The first hour
- Use bottled water or boiled water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, making ice and baby formula.
- To boil: bring water to a rolling boil for 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 feet). Let it cool.
- If you can't boil: add 8 drops (about 1/8 teaspoon) of plain unscented 6% household bleach per gallon of clear water. Stir and wait 30 minutes. Use 16 drops if the water is cloudy (EPA). Filter cloudy water through a cloth first.
- Throw out ice made since the notice.
The first day
- Wash dishes in a dishwasher with a hot cycle and sanitizing setting, or rinse hand-washed dishes in a bleach solution (1 teaspoon unscented bleach per gallon of water).
- Showers are usually okay for adults. Don't swallow the water. Sponge-bathe babies and young kids.
- Wash hands with soap and boiled or bottled water, or use hand sanitizer.
The first week and beyond
- When the notice lifts, run cold taps for several minutes to flush pipes, as your utility directs.
- Flush water lines in fridges and ice makers. Throw out the first batches of ice.
- Change filters on water pitchers and fridges.
Get ready now: checklist
Your checks save on this phone.
Common mistakes
- Using scented or 'splash-less' bleach to treat water.
- Forgetting the ice maker and fridge dispenser.
- Brushing teeth with tap water.
- Thinking a pitcher filter makes water safe from germs. Most don't.
Keeping kids calm
- Put a sticky note on faucets: 'Don't drink!'
- Fill a pitcher of safe water at kid height.
- Mix baby formula only with bottled or boiled, cooled water.
Gear that helps
- Gravity water filter: my pick, Membrane Solutions 1 Gallon Gravity Water Filter
- Water filter bag: my pick, Membrane Solutions 1 Gallon Gravity Water Filter
- Stockpot with lid
- Medicine dropper
- Unscented bleach (check date; it weakens with age)
- Collapsible water containers: my pick, Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7 gal
- Water bricks: my pick, WaterBrick 3.5 gal
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Sources
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Prepper tricks for this
Water (10)
Store water the cheap way
Cost: Basically free using soda bottles and tap water.
Why it works: Clean tap water in clean, sealed containers stays safe; the 6-month swap keeps it fresh.
How to do it
- Store at least 1 gallon per person per day for at least 3 days; 2 weeks is better if you can.
- Use food-grade containers or washed 2-liter soda bottles.
- Avoid milk jugs. They're hard to clean and break down over time.
- Write the date on each one. Store tap water in a cool, dark spot and replace it every 6 months.
Safety: Don't store water near gasoline, pesticides or cleaners; plastic can absorb fumes.
Source: Ready.gov: Water
Plain bleach: 8 drops per gallon
Cost: A $4 jug of bleach can treat thousands of gallons.
Why it works: Chlorine kills most bacteria and viruses. It's how cities treat drinking water.
How to do it
- Use plain unscented household bleach (6% or 8.25% sodium hypochlorite). No scented, color-safe or splash-less bleach.
- If the water is cloudy, let it settle and pour the clear water off, or filter it first.
- Add 8 drops per gallon for 6% bleach, or 6 drops per gallon for 8.25%. Double it if the water is cloudy or very cold.
- Stir and wait 30 minutes. It should smell faintly of bleach.
- If there's no bleach smell, add the same dose again and wait 15 more minutes.
Safety: Bleach loses strength over time, so replace your jug about once a year. It's less reliable against some parasites like Cryptosporidium; boiling is better if you can. Bleach can't fix water contaminated with fuel or chemicals.
Boiling
Cost: Just fuel.
Why it works: Boiling kills bacteria, viruses and parasites. It's the most reliable home method.
How to do it
- Let cloudy water settle, then pour off the clear water or filter it through a cloth.
- Bring it to a rolling boil for 1 minute.
- If you live high up (above about 5,000-6,500 feet), boil for 3 minutes.
- Let it cool, covered. Pour it back and forth between two clean containers to improve the flat taste.
Safety: Burn risk with big pots. Boiling doesn't remove chemicals or fuel.
SODIS: sun-disinfecting water in clear bottles
Cost: Free.
Why it works: Sunlight's UV rays plus heat kill germs in the water. It's tested and used worldwide.
How to do it
- Use clear plastic PET bottles (the kind water and soda come in), 2 liters or smaller, with no scratches. Peel off the labels.
- The water must be clear. If you can't read large print through the bottle, filter it first.
- Fill the bottle 3/4 full, cap it and shake for 20 seconds, then fill it to the top.
- Lay bottles flat in full sun, ideally on a metal roof or foil.
- Leave them 6 hours on a sunny day, or 2 full days if it's more than half cloudy. Don't rely on it on rainy days.
Safety: Doesn't remove chemicals. Doesn't work with glass bottles that block UV, colored bottles or cloudy water. It's a backup, not your first choice.
Source: Eawag SODIS Manual (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science)
Coffee filter or cloth pre-filter
Cost: A few cents.
Why it works: Removing dirt helps bleach and boiling work better and protects water filters from clogging.
How to do it
- Let murky water sit for an hour so dirt settles.
- Pour the top water slowly through a coffee filter, clean t-shirt or paper towel into a clean container.
- Then disinfect it by boiling or with bleach.
Safety: This does NOT make water safe to drink by itself. Germs pass right through.
Fill the bathtub (or a WaterBOB) before the storm
Cost: Free; a tub liner is about $30-40.
Why it works: It's a big, quick water reserve right in your home.
How to do it
- When a storm is coming, scrub and rinse the tub, then fill it.
- For drinking water, use a WaterBOB-type liner (holds up to about 100 gallons) so the water doesn't touch the tub.
- Use plain tub water for flushing, washing and cleaning.
- Use a clean pitcher to scoop, not your hands.
Safety: A full tub is a drowning risk for small children. Keep the bathroom door closed and supervise. Treat liner-free tub water before drinking.
Source: Ready.gov: Water
Your water heater is a 30-80 gallon reserve
Cost: Free; it's already there.
Why it works: The tank holds the same clean water that comes out of your taps. FEMA and CDC list it as a safe source.
How to do it
- Turn off the power to the water heater at the breaker, or turn the gas to 'pilot' or 'off.' Do this FIRST.
- Close the cold-water valve on the pipe at the top of the tank. If the city water might be contaminated, also shut off your main water valve.
- Let the water cool for a few hours.
- Open any hot water faucet in the house to let air into the tank.
- Put a clean container (or a hose) under the drain valve near the bottom of the tank and open it.
- The first bit may have rust or sediment; let it settle and pour off the clear water.
- Don't turn the heater back on until the tank is completely refilled.
Safety: Hot water burns; wait for it to cool. Turning a heater on with an empty tank can ruin it. Don't use water from the heating boiler or radiators in older homes.
Toilet TANK water (never the bowl)
Cost: Free; about 1.5-3 gallons per toilet.
Why it works: Tank water comes straight from your supply line and doesn't touch waste.
How to do it
- Lift the lid off the tank (the back part, not the bowl).
- Only use it if the water is clear and you don't use drop-in tablets or cleaners in the tank (blue or green water means no).
- Scoop it out and boil or bleach it before drinking to be safe.
Safety: Never drink bowl water. Skip tanks with any cleaning chemicals.
Rain catchment basics
Cost: Free with buckets; rain barrels are about $50-100.
Why it works: A 1,000-square-foot roof sheds about 600 gallons per inch of rain.
How to do it
- Set a clean food-grade barrel or bucket under a downspout.
- Put screen or mesh over the top to keep out leaves and mosquitoes.
- Let the first few minutes of rain wash the roof before collecting (a 'first flush').
- Use it for flushing, washing and plants. Filter and then boil or bleach before drinking.
Safety: Roofs collect bird droppings, dust and chemicals, so FEMA says don't drink rainwater untreated. Check local rules; some places limit rain collection.
Source: FEMA: Emergency water sources if you run out of clean water
Pool or hot tub water: for flushing, not drinking
Cost: Free.
Why it works: It's lots of water close by, and flushing doesn't need drinking-quality water.
How to do it
- Use buckets of pool water to flush toilets (pour 1-2 gallons quickly into the bowl).
- Use it for washing floors and other cleaning.
Safety: Don't drink it, even boiled. Pool chemicals and germs don't boil off. Cover the pool so kids can't fall in.
Source: FEMA: Emergency water sources if you run out of clean water