Do It Yourself: Home Water Filter

Make your own water filter for cleaner drinking water.

Homemade water filters are easy to make, and a good activity to do with kids--or in a classroom--to teach them about the importance of clean drinking water. While activated charcoal is best for use in filters, in emergency situations water can also be filtered through charcoal from a fire for a makeshift filter. Homemade water filters will clean out most material impurities from water, but they will not clean out bacterial impurities, so they should not be a replacement for high-grade filters in areas where water-born bacteria are common.

Things You'll Need

• 2-liter plastic juice bottle
• Detergent
• Utility knife
• Straw
• Cotton wool
• Activated charcoal granules
• Fine-grain and course-grain sand
• Coffee filter
• Strong elastic band
• Jug

Instructions

1. Thoroughly clean and rinse a 2-liter plastic juice bottle to remove any traces of previous contents. Cut the top off of the bottle with a utility knife.

2. Cut a small hole in one side of the bottle, just above the base. Push a straw through the hole halfway. The hole should be tight enough that water will come out of the straw, not out of the hole.

3. Place cotton wool on the bottom of the bottle, around 3-inches thick. Fill the next 3 inches of the bottle with activated charcoal granules, then fill the bottle to within 1 inch from the top with alternating layers of fine- and course-grain sand.

4. Place the coffee filter over the cut-off top of the bottle, securing it in place with an elastic band. Run 2 gallons of water through the top of the bottle through the filtering material to activate the filter.

Tips & Warnings

• This filter is not intended for use in areas of heavy water contamination. In areas where water-born bacteria like giardia exist, commercially-made, high-grade filters with UV protection are best.

References

• Water Filters Guide: How to Make a Water Filter
• Online Tips: Homemade Water Filters