I've seen so many videos lately of people stacking cases of bottled water and calling it a water storage plan. I get it. It's easy and it's right there at the store. But if you're storing water for the long haul, plain bottled water is one of the weakest ways to do it. Here's why, and what to do instead.
Not all plastic is made to last
Water bottles and soda bottles are made from PET plastic (the #1 in the recycling triangle). Gallon jugs from the grocery store are thin HDPE (#2), the same kind as milk jugs. Both are made to be cheap and light, not to sit in a closet for years.
- Gallon jugs are made to break down. The thin plastic gets brittle and the seams split. Most people who store them find leaks within about a year, often all over a closet floor.
- Thin bottles let smells in. Plastic is slightly porous. Store water near gasoline, paint or cleaners, and over time the water can start to taste like them.
- Heat makes it worse. PET contains a small amount of a metal called antimony. Studies have found more of it moves into the water as bottles get hotter and older. At room temperature the amount stays very low, but a hot garage, car or shed speeds it up. Here in Florida, that matters.
- Light grows algae. Clear bottles let light in, and light helps anything living in the water grow.
So how long does it really last?
- Cases of bottled water: the water itself doesn't spoil, but the bottle does. Kept cool and dark, use and replace them within about a year or two.
- Store-bought gallon jugs: great for a storm next week, not for storage. Plan on months, not years.
- 2-liter soda bottles you fill yourself: these are the best free option. They're thicker than water bottles because they're made to hold carbonation. Refill them with fresh tap water every 6 months, and recycle any bottle that's cloudy, cracked or dented.
Using what you already have
If you're just starting, use what you've got. That's how I tell everyone to begin.
- Soda and juice bottles (PET): wash with dish soap, then sanitize with 1 teaspoon of unscented bleach in a quart of water. Shake, pour out, and fill with tap water. Date it.
- Glass jars: glass doesn't leach anything, so it's great for water. Keep jars in their original boxes or between towels on a low shelf, because glass breaks. Leave a little room at the top if they might freeze.
- Skip milk and juice jugs. Milk leaves proteins you can't fully wash out, and bacteria love them.
- Fill the gaps in your freezer with bottles of water (leave room at the top). A full freezer stays cold longer in an outage, and you have drinking water as it thaws.
What to use instead
Containers made for water storage are thick, food-grade HDPE, BPA-free, and usually blue to block light. They don't break down like jugs, and they have a spigot or a pump so you can actually use the water.
- Can't spend much yet? Start with one 5 or 7-gallon cube with a spigot. That's a couple of days of water for a family in one container.
- Ready for more? A 55-gallon drum holds about 2 weeks of water for a family of 4. Fill it where it'll live, because it weighs about 460 pounds full.
- Want it to last? Add a water preserver concentrate when you fill, and the water keeps up to 5 years.
I laid it all out by level on my Water page, with sizes and prices: what everyone should have, where to start, and what's better.
Quick water tips most beginners don't know
- Your water heater holds 30 to 50 gallons of clean water. Turn off the power or gas before you drain it.
- The toilet tank (not the bowl) is clean water if you don't use bleach tablets in it. Use it for washing or boil it to drink.
- Put containers on a board or pallet, not right on the floor. It protects them from spills and makes them easier to move and clean around.
- Keep a filter and a way to treat water, because stored water always runs out eventually. A LifeStraw and a gravity bag cost less than $50 together.
Use what you have now, and upgrade one container at a time. That's how a real water supply gets built.