Our water is our most important asset. It’s incredibly important that we keep it clean and uncontaminated. Not doing so is dire, as it worsens our health in both the long and short term. Contaminated water can lead to short-term issues like vomiting, headaches, nausea, and long-term issues like nervous and reproductive effects and even cancer. As such, it’s important to purify your water. Check out our several different ways to purify your water here.

Boil Your Water

Boiling your water is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to purify it. It’s also a great way to purify water outdoors, such as when camping, and in cases when you don’t have the requisite equipment to purify it in other ways. You’ll want to bring your water to a boil and keep it at a rolling boil for 1-2 minutes. Leave compounds in well water to settle for a bit before boiling it. You’ll want to cover it and let it cool before drinking it.

Water Filtration

Learning how a good water filtration system works isn’t hard to understand. A water filter forces water through a barrier for purification, trapping harmful contaminants and chemicals. This is one of the most effective ways to purify water, as it can also get rid of any compounds, whether large or small, and dangerous contaminants that could be detrimental to your health. Since it doesn’t deplete mineral salts, it’s healthier than other purification options. It’s also a form of cost-effectiveness because you lose very little of it when you filter water. Like boiling your water, this is also useful for when you’re out and about since you can easily stick a portable filter on a water bottle or canteen.

Just Add Chlorine

This is the simplest of the several different ways to purify your drinking water. Obviously, you shouldn’t douse your water in bleach, but you can use a few drops to disinfect it. You’ll want to use regular unscented household bleach. First, find a water dropper, take the bleach and the gallons of water you’re trying to purify, and drop a few drops from your dropper into your unpurified water. For instance, if you have a substance with 6 percent bleach and you’re trying to purify one quart/liter, you’ll only want to use two drops of bleach. After using the droppers, stir and let it sit for 30-40 minutes before use.

In conclusion, we must keep ourselves and our drinking water safe. There are several ways to take care of contaminants, and this is just a starting list. Learning about ways to keep yourself safe will go a long way to leading a healthier life.