How much water?
The Red Cross, FEMA, and every preparedness source we trust agree on the same baseline:
One gallon of water per person per day. Half for drinking, half for cooking and basic hygiene.
72 hours for a family of four: 12 gallons.
Two weeks for a family of four: 56 gallons.
Add extra if anyone in your household is pregnant, nursing, or has medical conditions. If you have pets, figure roughly 1 oz per pound of body weight per day for dogs — so about a pint a day for a 30-lb dog.
What container?
Almost any food-grade container works if it's clean and opaque. The four options most families use:
- 7-gallon Aqua-Tainer jugs — the default for most homes. Stackable, fits in closets.
- Collapsible 5-gallon jugs — perfect for apartments; store flat until needed.
- 3.5-gallon WaterBricks — modular, slide under a bed.
- 55-gallon barrels — homeowners only; enormous capacity in a single footprint.
We compared all four in the water storage buying guide, with real dimensions and full weights.
What NOT to use
- Old milk jugs. Milk protein residue grows bacteria. Same with juice bottles.
- Non-food-grade plastic. Cheap industrial drums may have held chemicals. Look for "food-grade" markings.
- Glass. Breaks under freezing conditions and in earthquakes.
How to prep your stored water
If you're using fresh tap water from a municipal supply, you can usually just fill, cap, and store. If you want an extra margin of safety or plan to rotate less often than every six months:
- Add 2 drops of unscented household bleach per gallon (8 drops per 7-gallon jug).
- Stir or shake. Cap tightly.
- Label with the fill date using painter's tape or a sticker.
Well water, rainwater, or water of unknown origin should go through a filter (like a gravity filter) before storage.
Where to store it
- Cool, dark location — under a bed, in a closet, in a basement.
- Away from direct sunlight (UV degrades plastic).
- Away from chemicals and fuel (gasoline, paint, solvents). Plastic is semi-permeable.
- Off concrete floors if possible — a pallet or a layer of cardboard prevents chemical leaching over long periods.
How to rotate
Twice a year, synchronize with daylight saving time. The whole process for a family of four takes about 15 minutes:
- Empty containers onto houseplants or the garden.
- Rinse briefly with a splash of fresh water.
- Refill with fresh tap water.
- Add bleach if applicable (2 drops/gallon).
- Re-label with today's date.
When plain storage isn't enough
If your area ever faces a multi-week boil-water advisory or a contamination event, a gravity filter (like a Berkey or Alexapure) is the second tool to own. Read the water category overview for the complete picture.
The rule everyone gets wrong
Store water before you need it. Stores run out of bottled water within an hour of any severe weather alert. A dozen jugs you filled from the tap weeks ago will always beat the panic-buy rush.
Ready to build the rest of the kit? Read How to build a 72-hour kit next.