How to Prepare Water Containers for Storage

If you’d like to fill a container with water so you can store it for emergency purposes, here’s how!
First, choose a container that is made for water. While water can be placed in just about any container, even containers that aren’t BPA free or ‘made for’ water storage, if you’d like your water to have the best chance possible at the longest shelf life, find containers that are made for water storage.
These containers below are made for water storage:



These are just a few ideas, there are plenty of other water containers out there that fit every need and budget.
Once you’ve chosen your container, it’s time to clean it!
Whether it’s brand new or it’s been used for water in the past, clean it with soap and water inside and out before placing any new water in it.
Next, fill it up with clean water!
Once it’s clean, you can now place clean water into the container. If the water that you’re wanting to put into it isn’t clean, sanitize it first before placing it inside.
At this point, you may choose to add some bleach to the inside of your container to keep it fresher for longer.
The bleach ratio is as follows:
2 drops of Regular unscented Bleach per quart of water.
8 drops of Regular unscented Bleach per gallon of water.
1/2 teaspoon Regular unscented Bleach per five gallons of water.
If water is cloudy, double the recommended dosages of Bleach.
Now close it up and place it away from direct sunlight. Cool, dark place is ideal, however, it can also be stored in a warm area, just as long as it’s kept out of direct sunlight. You may either need to add more bleach to it in 6-12 months, or simply rotate every 12 months.
We typically store water in containers and store them in our vehicle, under the seat and covered with a blanket and they’re perfectly fine for 6-12 months. We tend to use and rotate often enough that they usually aren’t in there that long. We’ve never noticed any weird taste in the water from being in the warmth.
Store water containers anywhere possible, this includes closets, under your bed, cabinets, in a dark shed, underground, keep bottles of water in your freezer and so on. Get creative!

You could even fill much larger containers and keep them outdoors. Like 55 gallon drums or 275 gallon totes or even 2,000 gallon tanks. The options are endless!
Storing water for emergency preparedness can be tough, but there are a lot of options available to us. Get creative!