Water contaminated with germs can often be made safe to drink in an emergency by boiling, adding disinfectants, or filtering.
IMPORTANT: Water contaminated with fuel or toxic chemicals will not be made safe by boiling or disinfection. Use bottled water or a different water source if you know or suspect that your water might be contaminated with fuel or toxic chemicals.
If you don’t have safe bottled water, you should boil your water to make it safe to drink. Boiling is the surest method to kill disease-causing organisms, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
You can improve the flat taste of boiled water by pouring it from one container to another and then allowing it to stand for a few hours OR by adding a pinch of salt for each quart or liter of boiled water.
If the water is cloudy:
1️⃣ Filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter OR allow it to settle.
2️⃣ Draw off the clear water.
3️⃣ Bring the clear water to a rolling boil for 1 minute (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for three minutes).
4️⃣ Let the boiled water cool.
5️⃣ Store the boiled water in clean, sanitized containers with tight covers.
If the water is clear, follow steps 3 through 5 above.
If you don’t have safe bottled water and if boiling is not possible, you can often make small quantities of filtered and settled water safer to drink by using a chemical disinfectant such as unscented household chlorine bleach. For more information on how to safely use disinfectants, see this webpage — https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/emergency/making-water-safe.html If you have other tips, share them below in the comments, and kindly repost this message to your neighbors on Nextdoor by clicking the "Share" button/arrow below and then "Repost in newsfeed."
