Top 5 Easy Ways to Purify Water

Water is one of the most important elements of our planet; without it, life as we know it would not exist. The human body can go weeks without food but can only survive days without water. 

With the world becoming more polluted and contaminated, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find clean water at your local tap. The easiest way to assure that you and your family have access to clean water is by purifying it yourself or use a water treatment service. In todays day and age you can also find water purification tablets available across the counter.

There are hundreds of different ways to purify water, but we will look at the top 5 easiest methods. 

Using a Water Purifier

There are dozens of different types of water purifiers available. Some use chemicals to kill the bacteria, while others mechanically filter the water to remove contaminants. 

Most people depend on the best water purifiers for home use, to ensure safe and drinkable water for their families.

However the most common type of purifier is a portable water filtration bottle. These drinking bottles use a built-in filter to remove bacteria and contaminants from the water. 

All you have to do is fill the bottle up with water and screw on the filter. The purifier will use the water passing through the filter to remove impurities. 

Be sure to follow the instructions and only fill up the bottle with as much water as it can filter. If you fill it up too much, the purifier will not be able to remove all of the contaminants and bacteria from the water. 

These bottles are great for camping, traveling, or even if the power goes out in your house. Just fill up a few of these bottles, and you will have a good supply of purified water to get you through the night. 

Boiling Water

Boiling water is probably the easiest and most effective way to purify water. When water boils, it turns into steam, leaving all of the contaminants behind. 

You may be wondering why you would want to boil your water instead of using a purifying system? Using boiling water is completely free, and there are no extra costs. On the other hand, a purifying system can cost a good amount of money. 

All you have to do is fill your container about halfway up with water, place it on the stove and turn the heat to high. You do not want water to boil, but you do want it to be steaming. 

As the water gets close to boiling, small bubbles will start to form on the bottom of your pot. Let your water continue to steam until the bubbles start to become larger and more frequent. Once you have a steady stream of large bubbles, your water is ready to drink. 

Be sure to let your water cool down before drinking it, or else you may burn yourself. If you are in a survival situation, you can also use your container to hold water. Just fill it up and place it in the sun to collect heat. Then, place your container in the shade, and you will have warm water to drink all day long. 

Cleaning Water Valves with Bleach

If you have a hot water valve but no way to boil the water, you can treat it with bleach. A lot of homes use this method to purify their water supply. 

First, turn off the electricity or water leading to your hot water tank. Make sure you know which switch you are dealing with before proceeding. 

Take a small tube and fill it up with bleach. Insert the tube into the hot water valve until it is submerged. Run the water through the hot water valve until you see a steady stream of bleach coming from it. 

This method will only work if you run the water through the hot water valve. You can either turn on all of your faucets and let them run until they are all the way open or if your house is equipped with a dishwasher, you can run it as well. 

Only turn on as many faucets or run the dishwasher as you need to. If you leave all of the valves open, the water pressure will be too low, and it will take too long to purify the water. 

Run the water for about fifteen minutes before turning the electricity or water back on. This will give the bleach time to kill any bacteria present in your hot water supply line. 

Distilling Water

This method is another most effective way of purifying water, but it is also the most costly and time-consuming. You can purchase a distiller that fits on your countertop or one that you hook to the sink. 

These devices boil the water and then condense the steam into pure drinking water. Not only do they kill any bacteria and other microbes in the water, but they also get rid of any chemicals and pesticides that may be present. 

The only downside to distilling water is the amount of power that these devices use. If you don’t have access to a lot of electricity, using this method can be too costly. 

Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS)

The SODIS method uses the UV rays from the sun to kill microorganisms in the water. To use this water treatment method, you need a clear plastic bag and a small sheet of plastic. 

First, fill up the bag with the water you want to purify and seal it up tightly. Let the water sit in direct sunlight for six hours. 

After six hours, take the bag of water inside and seal it up with the plastic sheet to prevent any contamination from occurring. 

Leave it in there for another two hours before you open it up and drink the water. 

This method is great for when you are traveling or if the power goes out. It does not take a lot of equipment, and it does not cost anything to use. 

Conclusion 

As you can see, purifying water is essential if you want to stay alive. 

No matter where you are or what your circumstances are, if you don’t have clean water to drink, you will get sick and possibly die. 

Follow these methods and make sure you keep yourself and your family hydrated and healthy in any situation.