Do You Need To Clean A Milk Jug If You Want A Water Jug

One of the best pieces of prepping communication I've heard is to stockpile emergency h2o in milk jugs or other plastic bottles, such as from soda…

Just, if you don't dig further, information technology is besides i of the WORST pieces of prepping advice also!

Milk Jugs Are Biodegradable!

When I was a newbie prepper, I stored my family'south emergency water in gallon milk jugs. The milk jugs went into the pantry and basement and were forgotten…

Until 1 day when I noticed water all over the floor!

The milk jugs had started LEAKING.

It turns out that those gallon milk jugs are biodegradable. It will take years before they fully dethrone, but it doesn't take that long before tiny pivot-sized holes develop. Water will leak out of these!

How Long Will Emergency Water Last in a Milk Jug?

In my case, the emergency water in milk jugs didn't start leaking until almost seven or 8 months. However, I've heard stories from preppers who've had their milk jugs start leaking in as trivial equally 3 months. For others, the milk jugs didn't get-go leaking for over a year.

The life of those milk jugs volition vary depending on factors similar:

Exposure to light
Exposure to heat
Chemicals in the water
Blazon of plastic used for the milk jug

I'd say that anything over 6 months is pushing it as far as storing emergency water in milk jugs.

And the H2o in Milk Jugs Might Start to Stink!

Here's another trouble about storing water in milk jugs which doesn't always go mentioned. Since the plastic jugs are permeable, the air from outside will become into the jugs.

Unremarkably, this isn't such a big bargain. However, if you are storing your emergency water jugs in the basement or garage (which is actually not recommended because of the heat), then the musty air will get into your water.

Yes, your emergency water will start to taste like mothballs, grit, and cat litter!

In a true SHTF situation, you won't care what your water tastes like – you will just be glad to take information technology – but drinking crappy-tasting water is not fun and best avoided.

What's a Better Solution to Milk Jugs for Storing Water?

You should take at least thirty gallons of emergency h2o stockpiled per person. Notwithstanding, in reality, you will probably need a LOT more than than this to survive a major disaster.

Consider that the average American uses about lxx-100 gallons of water per twenty-four hours and you start to realize how inadequate the typical water storage recommendations are.

Read this commodity on how much water to take on paw.

Even if yous go by the lower recommendations of how much emergency water to stockpile, you are still going to need a lot of containers for storing it all.

Choice 1: Use Milk Jugs, But Rotate Them

In my family, we don't drink much soda, juice, or anything else that comes in a plastic canteen. And so, milk jugs were the only "free" storage containers we regularly go.

Until we upgraded to water containers (see option 4), we continued to utilise milk jugs for storing our emergency water. But we just remembered to rotate through the water every 6 months.

When I say "rotate" the water, I mean you lot need to Get RID OF THE MILK JUG AND THE WATER Inside. It is NOT enough to simply dump the water and put new water in the former jug!!!

This besides applies if yous are gradually rotating through your emergency h2o, i.e. refilling jugs as you use the h2o in them. Yous'll need to toss all the jugs every 6 months.

Option 2: Buy Bottled Water (NOT recommended!)

A lot of people buy bottled h2o for their emergency storage. I personally think this is a terrible waste product of money.

Almost bottled water is actually simply tap water that has been packaged in plastic bottles. It is expensive and bad for the environs. And…

You lot still have to rotate bottled water!

Just like how milk jugs are biodegradable, so are plastic water bottles. They volition concluding longer than milk jugs, but eventually, the plastic volition start to break downward.

This is the reason that store-bought water has an expiration date. The h2o doesn't go bad, but the plastic breaks down. You terminate up with plastic chemicals in your emergency water.

I doubt you will care about BPA in your water during a SHTF emergency – but it is still improve to avoid this trouble.

Plastic water bottles will probably last effectually 5 years before they start leaking. And so, if you don't mind paying a lot of money for shop-bought h2o and retrieve to rotate the h2o yearly, then this is an okay option for h2o storage.

Option three: Repurpose Other Plastic Bottles

Milk jugs intermission down rapidly, but other types of plastic tin terminal much longer. Gatorade jugs, for example, are made from a much thicker plastic.

Soda bottles are also thicker and longer-lasting than milk jugs, merely not nearly every bit thick as the Gatorade bottles.

Gatorade bottles last much longer than milk jugs for storing water

Pick 4: Buy Water Containers

I personally think this is the best option for any serious-minded prepper. Yes, those h2o containers are a pricey initial investment, but they last forever then it pays off rapidly.

Many boating supply stores sell food-grade water containers. These won't break down. The quality ones (such equally the Waterbrick reviewed hither.) are BPA-complimentary and won't leach chemicals into your emergency water.

You tin can as well observe them in camping ground supply stores.

You might also consider getting a large h2o barrel for storing more water. Merely make sure you also get a pump for the water barrel too. Otherwise, it is going to be hard to get the h2o out when you need it!

I use this 55 gallon emergency water barrel system.

Fifty-fifty with professional water containers, you will still need to rotate your water supply once per twelvemonth. This is because the water can get "stale." Leaner and mold tin can besides starting time to abound in it, even if y'all think yous've purified the container well.

To make your emergency water concluding longer (and spare yous the hassle of rotating it), y'all can add together water preserver to your emergency storage.

This 1 (Amazon Link) will allow the water to concluding for v years without rotation.
water preserver