How to Cheaply Purify Water

Image provided by Alberto P. Veiga
Water is the most prominent nutrient in your body because it is found in every part of your body. According to researchers, the human body is made of roughly 70 percent water. Water is essential for your survival because it is needed for energy, removal of toxins, transport of nutrients and normal cell functions. Without water your body will shut down within a few days. If you are a person who likes camping or visiting third world countries, you should learn to purify your own water. Even if you don’t like doing these things, you should learn to anyways because natural or human made disasters can happen at any moment, especially during this time of economic hardship.

Three cheap methods for purifying water

1. Miracle Mineral Supplement (also known as Miracle Mineral Solution or MMS): MMS contains an ingredient that is so effective at destroying microorganisms that even governments are using this ingredient to destroy anthrax. MMS contains an ingredient called sodium chlorite which is very alkaline. When sodium chlorite reacts with an acidic solution, such as lemon juice or citric acid, it releases a solution called chlorine dioxide. Chlorine dioxide is the ingredient that is very effective at destroying microorganisms. It is important to know that chlorine dioxide is not the same as chlorine and is safer than chlorine. A bottle of MMS cost about $20.00 and can last nearly a year. The manufacturer of MMS recommend adding one to five drops of MMS to one gallon (four liters) of water and let it stand for 24 hours. I personally think 24 hours is a little long, a few hours should be good enough. If you add lemon juice or citric acid to the drop of MMS before mixing it into the gallon of water, the water may purify faster because of the power of chlorine dioxide. According to the founder of MMS, chlorine dioxide can kill pathogen, bacteria, virus, fungus and parasites. I don’t recommend drinking water treated with chlorine dioxide for more than a month. Overuse of chlorine dioxide can lead to toxicity because it can displace iodine from the mitochondria of cells. To read more about MMS visit this page.
2. Bleach: Standard household bleach does a good job killing certain harmful microorganisms. Before using bleach to purify water, make sure it contains 5.25 percent hypochlorite. Add two drops of bleach per quart (0.25 gallon) of clear water and let it sit for about 30 minutes. This should destroy most harmful microorganisms. If the water looks cloudy, you may want to add three or four drops per quart. The nice thing about bleach is its accessibility. The bad thing is that it contains chlorine which can be harmful to the body in the long-run, even in small levels. The two procedures above has been found to be ineffective against cryptosporidia and giardia.
3. Iodine Solution: Using iodine solution to purify water is quite effective but its effectiveness will vary depending on the concentration levels of iodine. Some iodine solutions don’t include concentration levels which make it hard to know how much is needed. If you have a two percent tincture of iodine solution, add four drops per quart (0.25 gallon) of clear water or eight drops per quart of cloudy water. Wait for about 30 minutes before drinking the treated water. Some people may be allergic to iodine so please use with caution. If you are planning to use iodine, I recommend using resublimed iodine crystal such as Polar Pure. Resublimed iodine crystal may be more effective, have a longer shelf-life and is environmental friendly. For about $20.00 you can buy a bottle of resublimed iodine crystal that can last for months. A few words of caution, iodine crystals are harmful if ingested. Make sure there are no crystals left in the treated water before drinking it. Also, Iodine is not effective at destroying the cryptosporidium parasite.

Most water systems are usually contaminated with natural and industrial chemicals, heavy metals, and pharmaceutical drugs. It would be a good idea to filter the water using water filters, such as carbon filter before treating it with the three methods above. Even better, you should buy a travel water filter system. The one I recommend is the Travel Berkey Water Filtration System. Having a portable water filtration system is a must during a time of economic hardship.

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