How to Purify Water

If you’re unsure about the water you’re about to drink, don’t leave it to chance and purify the water yourself. Purifying water gets rid of viruses, bacteria, parasites or toxic materials that can leave you very sick indeed. The easiest way is buying a commercial water purifier to take along. In case you haven’t, here’s how to keep you and your loved ones safe by purifying your own water.

Boiling

Materials

• Boiling pot
• Stove

Procedure

The most well-known way of purifying water yourself is boiling. Boil the water to a full, roiling boil for at least a complete minute and let cool. If you’re more than one mile above sea level, you should boil for three minutes.

Cloth Filter

Materials

• Clean cotton or silk
• Clean coke or water bottle
• Cutter
• Alum or Aluminum Sulfate

Procedure

1. Cut out the bottom part of the clean coke or water bottle.
2. Stuff in the cloth filter, such as a cotton handkerchief or a clean cotton sock, into the neck of the bottle.
3. Make sure that a water container is ready as you filter the water through the cloth.
4. You can add a bit of alum in the water first before filtering through the cloth. After adding the alum, leave the water to settle for a while as it causes the impurities to coagulate and easier to filter through the cloth.

Granular Calcium Hypochlorite

Materials

• High-test granular calcium hypochlorite
• Teaspoon
• At least two gallons of water

Procedure

1. Measure a heaping teaspoon of calcium hypochlorite, or around 1/4 of an ounce to two gallons of water. In smaller portions, that would be seven grams to 7.5 liters of water. This is the disinfecting solution.
2. Take one part of the disinfecting solution for 100 parts of water that you need to purify. Obviously, this step is best if you need to make big amounts of purified water.

Chlorine or Iodine Tablets

Chlorine or iodine tablets are available in most camping stores, drug stores and sporting goods store. Follow the instructions on the label. If there are no accompanying instructions, use one tablet for each quart or liter of water that you want purified. Let it sit for 30 minutes before consuming.

2% Tincture of Iodine

2% tincture of iodine is available in most first aid kits, and it can be used for purifying water as well. Use a dropper and put 20 drops of iodine for every gallon of water. Put 40 drops of water if the water is cloudy. Let the water stand for 30 minutes before consuming.

Solar Water Disinfection

Put the water in clear plastic PET bottles, and expose the bottles to direct sunlight for six hours. This can be tricky on cloudy days or when you need the water immediately.

Improving the Taste

To improve the taste of purified water, you must aerate it. To do so, pour the water between two clean water container several times. Adding a pinch of salt to each liter of water. These methods will help lessen the flat taste that comes with purified water.