How to choose food-grade water containers, pick sizes, stack them safely, clean them and store them away from heat and light.
- Use food-grade containers with tight lids, never old milk jugs.
- Choose sizes you can lift, and mix small and large.
- Store water cool, dark and away from chemicals and freezing.
Storing water is easy to start and easy to get wrong. The wrong container can taint the water, leak in a closet or fail when you need it. This guide covers what makes a container suitable, how to pick sizes, and where to keep them, without recommending any particular brand.
If you have not decided how much to store yet, start with how much water to store. A common planning figure is 4 litres (1 gallon) per person per day.
Look for food-grade containers
Choose containers made for drinking water or food, and clearly marked as food-grade. Ready.gov advises using food-grade water storage containers, or washing and sanitizing other sturdy containers properly. Good signs include a stated food-grade rating, a tight screw cap or lid, and a sturdy, opaque or tinted body.
- Rigid plastic water jugs and barrels made for drinking water.
- Sealed commercial bottled water, which needs no preparation at all.
- Stainless steel containers designed for water, if they are suitable for long storage.
What to avoid
- Milk jugs and juice cartons. They are hard to clean fully, so milk proteins and sugars remain behind and support bacteria. The thin plastic also breaks down and splits over time.
- Containers that held anything other than food or drink, such as chemicals, fuel or cleaning products.
- Glass in earthquake-prone areas or places where it can fall and break.
- Cracked, clouded or smelly containers, and any with a lid that no longer seals.
Pick sizes you can actually move
Water is heavy. 1 litre weighs about 1 kilogram, and a 4-litre (1-gallon) jug weighs about 4 kilograms (8 to 9 pounds). A large barrel can weigh hundreds of kilograms when full, and you cannot lift it or carry it to a neighbour.
- Small containers (1 to 4 litres, or up to 1 gallon) are easy to carry, share and take along if you leave.
- Medium containers (10 to 20 litres, or roughly 3 to 5 gallons) store efficiently, but are heavy for children or anyone with a bad back.
- Large barrels suit a long-term home reserve, but you need a way to get water out, such as a tap or hand pump, and a floor strong enough to take the weight.
A mix works best. Keep a few lightweight containers for carrying and a larger reserve at home.
Clean and fill them correctly
- Wash the container and cap with dish soap and hot water, then rinse well.
- Sanitize it. Ready.gov suggests rinsing with a solution of 1 teaspoon of unscented household bleach in a quart (about a litre) of water, swishing it so it reaches all surfaces, and then rinsing again.
- Fill with safe drinking water. Tap water from a treated municipal supply is normally fine. If your water comes from a private well or an untreated source, follow your local health guidance and the bleach and tablet guide.
- Close the cap tightly, label with the fill date and store it.
Where to store water
Keep water somewhere cool, dark and away from chemicals. Heat and light encourage algae growth and can degrade plastic, and plastic can pick up smells from fuel, paint and pesticides.
- Good spots: a basement, interior closet, under beds, or a cool pantry.
- Poor spots: a hot garage, a shed next to fuel cans, or next to a furnace or water heater.
- In cold climates, freezing can split a container. Leave some headspace in any container that might freeze, or keep water in a heated space.
Stacking and safety
Stack containers only if they are designed for it, and keep heavy ones low. Put a tray or plastic bin underneath so a leak does not damage the floor. Do not store water on high shelves where it could fall. Spread your supply across two or more locations, so one burst or flood does not wipe it all out.
For gear ideas, see our water hub, and put water on your 72-hour checklist.
Quick answers
Can I reuse soda bottles?
Clean, well-sanitized food-grade soda bottles are commonly used, but milk jugs are not recommended because they are hard to clean and break down.
Should I leave space at the top?
In freezing climates, yes. Leave some headspace so ice does not split the container.