It is important to note that even water that appears very clean and clear actually contains lots of microorganisms that can be very harmful and dangerous to your health. This is the kind of water that you might be tempted to use especially when traveling to new areas or in the woods camping. It is even recommended that tap water should also be treated especially when being used for drinking regardless of how clean it appears.
Since you can not always carry water from your home when traveling, carrying iodine disinfectant is quite convenient and it assures you that you will be using water free from germs contamination. Iodine has the capabilities of killing those dangerous microorganisms which can make you suffer from waterborne diseases and death has even been a consequence of using contaminated water for consumption.
Instructions on using Iodine Disinfectant
High chances are that you will be using iodine disinfectant when out there traveling in wilderness. If you have no water left, look for a source of flowing water if possible rather than stagnant water. Using your water bottle, collect the water that you need to disinfect or purify. If you can not find a source where water is flowing, it is essential you consider getting the water from the clearest and largest source.
Carefully put water inside the bottle as you also prevent the water not to drip outside of your water bottle rim. If you find a faucet, collecting water is quite easy and you only need to ensure that no water is splashed on bottle rim. This is important considering that any water that is on the rim will not be purified by the iodine disinfectant and can contain lots of germs as well.
Depending on the amount of water you need to purify, you should be able to know the amount of iodine you will need to get the job done accordingly. Most importantly, the main determinant will be the water source and water amount in question. You can use an eye dropper to measure the drops accurately. Use more drops of iodine disinfectant on water that is from a source that is stagnant and one that is cloudy. Water from flowing sources and that appears clear requires little amount of the disinfectant. Allow it to sit for about 30 minutes and it should be good consumption.
Tips and warnings
While iodine disinfectant can be quite effective in purification of the water, you are warned not to use water that has been purified using iodine or other chemicals for a prolonged time period. Such water is best when used on short term basis only. Try to disinfect clear water as much as possible as iodine does not work very well in very dirty and cloudy water. If possible, only water from flowing source should be used. Also, do not drink the water immediately after adding the iodine to disinfect water as you should let it to sit for some extra time for iodine to take effect.