The first hour
- Don't panic. Check your utility's website or social media for updates.
- Stop using water for anything but drinking and cooking.
- If told the water might be unsafe, wait for a boil notice or guidance before drinking tap water.
- Find your hidden water: water heater (often 30 to 80 gallons), ice cubes, canned fruit and veggie liquid. Toilet tank water (not the bowl) can be used for flushing or, if no chemicals are in it, filtered and treated.
The first day
- Use stored water. Ready.gov: at least 1 gallon per person per day, for several days; 2 weeks is a good goal.
- Flush toilets with a bucket of water poured into the bowl. 'If it's yellow, let it mellow.'
- Use hand sanitizer and paper plates to save water.
- Pets need water too. Plan for them.
The first week and beyond
- In a drought, follow local water restrictions.
- Collect rainwater for gardens and flushing (check local rules).
- Refill stored water. Replace home-filled water every 6 months.
Get ready now: checklist
Your checks save on this phone.
Common mistakes
- Storing water in milk jugs, which break down.
- Drinking from the water heater without turning off power or gas to it first.
- Using water from waterbeds, pools or radiators for drinking.
Keeping kids calm
- Teach kids where safe drinking water is kept.
- Make a game of saving water.
Gear that helps
- Water storage containers (food-grade): my pick, Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7 gal
- Water bricks: my pick, WaterBrick 3.5 gal
- WaterBOB-type bathtub bladder: my pick, waterBOB bathtub storage, 100 gal
- Gravity water filter: my pick, Membrane Solutions 1 Gallon Gravity Water Filter
- Water filter bag: my pick, Membrane Solutions 1 Gallon Gravity Water Filter
- Rain barrel: my pick, Good Ideas Rain Wizard 50 Gallon Rain Barrel with Brass Spigot
- Unscented bleach
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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
Sanitation (6)
Two-bucket toilet: pee and poop separate
Cost: About $25-40 total.
Why it works: Keeping pee and poop apart cuts the smell way down. Poop stays drier and is easier to handle.
How to do it
- Get two 5-gallon buckets with lids. Label one PEE and one POOP.
- Line the poop bucket with a heavy trash bag (0.9 mil or thicker).
- For a seat, use a snap-on bucket toilet seat (about $15-25), or slit a pool noodle and press it on the rim.
- Pee goes in the pee bucket. Dilute it with water and pour it on dirt or lawn, away from vegetable gardens and wells.
- After each poop, cover it with a scoop of dry material (see the next tip). Toilet paper goes in this bucket too.
- When the poop bucket is half full, tie the bag, double-bag it, and store it away from food, water, pets and pests.
Safety: Never add bleach or cleaners to the pee bucket. Bleach and the ammonia in urine can make harmful fumes. Wash hands after every use.
Source: City of Wilsonville (Oregon): The Two-Bucket Toilet Solution
Cheap cover material: pine pellet bedding and sawdust
Cost: A 40-pound bag of pine pellet bedding is about $7-10 at farm stores.
Why it works: Dry carbon material soaks up moisture, cuts odor, and keeps flies away.
How to do it
- Keep a bag of cover material and a scoop next to the bucket.
- Pine pellet horse or animal bedding is cheap and great: it absorbs and controls smell.
- Other options: sawdust, wood shavings, peat moss, coconut coir, shredded paper, or clay kitty litter.
- Add a cup or two after each use, enough to cover.
Safety: Clay kitty litter works but is heavy. Store cover material dry.
Bucket-flush the toilet when the water is off
Cost: Free.
Why it works: A toilet flush is just a fast dump of water into the bowl; you can do that by hand.
How to do it
- Only do this if the sewer is still working. If you're told the sewer is down, use the two-bucket toilet instead.
- Pour 1-2 gallons of water (pool, rain or tub water is fine) quickly into the toilet bowl.
- The rush of water pushes waste through on its own.
- Don't flush every pee. 'If it's yellow, let it mellow' saves water.
Safety: If the city says sewers are damaged, flushing can back sewage up into homes.
Source: Oregon State University Extension: Survival Basics - Sanitation and Waste Management
Trash discipline
Cost: Free.
Why it works: Rotting food and waste draw flies, rats and smells, and they spread germs.
How to do it
- Trash pickup may stop for weeks. Make less trash: rinse and flatten cans and boxes.
- Seal food scraps in bags and keep them in a lidded can outside, away from the door.
- Keep the toilet bags separate from regular trash.
Safety: Never burn plastic trash; the smoke is toxic.
Source: Oregon State University Extension: Survival Basics - Sanitation and Waste Management
Plunger-in-a-bucket washing machine
Cost: About $10-25.
Why it works: Plunging pushes water through the fabric like a washing machine does.
How to do it
- Get a 5-gallon bucket and a NEW sink plunger (or a 'mobile washer' plunger, about $20).
- Drill a hole in the bucket lid big enough for the plunger handle.
- Add clothes, water and a small squirt of detergent. Plunge up and down for 2-3 minutes.
- Dump the water, refill with clean water, and plunge again to rinse.
- Wring clothes out by twisting and hang them to dry.
Safety: Wet clothes are heavy; wring in small batches to protect your back.
Source: Oregon State University Extension: Survival Basics - Sanitation and Waste Management
Jug hand-washing station (tippy tap)
Cost: Free.
Why it works: Hand washing is one of the best ways to stop stomach bugs, which spread fast when water is off.
How to do it
- Clean out a laundry detergent jug that has a spout, or use a water jug with a spigot.
- Set it on a ledge or table with a bucket underneath.
- Hang a bar of soap on a string (in a mesh bag or old stocking) next to it.
- Wet hands, turn off, lather for 20 seconds, then rinse.
Safety: Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol helps when there's no water, but it doesn't work well on visibly dirty hands.
Source: CDC: About Handwashing