Use unscented chlorine laundry bleach (which is typically about 5% chlorine) and dilute it by adding 9 gallons of water to 1 gallon of bleach. This will give you a solution strength of approximately 5000 parts per million of chlorine. Use purified or at least softened water for making up your solution. Unless your well water is very soft and low in minerals, do not use your raw well water. You won’t be using much solution, so it is not expensive to pick up some gallons of distiled water for this purpose from the grocery store.
Starting in the kitchen, thoroughly wash all countertops and food prep areas with hot soapy water, if hot water is available. Then rinse and make a sanitizing solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water or the cleanest and clearest water available. Apply the sanitizing solution to all the countertops and food preparation areas and allow to air dry.
Yes, you can use regular, unscented chlorine bleach to make drinking water. Do not use scented, color safe, or bleaches with added cleaners.
If you don't have safe bottled water and if boiling is not possible, you often can make small quantities of filtered and settled water safer to drink by using a chemical disinfectant such as unscented household chlorine bleach. Disinfectants can kill most harmful or disease-causing viruses and bacteria, but are not as effective in controlling more resistant organisms, such as the parasites and Chlorine dioxide tablets can be effective against Cryptosporidium if the manufacturerâs instructions are followed correctly.