Long-Term Water Storage Solutions
The general guideline is to use food-grade plastic bottles. You can also use glass bottles so long as they haven't stored non-food items. Stainless steel is another option, but you won't be able to treat your stored water with chlorine, as it corrodes steel.
The safest plastic containers to hold water are polyethylene-based plastics, or plastics #1, #2, and #4. All food-grade plastics are made of High-density polyethylene (HDPE) #2.
Water can easily absorb the properties from its container. Drinking water from a plastic bottle is the harmful not only to you, but the environment. The best ways to store water is in Earthen, Metal, Ceramic, or Glass containers. The Ideal metal is copper.
Check on the supply every 6 months. If stored properly, unopened, store-bought bottled water should stay good indefinitely, even if the bottle has an expiration date. If you bottled the water yourself, replace it every 6 months.
While we generally try to avoid too much plastic in our lives, in this case, plastic is one of the best options out there. There are other containers like glass and stainless steel but ultimately, food-grade plastic wins out as the best material for emergency water storage.
Since water is a natural substance, it has an indefinite shelf life. The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the bottled water industry, does not require a shelf life for bottled water. That means if bottled water is appropriately stored, it fits for an indefinite amount of time.
When you're using plastic containers, never store water in them for longer than 3 to 6 months, and keep a close eye for when it starts to become discoloured, cloudy or for any signs of contamination that will make it harmful for consumption.
Boiling water from an in-the-wild water source will kill almost everything, even parasites like giardia and cryptosporidium that can survive long exposure to iodine and chlorine. (Technically, a water temperature of 150 F will kill all GI pathogens, but it's easier and simpler to just bring it to a boil.)
Store at least one gallon per person, per day. Consider storing at least a two-week supply of water for each member of your family. If you are unable to store this quantity, store as much as you can. If supplies run low, never ration water.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, has determined that there is no limit to the shelf life of bottled water. Thus, FDA does not require an expiration date for bottled water products.
Puravai Emergency Drinking Water comes with a 20 year guaranteed shelf life but is safe to drink beyond 50 years when stored properly. This case of Puravai Emergency Drinking Water comes with 6 one liter bottles (33.8 fluid ounces) of the longest lasting, most durable and convenient water available.
#1 Stainless steel is better for your health
Plastics are packed full of toxic chemicals which can leach into water over time, particularly if the bottle is filled with hot liquids.
Glass is the safest water bottle type and offers the purity of taste, but stainless steel offers insulation benefits that keep your beverages hot or cold.
Stainless steel is manufactured from safe, natural elements that are free of disease-causing chemicals and carcinogens. It's completely safe to drink water stored in stainless steel bottles even for long durations.
Yes. The water on our Earth today is the same water that's been here for nearly 5 billion years.
How long can you keep bottled water? According to the US Food and Drug Administration, bottled drinking water doesn't require an expiration date. We recommend to use the standard best practices and to consume the bottled water within 2 years from the date of manufactured.
To lower your risk of getting sick, consider using rainwater only for uses such as watering plants that you don't eat or washing items that are not used for cooking or eating. Avoid using rainwater for drinking, cooking, brushing your teeth, or rinsing or watering plants that you intend to eat.
You can keep your water in a stainless steel bottle for 1 day if you are using it daily. It is highly suggested that you wash your water bottle every day to prevent the overgrowth of bacteria and molds especially if you are bringing it outdoors.
However, the plastic in water bottles contains no dioxins at all. All in all, water in plastic bottles should be safe to drink, and no less so than water in metal bottles or any other type of container. If they have contaminants in them, they are likely to be found at tiny concentrations.
The insulating properties of stainless steel water bottles mean that you can enjoy cool drinking water up to 24 hours after filling the bottle from your water cooler. Hot water stays warm for nearly six hours in a stainless steel bottle.