When we are outdoors, how to quickly get safe drinking water, to ensure the safety of water, this is the outdoor enthusiast’s worth attention
Bring to the boil
If you do not have safe bottled water, you should boil the water to make sure it is safe to drink. Boiling is the surest way to kill disease-causing bacteria, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
You can improve the bland taste of boiled water in the following ways
Pour it from one container to another and let it sit for a few hours, or
Add a little salt to every quart or liter of boiling water.
Boiling water steps:
If the water is cloudy, strain it first with a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter, or let it sit. Then, drain the water and follow these steps.
Boil clean water for 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 feet).
Let the boiling water cool.
Store boiling water in a clean, sterilized container and cover it with a lid.
Disinfect
If you do not have safe bottled water and cannot boil it, you can use chemical disinfectants (such as unscented household chlorine bleach, iodine, or chlorine dioxide tablets) to make small amounts of the water safer to drink.
Disinfectants can kill most harmful or disease-causing viruses and bacteria, but most disinfectants * are not as effective as boiling at killing more resistant bacteria, such as the parasites cryptosporidium and giardia.
Chlorine dioxide tablets can kill cryptosporidium if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions correctly.
If the water contains harmful chemicals or radioactive materials, adding disinfectant will make it undrinkable.
Use bleach to disinfect the water
Bleach comes in different concentrations. Before you begin disinfecting the water, check the label of the bleach you use to determine its concentration. Typically, unscented household liquid chlorine bleach contains between 5 and 9 percent sodium hypochlorite in the United States, but attention may vary in other countries.
Steps for disinfecting water with bleach
If the water is cloudy, strain it first with a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter, or let it sit. Then, drain the water and follow these steps.
- Disinfect drinking water according to the directions on the bleach label.
- If there are no instructions on the label to disinfect drinking water, check the label for “Active ingredient” to find the percentage of sodium hypochlorite. Then use the information in the following table as a guide. Use a medicinal dropper, teaspoon, or metric measuring tool (ml) to add the appropriate amount of bleach.
- Stir the mixture thoroughly.
- Let it sit for at least 30 minutes before drinking.
- Store the sterilized water in a clean, sterilized container and cover it well.
- Use bleach with a concentration of 5 to 9 percent sodium hypochlorite (the most common in the United States) to make the water safe to use. If the water is cloudy, cloudy, colored, or very cold, add double the following amount of bleach.
Use chemical tablets to disinfect the water
If you do not have safe bottled water, you can use water treatment tablets to disinfect the water. These tablets are popular among campers, hikers, and other countries. They are available in different sizes and are designed to handle specific amounts of water.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the label or package.
- Chlorine dioxide tablets can kill bacteria, including cryptosporidium if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions correctly.
Iodine tablets, iodide-containing tablets (tetraglycine hydrocodone), or chlorine tablets kill most bacteria, but not cryptosporidium. Water sterilized with iodine is not recommended for pregnant women, people with thyroid problems, or people with known iodine allergies. It’s also not recommended to use it continuously – don’t use it for more than a few weeks at a time.
Note 1
| 1 quart/liter water | 1-gallon water | 5 gallons water |
| If you have a dropper: Add 2 drops of bleach |
If you have a dropper: Add 8 drops of bleach |
If you have a dropper: Add 40 drops of bleach |
| If you have something that measures milliliters (mL): Add 0.1 mL of bleach |
If you have something that measures milliliters (mL): Add ½ mL of bleach |
If you have something that measures milliliters (mL): Add 2½ mL of bleach |
| If you have a measuring spoon: Add a tiny amount (too small to measure) |
If you have a measuring spoon: Add a little less than ⅛ teaspoon |
If you have a measuring spoon: Add ½ teaspoon of bleach |
Note 2
| Making water safe to use with bleach having a 1% concentration of sodium hypochlorite | ||
| 1 quart/liter water | 1-gallon water | 5 gallons water |
| If you have a dropper: Add 10 drops of bleach |
If you have a dropper: Add 40 drops of bleach |
If you have a dropper: Add 200 drops of bleach |
| If you have something that measures milliliters (mL): Add ½ mL of bleach |
If you have something that measures milliliters (mL): Add 2½ mL of bleach |
If you have something that measures milliliters (mL): Add 12½ mL of bleach |
| If you have a measuring spoon: Add ⅛ teaspoon of bleach |
If you have a measuring spoon: Add ½ teaspoon of bleach |
If you have a measuring spoon: Add 2½ teaspoons of bleach |
Making water safe to use with bleach having a 1% concentration of sodium hypochlorite (this concentration is not expected in the US but is used in other countries). If the water is cloudy, murky, colored, or very cold, add double the amount of bleach listed below.
Filter
Many portable water filters remove disease-causing parasites such as cryptosporidium and giardia from drinking water.
- If you choose a portable water filter:(https://www.gowakiwaki.com/product-category/outdoor-water-filter/)
- Try to select a filter with a filter aperture small enough (absolute aperture 1 micron or less) to remove parasites such as Giardia and cryptosporidium. Portable water filters do not remove viruses, and most portable water filters do not remove bacteria.
- Carefully read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the water filter you use.
After filtration, disinfectants such as iodine, chlorine, or chlorine dioxide are added to the filtered water to kill any viruses and bacteria.
other methods
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Ultraviolet Light (UV Light)
Ultraviolet light (UV light) can be used to kill some bacteria.
Portable devices that provide a dose of UV help disinfect small amounts of clear water. Uv rays are less effective in cloudy water because small particles may block light from reaching bacteria.
If the water is cloudy, strain it first with a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter, or let it sit. Water is then pumped out and disinfected with ultraviolet light.
Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Solar energy disinfection
In an emergency, the sun’s rays can improve water quality. This method can reduce some bacteria in the water.
Use sunlight to disinfect water:
Fill a clean, clear plastic bottle with water. Solar disinfection does not work well on cloudy water because small particles may block bacteria in the light.
If the water is cloudy, strain it first with a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter, or let it sit. Then, the water is pumped out and disinfected with the sun.
Place the bottle on its side and leave it in the sun for 6 hours (if sunny) or 2 days (if cloudy). Setting the bottle down allows the sun’s rays to disinfect the water inside more effectively.
Placing the bottle on a dark surface also helps the sun’s rays disinfect the water more effectively.
