All 24 national guides we compiled list drinking water. Five of them, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Czechia and Slovakia, also list empty water containers with lids. Here is how the options compare, and what to look for when you buy.
How much you are storing
Germany and France plan 2 litres per person per day, Sweden and the Netherlands 3 litres. For two adults over three days, that is 12 to 18 litres. A family of four needs 24 to 36 litres. Our guide on how much water to store has the sums for longer periods. Remember that a litre of water weighs a kilo: whatever you choose, you have to be able to lift it.
The four options
| Option | Good for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarket bottled water | Cheap, sealed, easy to rotate | Takes space; needs drinking and replacing |
| Long-life emergency water | Keeps for years, no rotation | Costs more per litre |
| Rigid jerrycans | Sturdy, stackable, reusable | Bulky even when empty |
| Foldable containers | Store flat, fill when a warning comes | Less robust; need a stable surface when full |
Bottled water
Unopened supermarket bottles keep for a year or more. Store them, drink the oldest, and buy new ones as you go. This is the simplest way to hold your drinking water.
Long-life emergency water
Sealed in small pouches or cartons, emergency water keeps for years and can sit in a cupboard you never open. It costs more, but suits a kit you would otherwise forget. Small portions also mean nothing goes stale once opened.
Containers to fill from the tap
The five guides that list containers have a specific idea in mind: when a warning comes, before the supply fails, fill them from the tap. That water serves for washing, cooking and flushing, and keeps your bottled water for drinking. Foldable containers make sense here, because they take almost no room until you need them.
What to look for
- Food-safe material. Look for containers sold for drinking water. In the EU, the glass-and-fork symbol marks materials meant for contact with food.
- A tight lid, to keep dirt and insects out.
- A tap. Pouring from a full 20-litre can is awkward and wasteful. A tap lets you fill a glass or a pan with one hand.
- A size you can carry. A full 10-litre container weighs about 10 kg, a 20-litre one about 20 kg. Several smaller ones are easier to move than one large one.
- Opaque walls. Keeping light out of stored water is better than leaving it in clear plastic.
Never reuse a container that once held fuel, chemicals or detergent, however well you think you have rinsed it.
Where to keep them
Keep water somewhere cool and dark, off a concrete floor, and away from chemicals and fuel: plastic lets smells through. Spread it across two places if you can, so a single burst pipe or flood doesn't take all of it. In a flat, a cupboard floor or under a bed works well.
Keeping stored water fresh
- Clean containers before filling, and fill them straight from the tap.
- Label each one with the date you filled it.
- Check twice a year: empty and refill tap water, and replace anything opened.
- Use bottled water in date order.
If your stored water runs out
Six guides list purification tablets as a last resort, and boiling for one minute kills germs if you have a stove. Our article on purification tablets, filters and boiling explains what each method can and can't do.
A simple set-up
For most households, this covers it: bottled or long-life water for at least three days' drinking, plus one or two foldable containers ready to fill when a warning comes. Our checklist works out the litres for your household and your country's guide.