Some of the Best Ways to Purify Water

How long can you live without water? Depending on your body, you can live about 3-days without any water. Some people may last a day or two longer whereas others could die before 3-days. This is why it is so important to know some of the best ways to purify water. 

Dehydration: The Time Period Varies

An adult body is made up of 60% water and a child’s body is made up of 75% water. This is why you can’t survive without water for very long. Almost every function in your body needs water to survive. The exact amount of time you can survive without water varies on the following factors: 

• Environmental conditions
• Activity level
• Age
• Health
• Weight
• Sex
• Food intake

When it comes to survival, the number one thing you need is water! 

Why Do You Need to Know the Best Ways to Purify Water

We never know what could happen. Think about the coronavirus pandemic, nobody could have predicted how it would impact our lives. Those who were prepared for emergency situations are doing far better than those who did not. 
When it comes to knowing how to purify water, there are several reasons you would need to know. 

1. You could be stranded on an island surrounded by salt water. 
2. You could be lost in the forest and run out of water. 
3. There could be a hurricane in which you don’t have fresh, clean water.
4. Any natural disaster could make it where you can’t go to the store and buy water, or that you no longer have clean running water in your faucets. 
5. Anything that could happen that puts water is in short supply. 

Best Ways to Purify Water

As you can tell, being able to purify water is really important, especially if you are in a situation where you can’t find any clean drinking water. Once you find drinking water, you can purify it in the following ways:

Boil It

Probably the easiest way to purify your water is to boil it. Although boiling may not evaporate all forms of chemical pollution, it is a reliable way to kill parasites, bacteria, and other pathogens often found in water. 

The best way to make sure you kill everything is to have the water at a rolling boil for about 10-minutes. However, you may need slightly more time over an open flame. Heating water 5-minutes at a rapid boil will kill most organisms, but 10-minutes is much safer. 

Use Iodine Tablets or Crystals

Another effective and convenient method of purifying your water is to use iodine tablets or crystals. You can find these on Amazon. You can keep them in a bug out bag, in your car, or on your person whenever you leave the house. These tablets have the ability to kill viruses and bacteria. 

To use them, you will drop them in the water that you have found. Shake your container and hold the bottle upside down. You will need to let them dissolve and mix into the water for 30-minutes before you can drink the treated water. 

This method is not suited for pregnant women. Additionally, it may have a bad aftertaste that you may not like. However, beggars can’t be choosers, right?!

Use Chlorine

If you have bleach or chlorine, you can use it to purify your water. Bleach kills just about anything, and that includes bacteria that may be found in your water. Adding bleach to water can quite literally make it drinkable again.

For every gallon of water you want to purify, you will want to add 1/8 of a teaspoon of bleach. This is recommended by the CDC. Allow the bleach to sit in the water for 30-minutes. At that point, you will notice the water has a slight chlorine odor. 

If you are not using a gallon size container, you can use drops. You want to put only about 8 drops of bleach into your bottle of water. If you add too many drops of bleach, you can make the water poisonous. 

Portable Water Filtration System

Another option is to make sure you have a portable water filtration system with you at all times possible. This is a good idea if you are going camping, hiking, or into unfamiliar territory where you could be lost or stranded without water. 

These systems would be a little heavier to carry than iodine or bleach. However, they remove bacteria and viruses and do not leave you with an awful taste. Keep in mind that you will need to replace filters and parts after treating several gallons of water. Most systems come with complete instructions to help you out.

This is my favorite one: Berkey Sports Bottle for camping or traveling. For short-term emergencies: Go Berkey System

Ultraviolet Light to Purify Water

Another way to purify your water is through the use of ultraviolet light. An ultraviolet purifying light looks similar to a small flashlight. It will need batteries to operate, so if you bring it with you, make sure you bring extra batteries too. 

To purify your water, all you need to do is swish the light around the water for just a few minutes. After a few minutes, the bacteria will be killed. However, the solid particles in the water will not be filtered out. You may want to run the water through a clean clothe to help catch the solid particles.

Whether you are out in the wilderness, hiking, mountain climbing, camping, or just ran out of fresh, clean water, these are all the best ways to purify your water. 

Foods to Increase Water Supply

Only 2.5% of the water on planet Earth is actually drinkable. If you are unable to get to a water source, there are ways to help prevent dehydration for a time. This is because we don’t only get hydrated from water and other beverages. Food provides us with 20% of the water we need on a daily basis. 

If you are in a situation where you can’t find water to drink, these foods have the highest amount of water available:

• Cantaloupe
• Strawberries
• Watermelon
• Lettuce
• Cabbage
• Celery
• Yogurt
• Cottage Cheese
• Shrimp
• Salmon
• Chicken

Consuming foods that are high in water will help to prevent dehydration. However, food alone is not going to be enough to sustain you in the long-term. However, if you can’t find a water source, try to find something you can eat that has water in it. 

Final Word

If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to know how to store water for drinking and cooking. If you have an adequate amount of water stored, it could save your life while you are looking for more water to purify. 

Related: How to Store Water for Drinking and Cooking

What have you done to prepare for a shortage of water, whether due to a disaster or an accident? Share your tips in the comments below! 

Sharing is caring! Don’t forget to pin this post to Pinterest for others to learn more about purifying their water. May God bless this world, Linda

Copyright Images: Water Faucet Deposit photos_66719227_s-2019, Water Deposit photos_2879896_s-2019