A hand next to an empty water canister on the ground
A hand next to an empty water canister on the ground

How to Purify Water for Survival

If you don’t know how to purify water for survival or when SHTF, just taking one look at the CDC’s (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) National Outbreak Reporting System will show you that disease outbreaks associated with drinking water are a common occurrence.


In 2013-2014, for example, there were 1006 reported water-related illnesses, caused by Legionella, chemicals, toxins, and parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium.

We all need to know how to ensure a clean drinking water supply!

How to Purify Water as a Survival Skill

Knowing how to purify water for survival is a skill we must all learn, today. When disaster strikes, there is a high chance that we won’t have access to bottled water or other forms of ready-made drinking water.

You can prepare for survival by making sure you’ve got bottled water stored in bulk, but at some stage, your stores will run out. There are a few ways in which you can purify water for survival, and I will run through those in this article.

I won’t focus much on purification systems like water filters, life straws, etc. The primary purpose of this post is to run through options of how to purify water for survival or in the wild, and the organisms we’re trying to remove.

The aim is to cover things you already have in your home, or things you can buy in bulk to purify water in bulk; sustainable solutions, rather than the ones needing new filter cartridges. I’ll also include a water purification method you can grow in your backyard.

Find it all here.

Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari

Streams, waterfalls, and rivers can quench your thirst in the wild, but they may carry dirt and impurities.

Dinal Jain
Mwandishi

Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari

The baby wrap method has been tested in only this one trial, but it cut malaria cases by a greater margin that the vaccines have in some studies.

Stephanie Nolen
Mwandishi

Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari

In future, I’ll use gravity when I can, and squeeze when I have to.

Richard, aka "LowRange
Hiker