Shelf Life, Storage and Expiration of Water

About 71% of the world is water. From oceans, lakes, rivers, and even wells, water is basically everywhere. Being able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid, water is called the universal solvent. It’s useful in so many ways. We use it to water the plants that give us oxygen. We use it to bathe our pets who give us joy. We use it to wash our hands, cars, clothing, and dishes to clean them from the bacteria that they may have. But most importantly, we use them for replenishing and supplying us with fluids in our body.

With this useful benefit of water, it’s only right that we know more about how we should store it. Drinking water is often kept in our refrigerators, bought from stores, or even kept just in case of an emergency. It’s important to know if it spoils or not, and if drinking exposed or unsealed water is a good idea or not.

Foreign elements
Water, as soon as you take a sip from it, is exposed and introduced to microorganism from your lips and mouth. There are also other environmental factors that can affect the state and condition of your water like ambient temperature and sunlight through windows. Household dust can also change the taste of water. It is because of these factors that the spread of microorganisms increase.

pH
As water is exposed to air, it absorbs carbon dioxide and a small portion of that is converted into carbonic acid which lowers the pH level of water. pH is a numeric scale that is used to measure the acidity or basicity of liquids. Therefore, the water becomes a bit acidic. So if you drink a glass of water before sleeping, leave a few, and then decide the next day to drink the same water from the same glass, don’t be surprised if it tastes a little bit different. However, don’t worry for it’s still completely safe.

In case of emergency
Doomsday water, end of the world water, or just simply emergency water, is water that we keep just in case of a typhoon, hurricane, shortage of water, or other possible scenarios that keep us from having a fresh supply of water. Often, these are bought and stored ahead of time and the time that it should be rank is often indefinite. Here are two things to remember in storing water for emergencies.

1. Seal. Make sure that it is sealed and that no air can enter it. Bottled water has a shelf life and it lasts essentially for an extended period just as long as it is secure.
2. 6 months. Emergency water should be changed after six months of storage, with their original cap, and should be properly labeled with their fill date.

Containers
If you’re going to store water, it must be covered. It must be placed in a clean container. The material that you put your water in must be from a food grade material to avoid leaching problems. Examples of such materials are stainless steel, styrofoam, glass, and plastic. It’s also advised that water is stored away from sunlight because some plastics release bisphenol A when they are heated. These plastics are permeable which means liquids and glass are able to pass through them, thus, it should not be placed near pesticides and gasolines.

Purifying
If water is to be placed in an open container, it is best that you have a plan to purify it and eliminate any bacterial contamination. A great water purifier would be really useful to make sure that the water you’re drinking is clean as it can be.

So, does water spoil?
Water does not spoil if it is stored in the right container and sealed properly. Also, most tap and bottled water have chlorine additives to keep bacteria from multiplying for a few days.

Water is a necessity in one’s life that we can barely live a few days without it. It can be very soothing especially if you know that it’s clean. Why don’t you try to invest in a water purifier to ensure that the water you’re drinking is healthy and free from any foreign contaminants? Visit our wide range of water purifiers to see some great ones you could take home today!