Clean drinking water is a necessity in any human’s life. It’s true that people cannot live for more than a few days without water. Some regions may not have readily available water where you can hydrate yourself, however. You must take that extra step in order to purify your resources. Consider the top 7 things that you can do when safe drinking water is unavailable. There are a few tricks that can really improve the water’s taste and quality level.
Try Boiling
The National Park Service suggests boiling your water. It’s one of the most effective ways of killing off any microbes within the liquid. Add the water to a pot that can be placed over an open flame, such as at a campground or on a stovetop. Set the heat to high. The water needs to boil for at least one minute in order to remove all of the contaminants.
Remove the pot from the heat and cover it. Allow it to cool down. If the water remains exposed, it can become contaminated once again. Some of the liquid will evaporate from the pot too. Store the water in plastic or glass containers after cooling it down. You can technically boil several pots of water and continually store the purified liquid until safe water is available again.
Consider Filtration Bottles and Pitchers
Try filters on your water bottles or household pitchers. The questionable water moves through the filters and into your receptacle. These filters are specially designed so that you won’t taste or become infected by any microbes.
Look for high-quality filtration, such as from Fill2Pure United States. Your bottles can go anywhere with a clean filter. Fill up the bottle on the road without any concerns. They’re particularly helpful when you’re on vacation in a foreign country. You don’t have to rely on expensive bottled water. Simply carry your personal bottle around.
Remember that the filters must be replaced after a certain time frame. Try to bring extra filters on any trip so that you’re always prepared.
Distill the Water
Distill water by creating a can-and-tube arrangement at home. You’re essentially capturing steam or evaporated water. This strategy removes contaminants through the heating and condensation process. The water that you capture as steam has every heavy metal removed from the liquid. Microbes are essentially wiped away as the water moves into the air as evaporated molecules.
You can also create a distiller by digging a hole in the damp ground. Place a can at the center of the hole, and cover it with plastic sheeting. Water that condenses onto the plastic from the moisture in the soil and air will be clean to drink. Simply find a sunny area in order to effectively evaporate the water.
Drop in Disinfecting Tablets
Try a purchase of disinfecting tablets when you go on your next adventure, advises Outdoor Life. These tablets can be stored for a year or longer. Drop them into your questionable water and wait for the allotted time. Almost every microbe will be neutralized afterward.
Most tablets use iodine as a disinfecting tool. Be aware that the water might taste like iodine after the disinfection process. This taste is a minor price to pay when the alternative is dehydration or worse.
Remember to replace the tablets if they get too old. The disinfecting power will diminish over time. You don’t want to deal with questionable water created by old tablets. The microbes may not be inactive, and digestive issues will occur.
Use the Sun
National Public Radio maintains that ultraviolet light is a clever tool against microbes in water. Many municipal facilities use light as a way to purify large pools of water.
You can use this concept with a plastic bottle. Be sure that the plastic bottle is free from contaminants, including its physical construction. Fill the bottle up, and place it directly in the sun for a full day. The ultraviolet light works as a decontaminating tool, which kills off most microbes.
There are several drawbacks to this method, which always requires a sunny day to work at optimal levels. However, it remains an option if you’re in a difficult situation. The water should look fresh and clear when the sunny day is over.
Look for Fresh-Water Sources
Safe drinking water may be available in your area, but you’ll have to look for it. Consider a trip to a protected watershed. You might hike up a hill to the top of a streaming river too. Fresh water is typically found at the origination point of a source, and it’s simply contaminated as it moves closer to urban or rural communities.
Some trees have ample water hidden within their trunks. Press a spile into a tree. Give it a few minutes to create a pathway for any liquid inside. This spile trick works on certain trees in specific regions. Research the trees in your local area in order to be ready with a spile in the woods.
Explore Bleach Purification
Use several drops of bleach on a quart of water housed in a plastic container. Shake the mixture up. Place it in a shady area that’s around room temperature. Wait for at least 30 minutes.
Open up the container and give it a sniff. You should smell chlorine, which is similar to a pool’s scent. If bleach is still the dominant scent, allow the mixture to sit for longer. The bleach kills off the microbes while absorbing into the water molecules. Because you’re using such a small amount of bleach on the water, hurting yourself with this chemical isn’t possible. It’s working on the microbes at the molecular level.
When you purify any water, be sure to follow the directions as carefully as possible. The water will eventually make it into your body. You want it to be as free from chemicals, bacteria and mould as possible. Your body will respond in a healthy manner to the influx of fluid. At some point, you’ll have better resources so that purifying your water won’t be necessary.
