III. Decontamination

Only by using effective decontamination and disinfection procedures can any emergency water filtration deliver clean, safe water. If you have, on hand, spare decontamination resources, and you have the time, put the resources to good use by keeping your filtration media and water treatment gear in peak operating condition and safe to use.

What you’ll need:

  • Household 2% tincture of Iodine

  • Unscented liquid bleach

  • Soft brushes

  • Clear (white) Vinegar

  • Sodium Bicarbonate

  • Heavy Rubber, Long Sleeve, Rubber / Latex Gloves and Protective Eyewear

  • 8-16 liters of clean water.

Step 1:

Start by washing out your buckets and water coolers with a few drops of bleach diluted with clean water. Scrub your containers with a soft brush and then remove any bleach residue using clean water. For more on disinfecting with Bleach follow this link. Bleach is highly toxic. Always wear protective gloves and eyewear when handling bleach.

 

Step 2:

Remove all the CleanIt (copper) filter cartridge liners (screens), full of filter media, from the full-length and compact cartridge cylinders.

Remove filtration media from unrolled copper cartridge liners. Insert each media type into a separate decontaminated container. Cleaning and disinfecting media is inexpensive. Cleaned (decontaminated) media can be reused. quality, industry standard, readily available filter medias publish methodologies of thoroughly decontaminating / disinfecting medias, as do government organizations. Learn more about cleaning / rejuvenating your media.

Place the all the screens / unrolled cartridge liners into a decontaminated container containing clean water and and 2% tincture of iodine. Allow the screens to soak in a shallow bath of solution for at least 45 minutes.

Carefully review and follow CDC other reputable guidelines for using iodine as a disinfectant. Here is a link to one document:

Don’t drink water disinfected with iodine if you: are pregnant, have a thyroid problem or are very sensitive to iodin

https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/Pages/Using-disinfectants-to-make-drinking-water-safe-when-you-cant-boil-it.aspx

 

Step 3:

Pump 3 liters of clean water with 2% tincture of iodine through the CleanIt system filter cartridge housings, the plugs and hoses with NO media or screens inserted in the cartridge cylinders.

Allow the mixture to circulate for an hour. Pump the water treated with iodine out of the system. Remove remaining water from the Cleanit by removing the stoppers and (directly) draining the cartridge housings. NEVER USE THE DRAINED WATER FOR CONSUMPTION OR PERSONAL HYGIENE.

Step 4:

Mix white (clear) vinegar and sodium bicarbonate into a paste. Remove the CleanIt cartridge screens from their iodine bath and scrub them using vinegar/sodium bicarbonate paste. Rinse off the paste using clean water.

Remove media from their cleaning solution. Rinse the media with clean water and if possible allow the media to dry (but never in direct sunlight) .

 
 

Step 5:

Insert the decontaminated screens into the cartridge cylinders. Load the clean, rinsed media back into your filter cartridges, attach the cartridges to your CleanIt, and you’re ready to go.