Did you know that any water, whether from rain, tap, well, or river, has bacteria and germs that can affect your general well-being? While some water might appear sparkling clean, it contains disease-causing organisms that can cause fatal illnesses once they access one’s bloodstream. For this reason, health organizations are raising awareness to avoid consuming untreated water, even when brushing your teeth.
Luckily, there are many ways you can treat your drinking water. Some of these methods are costly, while others are pocket-friendly. Therefore, every homeowner doesn’t have a reason to consume contaminated water since everyone can find a better way to fit their budget and lifestyle.
Among the effective ways to treat drinking water are the following:
Boiling
Among the simplest ways to treat or purify drinking water is to boil it. Extreme temperatures kill disease-causing bacteria and viruses in water. Boiling water can also deactivate harmful chemicals available in the water. Nevertheless, you should understand that dead microorganisms settle under the water; hence, you should sieve the water after boiling it.
Reverse Osmosis
The reverse osmosis water purifier method is among the best and most effective ways to purify drinking water. This process involves forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane while removing contaminants. High-quality reverse osmosis water purifier systems retain healthy nutrients while eliminating harmful elements.
Iodine Addition
Iodine is easily accessible in liquid and tablet forms. Iodine is aggressive in killing germs but gentle for human health when taken in lower doses. However, it’s important to mention that it contains an unpleasant flavor and can harm one’s health once consumed in high doses. For this reason, it might be best if you avoid using this method to purify drinking water and use it only if it’s impossible to use other water purification methods.
UV Radiation
Cleansing drinking water using UV radiation involves exposing water to UV light. Once the water is exposed to this light, the microorganisms present die. Nevertheless, this process requires to be used in conjunction with a reverse osmosis filter. This is because UV radiation can’t get rid of impurities and heavy metals.
Water Purifiers
Most homeowners trust electric water purifiers when it comes to making water safe for consumption. For this reason, it’s common to find these systems in most modern homes. A water purifier system uses different processes requiring carbon block, UV filtration, and modern water filtration technology to purify water. At the end of the process, you get pure water fit for drinking, cooking, and other uses.
Distillation
You can also purify your drinking water through distillation. Distilled water is the steam that forms after cooling boiled water. Some people claim distilled water might be the purest water one can consume.
It’s believed that distilling water eliminates over 90% of impurities. Nevertheless, while distilled water is safe for consumption, you might find it bland or flat since it doesn’t contain essential minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, and sodium. The only minerals found in distilled water are hydrogen and oxygen.
Solar Purification
Besides UV filtration, you can also use solar purification to purify your drinking water. This process involves purifying water using sun rays. During this procedure, you need to fill a plastic bottle with clean water, shake it to activate oxygen, and lay it horizontally under the sun. The process kills bacteria and viruses making it fit for consumption.
Water Chlorination
Water chlorination is probably the oldest water purification method. This method is primarily used in emergencies. To purify drinking water using chlorine, you need to add some bleach containing about five percent chlorine. This chemical kills disease-causing microorganisms in water, making it ideal for drinking.
Clay Vessel Filtration
Before the invention of reverse osmosis, UV purifier, or electric water purifier systems, people used clay pots to cleanse drinking water. To this day, some people still use this water purification method. During this process, muddy water is poured into a clay pot that allows pure water to pass through while containing mud.
Desalination
This water purification method removes dissolved mineral salt in water. Desalination is mainly used to purify seawater and is the most used method to cleanse salty water. Desalinated water is ideal for consumption and agriculture purposes.
Conclusion
Water-borne diseases claim many lives around the world. From cholera to typhoid to diarrhea, microorganisms in contaminated water don’t know when to stop when causing severe health issues.
While health organizations and practitioners try their best to treat these diseases, individuals should only ensure they consume clean water. It’s also vital for people to purify drinking water to avoid contracting waterborne diseases and prevent their spread. Fortunately, with the above-discussed water purification methods, you can clean your drinking and household water without breaking a sweat.
