Natural Ways to Purify Water at Home

Clean drinking water is a concern in all parts of the world.

Even areas that have running water can be exposed contaminants that get into the water through runoff or accidental contamination. Buying water in plastic bottles can add more plastic to the environment, so that's not an ideal solution either.

So I'll show you a few different ways that you can purify your water at home, no matter where you live. There are both high-tech and DIY solutions that will fit almost any lifestyle and budget.

Carbon Filters

There are many commercial filters available on the market and they are a great at filtering out bacteria and pollutants. Simply pour your tap water through the filter and leave it in the fridge.

Before you buy a filter, be sure to do some research on the types of impurities that it removes.

Basic charcoal filters will remove bacteria, pesticides and other contaminants. But these filters won't remove heavy metals or certain types of contaminants.

Other filters claim to remove heavy metals, but look for studies that prove that claim, before you buy. They are more expensive, but the extra protection can be worth it.

One of the biggest benefits of this type of water purification is that it leaves in beneficial minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Other methods can strip out these minerals.

We use a Berkey water filter, but do your own research and find something that works for you.

Distillation

If you really want to be sure that you're removing all of the junk from your water, then distill your water. There are several electric and stovetop solutions that make this easy to do at home.

This works by heating the water on a stove or with a heating element, then condensing the vapor back into clean water. You can use a simple distillation pot that's used for making moonshine.

The biggest downsides are that you also remove beneficial minerals from the water and it takes quite a bit of energy to heat the water.

On the upside, you'll remove all of the harmful elements in your water. There are ways to add the minerals back into the water, so that can be a way to make up for what you removed.

Distillation will turn salt water into clean drinkable water, so it's a great solution in seaside areas.

Solar Purifier

Another way to distill water is to use a solar purifier.

The basic idea is to heat the water with the sun, then capture the water vapor, and condense it back into clean water. All of the impurities will be left behind and you'll have clean drinking water.

There are many ways to do this, including using 2 bottles or an evaporation box. Simply take the concept and put your own spin on it. You can build your own solution or buy a ready-made one.

Upsides to this are:

• Low maintenance, just fill the container and put it out in the sun
• Sunlight helps kill bacteria that might get into the clean side
• Zero energy consumption, sunlight is free
• Can be cheap to build with things you already have around your home

Downsides are:

• It takes awhile to create a significant amount of water
• You need to have warm weather and consistent sunlight for this to work

Here's an example using plastic bottles. You probably don't want to use plastic for a long-term solution. But you can use the idea to create a similar solution with glass.

Plant Filters

Some plants have the ability to adsorb chemicals and heavy metals, and they act like a water filtration system. A nice bonus is that they can also add nutrients and a nice taste to the water.

One study looked at cilantro and showed that this plant can naturally remove heavy metals such as mercury.

Just grind up the cilantro and add it to the water. Let the water sit for a bit and give the cilantro time to adsorb the impurities. Then filter out the cilantro and drink.

Other plants that can be used to filter water are cacti cores, pine branches and lemon peels. Each one requires a slightly different method to purify your water, so be sure to read up on it the before using.

You can also use live plants to filter gray water. Earthships are structures that are built from recycled material and use plants to filter sink water. Learn more about Earthships in this video.

Reverse Osmosis (RO)

Reverse osmosis is a slightly more expensive solution, but it might be a good option for you. This type of filtration can remove bacteria, chlorine and heavy metals.

Most systems can be installed under a sink and you simply change the filters on a regular basis. The biggest benefit is that once the system is installed, you don't have to do any manual work, except for periodically changing the filter.

On the downside, the osmosis process also filters out beneficial minerals. So some filtration systems add back minerals after the RO process.

A RO system pushes water through a series of filters and a membrane that filters out bacteria, chemicals and other impurities. It will remove most impurities and is a very effective water purification method.

Reverse osmosis can also turn salt water into drinkable water.

Boiling

Then of course, you can your boil water on a stove. This will kill bacteria and parasites in the water, but it won't remove most chemicals and heavy metals.

The primary contaminants in tap water are substances like chlorine, fluoride and heavy metals, so boiling generally won't help much. However, if contaminants such as bacteria ever get into the drinking water, then you'll have to boil the water.

Boiling water requires a lot of heat/energy, so it's not the most effective means of purifying water.

Clay/Ceramic Filtering

Finally, if you're really in a pinch, you can use clay or ceramic to filter your water. This method has been shown to reduce impurities in remote areas and improve the health of the community.

Clay will filter out bacteria, but it won't filter out viruses and certain chemicals. But it's great for hiking or in third world countries where other materials may not be readily available.

If you are a hardcore DIYer, then you can make your own clay filters. It just might take a few days 🙂

Conclusion

So those are natural ways to clean your water at home. Regardless if you want to purify tap water or water from another source, these purification methods will give you clean drinking water.

Clean water is one of the key components of a healthy diet, so drink clean water whenever you can.