Water: SODIS

Today I'm going to go over SODIS (solar water disinfection) method. It’s a very easy way to purify drinking water by exposing water in a clear plastic container for a period of time by UV radiation. The UV rays kill germs and bacteria. This technique is used around the world mainly in 3^rd world countries to provide safe drinking water. Now I will explain the method.

1. You will need PET clear plastic bottle….these are usually what bottled water and soda come in. (Can also use some clear bags)
2. These bottles need to be free of labels with minimal scratches.
3. Fill the bottles about ¾ with clear water(filter water as I described under water filtration blog if dirty).
4. Cap bottle and shake for 20 seconds then fill rest of the way with water.
5. Lay bottle in sun for a period of 6(sunny) hours…if possible on some type of metal (aluminum).
6. If cloudy outside 2 days dwell time will be needed.
7. If raining…collect rainwater instead

Side note: once you have removed the bottle from sunlight, overtime the microbes or bacteria will start reproducing if left idle for a long period of time.

As long as there is a sun, and with the littering epidemic. You can find a plastic bottle almost anywhere on the planet. This is a very cheap way to purify water, and can be used in a survival situation.