Add 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water, stir and let stand for 30 minutes. If the water does not have a slight bleach odor, repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes. The only agent used to purify water should be household liquid bleach. Other chemicals, such as iodine or water treatment products sold in camping or surplus stores that do not contain 5.25 percent sodium hypochloride as the only active ingredient are not recommended and should not be used. While the two methods described above will kill most microbes in water, distillation will remove microbes that resist these methods, and heavy metals, salts and most other chemicals.
Distillation involves boiling water and then collecting the vapor that condenses back to water.
The condensed vapor will not include salt and other impurities. To distill, fill a pot halfway with water. The water that drips from the lid into the cup is distilled. If a disaster catches you without a stored supply of clean water, you can use the water in your hot water tank, pipes and ice cubes. You'll need to shut it off to stop contaminated water from entering your home if you hear reports of broken water or sewage lines.