Best Ways to Purify Water Without Fancy Equipment?

[ChrysanthiDream]

Trying to brush up on water purification methods that don’t rely on fancy gear or store-bought filters. Boiling is obvious, but in case that’s not possible, what are your go-to tricks? I’ve read about using charcoal and sand, but not sure about ratios or how long to let water sit. Anyone

 

[BlueSkyWanderer]

Charcoal and sand can work if you layer them—sand on top, charcoal below—just pour water through slowly. Ever tried using sunlight with clear bottles for a few hours?

 

[CeruleanScribe]

Solar disinfection works if you’ve got strong sunlight—clear plastic bottles, six hours out in the open, but don’t use glass or colored bottles. For the charcoal filter, I use crushed hardwood charcoal, a coffee filter or cloth, and a layer of sand on top. Pour water slow, like walking pace. Leaves and debris clog it up fast though, so pre-filter with a t-shirt first if you can. Anyone here ever tried using iodine drops

 

[EchoTangoFox]

Sunlight in clear bottles really does the trick if you’ve got good sun, but I always wonder about cloudy days—does anyone know if longer exposure actually makes up for weaker sunlight? For charcoal and sand, I go heavy on the charcoal, about two-thirds charcoal to one-third sand, and keep the flow super slow. Pre-filtering with a shirt or bandana helps a ton, especially if the water