How to use household bleach for water disinfection

This is a good technique to keep in mind in case of a SHTF scenario comes. Sodium hypochlorite is the active ingredient in household bleach. Enjoy!


Water disinfection means the removal, deactivation or killing of pathogenic microorganisms. Microorganisms are destroyed or deactivated, resulting in termination of growth and reproduction. When microorganisms are not removed from drinking water, drinking water usage will cause people to fall ill.


1-For (CLEAR) water use 2 drops of bleach per U.S. quart or liter (32 ounces) of water.

2-Mix or stir the bleach with the water (shake bottle).

3-For (CLEAR) water, Let the mixture stand for a half hour (30 minutes) before drinking.

4-For (CLOUDY) water prefilter the water with a bandana or some other type of cloth, coffee filter, etc. If the water is still cloudy or discolored and there's no other source – double everything (the amount of drops and time).

Note: The water should have a slight bleach smell. If not, repeat and wait another 15 minutes. The treated water can then be made palatable by pouring it between clean containers several times.

Don't forget the shelf life of bleach is about a year so replace your bleach at least annually.




epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/emergen…

clorox.com/dr-laundry/disaster-preparedness-pur…