Last Updated on July 17, 2022 by Ecorf
Can you drink rainwater? You must have asked this question at a point in time. It could be while staring outside of your bedroom window during a heavy downpour or you just thought it wise to seek answers. There are numerous ways you can benefit from rainwater but can it be safe for use as drinking water? In this article, we will be looking at the many applications of rainwater and answer the ultimate question can you drink rainwater?
Before we go into the details of whether you can drink rainwater or not, let us first take a closer look at the many uses or rainwater.
Table of Contents
Uses of Rainwater
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Natural Water for your Garden
If you are a gardener, you will know that rainwater is highly useful as a natural source of water for your plants. During the rainy season, you get to save a lot of time and effort in watering your plants soil with tap or running water. The water that falls directly from the sky is some of the purest water your plants can get. The waterfalls directly into the soil and is easily absorbed by plant roots making it easy for them to grow healthy leaves and fruits.
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Laundry and Bathing
Rainwater can also be used to wash your clothes and is also suitable for use in bathing. In the United States, about 22% of the water used indoors is for laundry purposes. This means that rainwater can be a great way to reduce your domestic water consumption. You can place a container outside when it rains to collect water to use for laundry purposes or simply take a shower outside when it rains.
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Flushing Toilets
Another benefit of rainwater is that it can be used to flush the toilet. More than 27 percent of the total water in your home is spent in flushing your toilet and rainwater can be used to reduce this number drastically. This will save you a few bucks on your monthly water usage bill. You can save yourself the stress by installing a low-tech system that helps to collect the rainwater directly and connect it to your toilet.
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Drinking and Wash Water for Wildlife, Livestock, and Pets
It is completely safe for animals to drink rainwater. You can keep a container or plastic bath outside when it rains so as your pets or livestock can drink from it or even bath in. You don’t need to perform any form of treatment of the water before your pets can drink it. All you need to do is ensure that the water is not contaminated by collecting it in a clean container.
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Washing Vehicles and Equipment
If there is one thing you can do with rainwater, it will be to use it for washing your vehicles and tools. You can collect rainwater and use it to wash your cars, lawnmower, garden tools, trucks, and other heavy-duty machines that require frequent washing. Put on your raincoat and step outside when it rains to make use of the natural water that falls directly from the sky.
Is It Safe to Drink Rainwater?
Now that we have listed some of the many benefits of rainwater, we will now answer the question can you drink rainwater?
Yes, you can drink rainwater!
But before you go chugging up on rainwater; you need to know that there are certain conditions you need to examine before you can drink rainwater.
- Only drink rainwater that falls directly from the sky. You should not drink the water that has fallen from the roof or on the top of plants.
- To collect rainwater for drinking, you will need to use a clean container to collect the water directly from the sky.
- You should ensure you use a clean container to collect the water.
- To make your rainwater safer for drinking, you will need to boil and filter it first to rid it of germs and other contaminants.
What to Do to Make Rainwater Safer for Drinking
Rainwater is one of the main sources of water for most parts of the world. It is used for many purposes including drinking, cooking, and washing. It also serves as a natural water source for plants and livestock. But before rainwater can be safe for consumption, it needs to first be treated to ensure that all the dirt and bacteria that accumulates inside of it has been thoroughly eliminated. To do this, you will have to make sure you boil the water and filter it.
Boiling rainwater before you drink it or use it to cook is important. This is the only way you can kill off all the pathogens that are inside it. After boiling the water, you will need to pas it through a filtration system that removes dust particles, chemicals, mold, pollen, and other contaminants that cannot be removed by boiling.
Another important step that you need to take to ensure your water is safe for cooking and drinking is to collect it with a clean container. This you can easily do by placing a clean container directly below the sky. Avoid placing the container for drinking water directly under the roof as dirt from the roof can easily contaminate the water.
You should also avoid drinking water that runs off the surface of plants. This is because you can easily pick up toxic chemicals from fertilizers and another chemical compound on the surface of the plant.
Most rainwater has a pH of about 5.6 this means that they are naturally acidic. This is completely safe for human and animal consumption. All you need to do is to ensure that before you use rainwater for cooking or drinking
- You need to use a clean container to collect the water that falls directly from the sky without interfering with any surface.
- Boil the water to kill all the pathogens that may be inside it
- Use a filtration system to eliminate dirt and particles that may escape into the water from the atmosphere.
Have you tried drinking rainwater before? What about using it for cooking or washing? We will like to hear from you.
