If you are homesteading or in a survival situation, water will always be your primary need. If you have a source for fresh water on your homestead, that’s a huge advantage, but you also might need to purify the water.
Whether you are collecting water from a stream, spring, rainwater, or what have you, it’s important to be able to make the water drinkable using one of many possible purification methods. Here are a few of the easiest and most popular purification methods for your consideration:
Boiling
By far the easiest way to purify water, it is not always the simplest, especially for large amounts of water. But in a pinch, this will be your go-to, given you have the energy and container to boil a large amount of water. By bringing the water to a boiling point and letting it simmer for five minutes, you will kill the vast majority of harmful bacteria and microorganisms.
Chlorine treatment
This is another common way to purify water, and typically what your municipal water provider will use. Chlorine isn’t ideal for many people, especially those who are health-minded, but when the choice is between contaminated water or no water at all, and drinking water with chlorine in it, having chlorine tablets or bleach around to purify water is prudent. It doesn’t take much, usually 2 drops of chlorine bleach per quart.
Filtering
It’s not too complicated to make a DIY water filter that will remove the majority of water impurities, and this might be a possible long-term solution for regular water consumption. What you do is find a container that can funnel the water, upside down plastic pop bottles are the popular choice, and fill 1/3 of the way with sand, 1/3 of the way with charcoal, and 1/3 of the way with pebbles. Cover the spout with cloth or screen mesh, then pour your water through.
These are a few basic ways to filter water, but there are other, more complicated options out there like purification tablets, distillation, and higher-dollar filters that might suit your needs long-term. But in a pinch, if you have no money or find yourself cut off from modern water supply, these are great methods to know.
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