Choose Safe Water Containers

• Tell food-grade water containers apart from containers that only look clean
• Know which household containers should never hold drinking water
• Clean and sanitize a container using CDC's method before you fill it
• Label and date every container so you know what you actually have

• Containers for drinking water

  Standard

  Commercially bottled water in its original sealed bottles, or food-grade water storage containers sold for the purpose.

  Low cost

  Clean two-litre plastic soda bottles with their original caps — one of the few reusable options public-health guidance names by type.

  Already have

  Food-grade jugs you already own, if you can confirm they only ever held food or drink.

• Cleaning supplies

  Standard

  Dishwashing soap, clean water, and unscented liquid household chlorine bleach.

  Low cost

  Any plain dish soap and the smallest bottle of unscented bleach sold.

  Already have

  Bleach you already own — but check the label says it is unscented and suitable for disinfecting, with no added cleaners.

• A way to label

  Standard

  A permanent marker and adhesive labels.

  Low cost

  Masking tape and a ballpoint pen.

  Already have

  Anything that survives a damp cupboard — write the date directly on the plastic.

1. 01Start with bottled water if you canReady.gov's first recommendation for emergency water is commercially bottled water, kept sealed in its original container and stored somewhere cool and dark. It needs no preparation from you, and it is the simplest way to have trustworthy drinking water on day one.
2. 02Understand what 'food-grade' meansA food-grade container is made of material intended to hold food or drink and will not transfer harmful substances into the water. Containers sold as water storage say so on the label. If a container never held food or drink and does not say food-grade, don't use it for water you intend to drink.
3. 03Rule out the containers that ruin waterNever store drinking water in containers that held milk or fruit juice: milk protein and fruit sugars soak into the plastic, cannot be fully removed, and grow bacteria. Never reuse any container that held a chemical, cleaner, fuel or pesticide — no amount of washing makes it safe for drinking water. Cardboard-style cartons are not made to be refilled and stored.
4. 04Check the container itselfIt needs a cap or lid that seals properly, no cracks or soft spots, and no lingering smell when you open it. A screw cap you can tighten by hand beats a snap lid. If you can smell anything at all inside, set it aside for non-drinking use.
5. 05Wash itWash the container and its cap thoroughly with dishwashing soap and water, then rinse completely with clean water so no soap is left behind.
6. 06Sanitize it — the CDC methodMake a sanitizing solution of one teaspoon of unscented liquid household chlorine bleach in one quart (about one litre) of water. Pour it into the container, put the lid on, and shake so the solution touches every inside surface including the cap threads. Let it sit at least 30 seconds, then pour it out.
7. 07Dry or rinse, then fillLet the container air-dry before use, or rinse it out with clean water that is safe to drink. Then fill it from a tap that is currently supplying safe drinking water, cap it tightly, and try not to touch the inside of the cap with your fingers.
8. 08Label and date itWrite the date you filled it on the outside. An unlabelled container is a container you'll eventually be unsure about, and unsure water gets poured away. This one habit is what makes rotation possible later.

Verified guidance · Ready.gov (FEMA) — Water