorox is old you’ll need to use more.
UV, even from the sun, and heat will kill pathogens, even cysts. However, for UV, how will you know the pathogens are killed? To be somewhat sure, get a Steripen for bug-out water sterilization uses.
Heating the water will kill all the pathogens but “boil for 5 minutes” is wrong and uses a lot of precious energy. All pathogens, except for the ones living in superheated water in Yellowstone hot pools or undersea vents, are killed at 160-180F, even crypto and giardia. By the time the first real bubble breaks the surface, the water is sanitized. BTW, milk is pasteurized at 145°F (62.8°C) for 30 minutes or 161°F (71.7°C) for 15 sec and that kills the relatively hard to kill e-coli. Its a time/temperature thing.
You can use 2L PET (soda not milk) bottles and set them in the sun ALL DAY on a corrugated steel sheet angled to face the sun. If the water heats up to a minimum of 160F, the water is sterilized. Of course now you need a thermometer if the temperature is questionable.
Probably the best and most cost effective filter for major water-loss disasters and TEOTWAWKI situations is the emergency gravity filter from Premium-Water-Filters. Talk to Mark. He also has a filter that (allegedly) takes virus out in case you are ever stuck with no chlorine around. All the candle filters (Berkley etc) won’t do that and they cost more.
And in response to previous posters:
Gold does not kill pathogens. However, silver will. But the problem is still “how do you know?”
Pregnant women can not get drink water with too much Potassium Iodide for too long.
A sand filter does not filter out virus and small bacteria so make sure you use chlorine. I’d also be concerned with water “channeling” through the sand that lets cysts pass through like what happens in granular carbon filters. If you want to remove any residual chlorine, and anything larger than bacteria, post filter through a solid carbon block filter. The Premium-Water-Filters one does that.
REI and other camping stores sell a chlorine-based tablet that kills pathogens. Make sure whatever you get will kill crypto and giardia if you are not filtering too.
And for getting some chlorine that does not decay, get a pound of 68% Calcium Hypochlorite. That would treat 10,000 gallons of dirty water. However, the stuff is not play dough so research and know the handling precautions. If stored improperly it can release poisonous chlorine gas and even go BOOM so don’t store it in your house and NEVER in a container that has any metal in/on it. Or in glass containers for that matter.
Hey how about those cylidrical portable water purifiers I saw advertised? Where can I get one of those and how effective are they?
Distilled and reverse osmosis water has all the minerals taken out of it with the pollutants. Minerals are a have-or-die necessity for the body’s metabolism, growth, repair and healing. Prolonged drinking of mineral-free water will cause the body to cannibalize needed minerals out of the body’s own organs and bones to keep the blood at a do-or-die specific level. Find a way to replnentish those minerals for prolonged drinking periods.
THIS IS SO AMAZING.
35% hydrogen peroxide will also work.Make shure its foodgrade.Three to five drops per gal.
Is there a way to test the water for bacteria or contaminants.
Larry you can test drinking water with a potable water kit something like this one.
http://tektrak.co.uk/Tektrak-D-Potable-Water-Kit
Since I’m old and tired I’ll take the solar method.Thank you Frank.
We use a sheet of black plastic about 6′ 0 X 6’0 Tie the cornors off and dig a small pit 2 to 3 feet deep place a small container in center of the pit streach the plastic over the pit placing a small
rock in center of plastic sheet directly over the container. Let nature fill you container with nice clean water, If small tube is avable insert it into the container and suck out water as needed
works great when nothing else will work.Place in full sunlight.
I read that if you put water in a clear bottle and let it get 6 hours of sunlight that it is purified. I have Brita filters and first filter my water. Thank goodness I have sunny window sills where I put my water. I get so many hours of sunlight in front and back of my apartment. I switch back and
forth. I went to an Indian Dr several years ago and they told me about Gold Water where you put 14 carat or more in a bottle of water for 30 minutes to purify it. I have a pair of 14 carat gold earrrings that I put in my water in the sun also. I also saw a report from a Dr that using SSKI which is liquid Potassium Iodide in your drinking glass with purify your water when you are traveling. This can be purchased online very cheaply.
When using the gold you have to put it in the sun also.
A fifty gallon plastic drum filled with sand and a spout at the bottom pour water in the top it will filter out most contamination then add one tbls of bleach per five gallons. Bleach is worth its weight in gold purifies water kills germs. During a viral outbreak washing surfaces with it can be the difference between life or death.
I hear a lot about using bleach in water but bleach cause cancer. and tumors
what about coffee filters?
Nice Post!!! Thank you, for this insightful post.
Remember the USA made First Needs water purifier (portable) made by General Ecology. A bit more expensive but remember it is your life at stake.
If you store water that is from a reverse osmosis filtering system, how often would you have to change it? Or will it be safe to drink in a year or two? Would you still need to add a small amount of bleach to keep it “pure”?
Thanks for the info on opening cans without a can opener. Good information.
All for want of a true government for THE PEOPLE,by the people ??
Chech-out Adya Clarity on the net ( magnetic sulfate minerals ), it does not matter if your water has chlorine,bacteria or other invisible contaminants they will be ameliorated and treated water will be good to drink. All contaminants will fall to the bottem, skim the top and drink!
How come no mention of water in swimming pools? I have a 15000 gallon salt purified pool, it does not seem to bother any of the animals drinking it. Is it usable if boiled or treated? And covered to prevent evaporation in times of need?
I store my water in a 5 gallon cube of thick, reagent grade plastic, and stored in the dark. For 5 gallons of water I add 1/2 teaspoon of Chlorox bleach. Today I tasted 8 oz of the water that has been treated and stored this way for 10 years. The water was crystal clear (good indicator for purity) and tasted wonderful.
Great article! I lean toward the solar still, but the boil, bleach, filter method is very good.
Great article!!
Thanks for the study and info. Mike
Of corse, the SUN. Hopefully it will always be there. Im a farm boy from northen Illinois, with out the sun, we would not have crops & with out crops we could not feed the cows. So I have to say realize on the sun!
Concerning Water/H2o . . . Seems The Best is adding 8-Drops of unScented Bleach
to a Gallon b4 Boiling…Yes I do this now…Swish the water around w/the Bleach in it.
I tell You…That Water Tastes CLEAN…We have a little chemical taste here even tho
our water is real nice tasting – After this process it is VERY CLEAN & I would say
100% PURE!!!…of course if u ran it thru another good/great modern filter system
after this method > The BEST ! … just do a on “water purification” & you’ll
have ALL The INFO You Need – ALSO: What is good to know is how often to RePlenish
your water supply, cuz it can go bad…think it’s 6 months? … YouTube has of
Tips’n'Tricks for Survival Management…
Get Your NEWS from an Honest Source > gcnLIVE.com
ALEX JONES & CREW Of Great Hosts…or other such Info-Sites, Here’s a good one…
…The latest interesting ‘TIP’ was “How To” open a Can w/o a Can-Opener…:=o ?
> SOLUTION: Just rub the top round edge on a corse surface like cement & it
will gradually grind the round band that holds the top on…BINGO! > BEANS! Etc.
THANKS GUYS ! NICE TO FIND YER BLOG :=))
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wow, im blown away, water purification who knew it would b so easy! keep up the good work!!!