# Bleach as water purifier. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 26, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329 "2011-07-26T00:02:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mewl\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mewl\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mewl_Dear)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/1 "2011-07-26T00:02:14Z")
Watching Dual Survivor recently Cody stated that sixteen drops of bleach would clean a gallon of river water. I would hate to rely on this and be wrong. It sounds too simple to me. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/2 "2011-07-26T00:05:27Z")
It should take care of biological contaminants but not poisons or other pollutants, so it’s not perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Mewl\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mewl\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mewl_Dear)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/3 "2011-07-26T00:12:45Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > It should take care of biological contaminants but not poisons or other pollutants, so it’s not perfect. 16 drops? Bleach must be badass. Off to wiki. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/4 "2011-07-26T00:26:53Z")
> [@Mewl\_Dear](#): > > 16 drops? Bleach must be badass. Off to wiki. The EPA says [8 drops per gallon](http://water.epa.gov/drink/emerprep/emergencydisinfection.cfm) is sufficient. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/5 "2011-07-26T00:28:45Z")
Washington state’s Department of Health [lists some guidelines](http://www.doh.wa.gov/phepr/handbook/purify.htm) depending on volume and type of water. ---
**Author:** ![Mewl\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mewl\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mewl_Dear)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/6 "2011-07-26T00:30:28Z")
> [@Baracus](#): > > The EPA says [8 drops per gallon](http://water.epa.gov/drink/emerprep/emergencydisinfection.cfm) is sufficient. I am golng to be much more careful. Stuff is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/7 "2011-07-26T00:31:44Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Washington state’s Department of Health [lists some guidelines](http://www.doh.wa.gov/phepr/handbook/purify.htm) depending on volume and type of water. I love this part: (bolding mine) > [@](#): > > Boiling > Boiling is the safest way to purify water. > > Bring the water to a rolling boil for one minute. > > **Let the water cool before drinking**. What if they left that step out. How many people would drink boiling water? Anyway, it just struck me as funny. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/8 "2011-07-26T00:34:07Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > I love this part: (bolding mine) > > What if they left that step out. How many people would drink boiling water? Anyway, it just struck me as funny. Somebody would, and then they would sue them. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/9 "2011-07-26T01:28:08Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > What if they left that step out. How many people would drink boiling water? Maybe all the people who drink tea, or coffee? Actually, given the state of water sanitation in much of the world, it’s probably fairly close to the number of people who drink cold water! ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/10 "2011-07-26T01:48:39Z")
the 8 drops per gallon should be in filtered or settled and decanted water. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/11 "2011-07-26T15:06:52Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Maybe all the people who drink tea, or coffee? Nitpick: I don’t know about tea, but [boiling is too hot for coffee](http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/brewing.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/12 "2011-07-26T17:26:18Z")
Here in hurricane central we are told every year “Use either 8 drops or 1/8 teaspoon of unscented bleach per gallon of water. Let the water stand at least 30 minutes before using.” [http://www.miamidade.gov/wasd/hurricanewater.asp](http://www.miamidade.gov/wasd/hurricanewater.asp) ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/13 "2011-07-26T17:54:13Z")
> [@Mewl\_Dear](#): > > I am golng to be much more careful. Stuff is awesome. Remember too, that bleach is already only 6% by weight. It is a very powerful oxidant indeed. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/14 "2011-07-26T17:58:26Z")
Pools use chlorine to disinfect their water. I think it’s stronger than the chlorine in household bleach? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/15 "2011-07-26T19:52:05Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Pools use chlorine to disinfect their water. I think it’s stronger than the chlorine in household bleach? AFAIK it’s still sodium hypochlorite, same as laundry bleach. this company: > **[Home - Kem-Tek](https://kem-tek.com/poolcareproducts_step_2.html)** says their liquid stuff is 10% sodium hypochlorite, so it might be a stronger (i.e. less dilute) solution than laundry bleach. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/16 "2011-07-27T20:52:05Z")
many smaller municipal water systems will use bleach (well, stronger version of same) because it is a bit safer to deal with tha chlorine gas. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/17 "2011-07-27T20:57:03Z")
FWIW, bleach water tastes better than boiled water in my opinion. Boiled water tastes like ass. ---
**Author:** ![TXCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/76d3ee/32.png) [@TXCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TXCowboy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/18 "2011-07-27T21:30:45Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > many smaller municipal water systems will use bleach (well, stronger version of same) because it is a bit safer to deal with tha chlorine gas. When I was a kid, my Dad took care of a small rural water system (about 800-900 customers) and he used regular bleach. It was a deep well system and it had a deal in the pump station that was a 30 gallon barrel with a injection pump that fed into the main line going to the storage tank. Every morning he would go by and fill the barrel with 6 gallons of bleach and rest water and over 24 hours it would inject that into however many thousands of gallons of water coming out of the well. He had a little test kit that was 3 test tubes you would fill with water and add a drop of some kind of dye to and compare it to a chart to see if the mix was right. He had a deal worked out for a discount from the local Safeway and once a month we would go pick up a pallet load of Clorox bleach. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/19 "2011-07-27T22:09:05Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > FWIW, bleach water tastes better than boiled water in my opinion. Boiled water tastes like ass. Is this because of the vessel you boil it in? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329/20 "2011-07-27T22:20:51Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Nitpick: I don’t know about tea, but [boiling is too hot for coffee](http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/brewing.htm). [For many teas, also.](http://coffeetea.about.com/od/teabrewing/a/teatemp.htm) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-as-water-purifier/590329.md?page=2)