Original Article
One answer to the question, “What is the best prep item to have?” is… drum-roll please… BLEACH.
Your reaction may be one of surprise since I didn’t say a firearm, a hoard of rice and beans, gold or silver coins, or any other number of the nearly infinite preparedness supplies that one may choose to acquire first. The fact is however, when examining what it is that we need most to survive, the answer is WATER.
While our body gets much of its water from the foods that we eat, the fact is that we cannot survive without water for much longer than 72 hours. This is a cold hard fact that many or most people take for granted or perhaps don’t even know about.
When determining a priority for what to acquire first for general survival preparedness needs, the logical choice is a method of acquiring clean drinking water. Since in most areas of the country water is not terribly difficult to find (exempt drought areas and deserts), a key element to the water you procure is its cleanliness and disinfection of bacteria and pathogens.
Common non-scented household bleach contains chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) in a 5 – 6% concentration and has the ability to kill bacteria and germs in water during any questionable situation including a disaster scenario where the existing water may become contaminated.
The main ingredient in public water supplies that is used to keep the water safe, is chlorine. Following a major disaster, the public water supply may become contaminated. Having household bleach on hand will assure you of the ability to disinfect your water.
Bleach will of course NOT remove sediment or harmful chemicals from a water source, however it WILL kill off harmful pathogens in the water. If you do not have a means of boiling water, using a small amount of chlorine bleach will kill pathogens, germs, and bacteria.
How do I use chlorine bleach to disinfect water?
1. Remove suspended particles by filtering or letting particles settle to the bottom. Pour clear water into a clean container.
2. Add 8 drops of Regular-Bleach to one gallon of water (2 drops to 1 quart). For cloudy water, use 16 drops per gallon of water (4 drops to 1 quart).
3. Let treated water to stand for 30 minutes. Water should have a slight bleach odor. If not, repeat and wait another 15 minutes. The treated water can then be made palatable by pouring it between clean containers several times.
A perfect companion for Bleach as a preparedness item is a quality drinking water filter. Personally, I prefer the Big Berkey for homestead living, while there are also many additional smaller or portable quality filters available.
How long will Bleach hold its potency? About one year. After a year, the potency will be reduced, not eliminated. Rotate your bleach products as a precaution.
Be Prepared. If you enjoyed this, or topics of current events risk awareness and survival preparedness,
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A couple of sites have jumped on this bandwagon recently and I think they are wrong. Certainly there is some dire SHTF situation where perhaps bleach might be really useful but in 99% of the SHTF scenarios bleach will only be used to make my whites whiter. I have a Berkey filter, a first need filter with a spare cartridge, a filter straw, iodine tablets and of course I have pots to boil water. I totally agree that bleach is a great way to treat suspicious water and I would support having some in case you need it but I would put it below about 20 to 100 other more important preps.
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