Water Storage
How much
One gallon (about 4 liters) per person per day — roughly half for drinking, half for food prep and hygiene. Three days is the minimum; two weeks is the real target. A family of four aiming for two weeks stores about 56 gallons. Don't forget pets: they drink about an ounce per pound of body weight daily.
At a glance
- 1 gallon per person per day — half drinking, half food prep and hygiene.
- 3 days is the minimum; two weeks is the target — about 56 gallons for a family of four.
- Date every container and rotate the stock once a year.
- Pets drink about 1 ounce per pound of body weight daily.
Containers, ranked
- Factory-sealed bottled water — zero work, stores until the printed date, stack flat packs in a closet.
- Food-grade jugs and drums (HDPE, recycling codes 2 or 4): rinse well, fill with tap water treated per Water Treatment, date them, refresh yearly.
- Glass jars — fine but heavy, breakable, light-exposed; wrap and darken.
Container rules
Never reuse containers that held milk, juice, or anything sugary — residue breeds bacteria no matter how well you scrub. Never use anything that held fuel, chemicals, or solvents, ever. Milk jugs also biodegrade into leaks within months.
Sanitizing a reusable container
- Wash with dish soap and hot water; rinse fully.
- Rinse again with a solution of 1 teaspoon unscented bleach per quart of water.
- Coat all inside surfaces, dump, air dry upside down, then fill and cap.
Where and how
- Cool (50–70 °F ideal), dark, away from sunlight and fuels/chemicals — plastic breathes vapor over time.
- Off concrete floors on wood pallets or shelves; keep out of direct sun.
- Split storage between locations — kitchen plus basement plus closet beats one big cache in one flood-prone corner.
- Leave headroom if freezing is possible: 3–4 inches in a rigid jug, laid sideways so ice can split the gap not the jug.
Hidden reserves already in your house
| Source | Notes |
|---|---|
| Water heater tank (30–80 gal) | Shut off incoming valve first, drain from bottom spigot; treat before drinking if system sat idle |
| Toilet tanks (not bowls!) | Fine if no tank tablets/cleaners were used; treat first |
| Bathtub with liner | Fill at first warning; use for hygiene and flushing more than drinking |
| Pipes after main is off | Open the highest faucet, drain from the lowest — capture what comes |
Rotation
Date every container. Once a year (pick a memorable day), rotate: use the old stock for garden/laundry/pets and refill fresh. Treated municipal tap water stores a year easily; untreated well water should be treated before storing.
Grounded in public-domain FEMA/ready.gov/EPA water storage guidance. Educational only.