Plastic Water Bottles Survival Uses (video)

We can live without a lot of things, but water is not one of them. During any type of disaster, potable drinking water could (and likely will) become in short supply rather quickly. American pioneers lived during an era where clean drinking water was readily available from natural sources and possessed the skills to easily filter questionable water before taking a sip.

Sadly, our creeks, rivers, streams and lakes are not so pristine anymore. If the power grid fails due to a solar flare, EMP attack, or man-made disaster, water will stop flowing from the kitchen faucet within days, possibly sooner. Learning multiple manners of water purification and stockpiling the supplies necessary to complete the vital task could save your life. Plus, water purification tools are top-notch bartering items as well.

Plastic bottles boast a multitude of survival uses. Water filtration is just one of many ways you can repurpose the containers instead of sending them off to the landfill or recycling center. Any time you can score free self-reliance supplies, your prepping budget can be stretched a little further.

Plastic Water Bottles Survival Uses

Water Filtration – Water filtration should not be confused with water purification. Simplistic and emergency filtration is conducted to remove waterborne contaminants. The filtration process does not kill the contaminants, but it removes some (not all) of the potentially harmful particles. After filtering water, the purification process should still be employed to destroy any remaining harmful pathogens, bacteria, and parasites, which could be present in the water.

Here’s how to filter water using a plastic bottle.

1. Cut the bottom off above the seam of the plastic bottle. Keep the cap! A filtering medium, such as charcoal, coffee filters, cheesecloth, fine gravel, sand or even grass, is needed.
2. Place the filtering medium in the bottom of the bottle, putting the finest material in the bottom layer if using several filtering mediums or different sized rocks. If feasible, use a layer of crushed charcoal, followed by a layer of sand, and topped off with a layer of rocks.
 

3. If the bottle you are using no longer has a cap, put a covering, such as a piece of fabric, over the opening. Cheesecloth and coffee filters will work as a stopper for the fine medium as well.
4. Remove the cap (or covering) to allow water to flow into the bottle. Holes can also be punched into the cap for straining purposes.
5. Shake the bottle and turn it upside down. Water needs to pass through the filter medium. The first few ounces of water will appear cloudy as it drains. The filtered water will slowly drip from the bottle into your clean holding container.
6. Purify the filtered water.

Instead of putting all of your plastic water bottles in the recycle bin, start saving them for use in water filtration.

Fishing Trap – Two-liter plastic bottles can make excellent fishing traps as well.

1. Cut the top off the 2-liter bottle to create a funnel.
2. Cut off the threaded neck where the cap was placed to enhance the diameter of the funnel opening. If attempting to catch small fish for bait, leave the threaded portion of the bottle neck in place.
3. Push the top of the bottle into the bottom funnel with the cap-opening end of the piece facing inward.
4. Use a knife or a hole punch to put slits or holes through both of the bottle pieces.
5. Secure the two pieces together using any sturdy and waterproof cordage of choice.
6. Cut or punch several more holes around the bottle so water will flow freely through the fishing trap when it is submerged.
7. Fish will swim into the large funnel opening and into the bottom portion to reach the bait and become stuck.
8. Secure the fishing trap with a line tied to something sturdy or weigh the trap down by using small rocks.

Cordage – Make sturdy emergency cordage from plastic water bottles. The cordage can be bent and twisted for use much in the same manner as fishing line and rope.

1. Cut the bottom of the plastic bottle off just above the seam.
2. Stick a knife (fixed blade works best) into a log or other piece of wood. You can now use the knife for cutting the bottle without having to attempt to hold the knife while you slice.
3. Line the end of the water bottle against the knife blade and begin cutting thin slices from the plastic.
4. Scissors, apple peelers, and potato peelers can also be used to slice cordage from the thin plastic water bottles.

Water Still – Harness the power of the sun to purify water. This water purification method only works if a cap for the bottle exists.

1. Cut the bottom of the bottle off at the seam.
2. Fold the plastic inside the bottle about an inch or so all the way around the bottle to create a trough or lip to catch the condensation the still will create.
3. Place the now trough ended bottle over a cloth that has been soaked with water.
4. Allow the water still to sit over the soaked cloth until you can see the moisture begin to evaporate and rise inside the plastic bottle. Make sure the cap is securely on the bottle so you do not lose water volume.
5. Moisture will begin to condense on the interior sides of the bottle and flow into the trough.
6. The amount of time it takes for the purification and condensation process to begin depends on heat levels and sunlight exposure.
7. Carefully and steadily turn the plastic bottle so you can unscrew the cap and drink.

Food Spoon/Scoop – Cut off the top of a water bottle and use the cleaned neck as a spoon.

Cup/Bowl – Save the bottom of the plastic bottle that was cut off for the water still and use it as a drinking cup or bowl.

Body Warmer – Fill the plastic bottles with water and allow to sit in the sun all day. Paint the bottles black, if possible. At night, tuck the bottles into you sleeping bag or under your blankets to help keep you warm.

Water Pasteurization – This simple yet time-consuming manner of purifying water may help remove contaminants from the water after filtering when other methods of purification are not available. After filtering the water, allow it to sit in the direct sunlight for at least six to eight hours. If you have a mylar blanket, aluminum foil, mirror, or anything black, place the bottle on top of it to increase the level of pasteurization while decreasing the wait time. Purification is a far better option for cleansing potentially contaminated water, but pasteurizing water is safer than drinking water from an unknown source directly or after only completing the filtration process.

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