Preparedness Quick Tip: Cheap and Easy Wash Water Storage

Here’s a super quick tip for those of you who use liquid laundry detergent. Did you know those jugs, once they’re empty, are great for storing wash water in? You can rinse them out a couple of times (usually I do that into my last load of laundry from that jug anyway) or just fill them up and let the bubbles settle and you’ve got a jug of water that’s great for using to wash clothes, floors, etc. It already has some soap in it!

I’ve done that too with the extra large detergent jugs that have a spigot on the bottom. Kitty litter jugs are also good for storing water. I have about 30 of them in the garage, just for toilet flushing. Other water for bathing and drinking stored separately. The kitty litter jugs are not food grade plastic. Also consider investing in a Britta pitcher and a bunch of filters, especially if you are looking at drinking creek or rainwater. You would also want to add a few drops of bleach per gallon to kill off bacteria.

I wouldn't put water in milk jugs because they degrade quickly and if you store them in the house, you will have water on the floor when they break down.

I have 30 gallons of Ozarka water and they are made to stack on top of each other so they only take the space of 10 of them. I have a 55 gallon water barrel attached to a diverter in one of my down gutters. I have two children's plastic pools to blow up and catch rain water on one of my outside decks. We tend to have plenty of rain water all year, so those are a renewable source of water. Our small group of houses have a 15,000 gallon pool right across from my house in here. I have a WaterBob, food grade plastic, for my bathtub, that holds 100 gallons of good water from the faucet.

I have a Big Berkey water purifier that can turn water in a ditch to pure water. Any water I collect from the outside, like the water barrel, goes through the Berkey so I know it is pure. A purifier is different than a filter, such as those pitcher filters. They will not get rid of tiny bacteria, etc. The Big Berkey takes out all that so you have pure water. A Berkey is expensive, $200+ depending on the one you get, but you are assured of pure water.

If you don't have a Berkey, you need to find the description on the net and get one.

I have four Katadyn siphon water purifiers, too, that I got years ago before the Berkey came out. It is a purifier, not just a filter. I think those were over $100 back then.

First of all, milk jugs do not degrade quickly. Unless you call over a year or two, quickly. They will degrade over time but that is absolutely zero problem. I replace them far sooner than they go bad. I have yet to find a bad one among my stored ones, tho I have come across very old plastic bottles in the woods which were cracked. If I left them out in the sun then yes sunlight would destroy them.

I live in Northern Florida and have had no problem with them freezing and I store them outdoors tho in a covered area.

I guess I am a bit lucky in that I don’t really have to store water at all as I am near spring water. I keep it for convenience in case the power goes off for a while and that is about it.

If you are replacing the milk jugs that often, perhaps yours will last. I also don’t want the smell the milk jugs have.

I use Ozarka heavy duty thick food grade ones that stack on top of each other and some of mine are 5-7 years old - they will last forever. All my filled jugs are potable water.

I guess I am a bit lucky in that I don’t really have to store water at all as I am near spring water.

I was on a field training exercise on Eglin AFB back in '77. I still remember the spring water and clear, clean creeks all over the area. Consider yourself lucky if you have springs like that.

Yes, it is nice. all the early settlers would build near a spring. Mine is a small one tho there are three huge ones within 15 miles of me.

Divers love to dive in them but a whole lot of them have drowned when they go way back in the caves.

a) I have a rectangular shaped, translucent 1 gal jug.
The jug has a handle on the top and just rotate the jug rapidly to mix.
I buy my TSP in 1/2 gallon size.
The only size criteria is the jug should be large enough to fit all your TSP with room for some water. Translucent lets you see the crystals.

b) I dilute or not depending on the use.

Second Tip

You know that 30 second spray & rinse for moss & mildew on decks & siding. It’s bleach & TSP & costs over $10 bucks a gallon. Make your own.

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