This was sent to me by a concerned friend. Please review and let me know your thoughts/suggestions.

Thanks.

Liquid Clorox Bleach
In an emergency, think of this (one gallon of Regular Clorox Bleach) as 3,800 gallons of drinking water. When the tap water stops flowing, Regular Clorox Bleach isn't just a laundry-aid, it's a lifesaver. Use it to purify water, and you'll have something to drink.

It's the same in any natural disaster. As the shock wears off and the days wear on, the biggest demand is for drinking water. Time after time, relief crews hand out free Clorox Bleach with simple instructions: use it to kill bacteria in your water and you'll have purified water to drink. Here's how:
(Store these directions with your emergency bottle of Clorox Bleach.)

First let water stand until particles settle. Pour the clear water into an uncontaminated container and add Regular Clorox Bleach per the chart.* Mix well. Wait 30 min. Water should have a slight bleach odor. If not, repeat dose. Wait 15 min. Sniff again. Keep an eyedropper taped to your emergency bottle of Clorox Bleach, since purifying small amounts of water requires only a few drops. See chart* suggestions for storage bottle replacement.

Don't pour purified water into contaminated containers. To sanitize water jugs first, see instructions** at right.
Without water and electricity, even everyday tasks are tough. In lieu of steaming hot water, sanitize dishes with a little Clorox Bleach. Just follow the directions below to keep dishes clean.

Whether you use Clorox Bleach in an emergency or for everyday chores, it's always an environmentally sound choice. After its work is done, Clorox Bleach breaks down to little more than salt and water, which is good news anytime.
*Ratio of Clorox Bleach to Water for Purification


2 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per quart of water
8 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per gallon of water
1/2 teaspoon Regular Clorox Bleach per five gallons of water
If water is cloudy, double the recommended dosages of Clorox Bleach.

(Only use Regular Clorox Bleach (not Fresh Scent or Lemon Fresh). To insure that Clorox Bleach is at its full strength, replace your storage bottle every three months.)

**(Clorox Bleach Sanitizing Solution)
Mix 1 tablespoon Regular Clorox Bleach with one gallon of water. Always wash and rinse items first, then let each item soak in Clorox Bleach Sanitizing Solution for 2 minutes. Drain and air dry.

To preserve water consider the following:
a. Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of household bleach, such as Clorox, to each 5 gallon bucket. (almost all bleaches, no matter what brand, have 5 1/2% Sodium Hypoclorite*, which is the purification chemical.)

b. Add 1/2 cup of bleach to a 55 gallon barrel. Add 1/3 cup of bleach toa 30 gallon barrel. (Putting more than the recommended amount will not injure the water.)

Change water out every six months.

STORAGE OF DRINKING WATER; Two quarts per day minimum and up to 2 gallons per day per family member. Water should be stored in carefully cleaned, noncorrosive, tightly covered containers.

OTHER SOURCES OF LIQUID IF YOUR WATER SUPPLY IS TURNED OFF: Water drained from the hot water tank, melted ice cubes, water from the toilet flush tank (not the bowl), canned fruit and vegetable juices, and liquid from other canned foods. If you must use toilet tank water, purify before using. Do not use chemically "blue" water. New Clorox Ultra is 6%, but Clorox states it is used the same as regular and is safe.

5 gal Kerosene containers made by Blitz products, can be purchased at Wal-Mart for about $8.00. I called the company, and they are food grade plastic. Mark them with permanent markers.

That article is well meaning but goes a little bit too far. Disinfecting with bleach is a good thing to have available as a last resort but let's leave it at that. It's ridiculous to say that 1 gallon of bleach = 3800 gallons of water. Keep in mind that in these hurricane disasters in the news, the contaminants aren't just bacteria but all kinds of awful chemicals and organic crap in the water. No amount of clorox could make the water flooding NOLA safe to drink. The usual advice around here is to store at least 1 gallon/day of drinkable water, and add a few drops of clorox per gallon to prevent bacteria growth.

Also, re storage containers, fuel cans are red and water cans are blue. Use the blue ones for water if you can. rei.com has some nice ones:

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&productId=3860

For purifying water bleach is really a last resort. You can always boil it if you want to kill the bacterial growth wich is btw more like a diarrhea threat. I consider bleach in a preparedness point of view because it's usefull as a surface cleaner and clothing if you have been exposed to a biological terrorist attack for exemple. If you want to purify water when hiking in the mountains or there's a possibility that your airplaine crashes in the wilderness than buy Katadyn MP1 pills... Other than that, store plenty of potable water while you can. That's how I see it anyway.

Frankie

I recently asked questions about purification and storage myself. As one member suggested, a product you might see on REI (and Wal Mart, which has a much lower price btw) is the "Aqua Tainer"...food grade plastic container for water storage. I just bought a couple and will probably get more...check it out!

Speaking of purification, has anyone used the Potable Aqua "P A Plus"? It says it's supposed to make the purified water taste better. Does it work?

What do you think is better: Bleach, Tincture of Iodine, or Potable Aqua. I assume that the MP-1 tabs have ALL of these other options beat. But what is 2nd best?

Doug has a big article with a section about water purification elsewhere on the site. He answers the questions you've asked.

http://equipped.org/watrfood.htm

Come now Frankie. When confronted with a questionable water source, you are going to pull out your pot and boil it for readu consumption? Come on down to south Texas and visit awhile. I'll put you up.

I've heard that tincture of iodine is only recommended for short-term use that is no longer than 30 days. And also you should know that you shouldn't use iodine if you are pregnant or suffer from a thyroid problem. I don't know maybe bleach is not such a last resort after all since the water I drink from the faucet here is treated with chlorine. It's probably aslo relative to the type of microorganisms that are present... But chlorine is not very strong for field-water disinfection according to Cody Lundin. Hum... Water disinfection is a complex subject.