Remove Viruses And Bacteria From Your Water

by Curtis Grossi | Last Updated: March 19, 2024

Microbial and organic contaminants in water are hard to detect by smelling, tasting or looking. That’s why, it can take really long to detect a problem caused by these organisms.

Bacteria and viruses are among these microbes and are mostly associated with causing illness and infections.

The microbes exist in water at small levels but may prove very dangerous to human health. While drinking water, not everyone pays attention to these organisms. However, they’re of concern as they cause could infections, which can cost you significant sums of money to treat.

Luckily, there exist several tested and verified options which can be used to eliminate these unwanted elements from the drinking water. Below are some methods to help you remove viruses and bacteria from your water. 

Known Methods To Remove Viruses & Bacteria From Water

1. Boiling Water

Boiling is famous for killing viruses and bacteria from the water. Boiling water at a roll and giving it one minute may result in killing 100 percent of bacteria and viruses, making your water safe for consumption.

However, this is not as economical as you’ve to always boil a small amount of water and do it every so often. This method uses alto of energy and takes alto of your time, producing a small amount of water, hence cannot be relied on for large production of safe water.

For small scale yet affordable softening or boiling of hard water, you may need to consider portable water softeners. Portable water softeners are ideal for using on boats, RVs and other household chores.

2. Chlorination

This is a method where you add a chlorine solution or chlorine gas to your water, to disinfect and control any organisms infesting the water. It requires you to buy chlorine products, which you’ve to add water to make it safe for household use.

It’s cost-effective, easy to use, and can eliminate a lot of viruses and bacteria from your water rapidly. However, using chlorine is associated with drawbacks like producing odor and chemical taste.

Also, when stored chlorine water can produce byproducts, which can react with other substances to health problems to humans. The good news is you can use activated carbon to filter these byproducts making water safe for use. Some of the most reliable and most affordable machines for r​​emoving chlorine in water are salt-free water softeners. 

3. Ultraviolet (UV) Lights

If you don’t like chemicals, you are in luck, as the UV method of disinfection does not involve the use of any chemical. This method has been commonly used in industrial scale, but lately, homes have been adapting it.

This method uses the criteria for setting the right wavelength of UV system lighting to the water, hence killing the present viruses and bacteria. The method is rated as high, so it’s ideal for killing any bacteria, viruses, and even other organisms that may be present in drinking water.

When using this method of removing water viruses and bacteria, there are several factors you have to consider. For the process to be effective you have to ensure your product is equipped well. It has to produce high intensity and strength of the light, take less time to light water, and the water has fewer particles.

Additionally, you have to check your equipment ensuring the sour of light is clean, and also remember to replace the lamp occasionally.

This method is best used for living organisms only including bacteria and viruses. And that’s to say that it’s not ideal for removal of gases and solid particles which may need the use of activated carbon to complete water filtration.

Positively this method is relatively affordable as the energy requirements won’t add significantly to your power bills. In fact, you can use a low-cost solar panel system to power your UV disinfection units. Still, you can use wind powered generators or even convection power energy. 

4. Ozone

In this method of water filtration, oxygen is exposed to a high voltage current, producing Ozone. This is one of the best methods of water filtration as it ensures the bacteria, viruses and solid particles are eliminated from the water.

If you are looking for a quick and effective method of water filtration, then consider using Ozone. You can combine ozone water filtration method with others such as the use of chlorine to prevent and eliminate its side effects such as chemical taste and odor produced by the chlorine byproducts.

However, this method is costly and may consume a lot of energy, hence, being favorable for large scale use. 

5. Sedimentation And Filtration

Sedimentation also known as settling helps remove large water particles. It involves the use of gravity to eradicate suspended solids in water.

Since some viruses and bacteria are large enough to be filtered, they can be removed via sedimentation. On the other hand, filtration is a method of purifying water that depends on the type of microbes to be removed. That means you should combine filtration and sedimentation with other techniques to optimize results.

You may have to use more effective and efficient way of filtration to remove the most stubborn microbes such as viruses and bacteria. The use of ceramics, which is porous cast filters, spectrum, and body feed filters are a bit more expensive, but they ensure the bacteria and viruses in water are effectively eliminated.

Once the solid particles in water are removed, use the UV method to remove viruses and bacteria to reduce the level of pathogen concentration in the water. Other processes like chemical disinfection and solar can also be used after the removal of the large particles.

6. Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis is a kind of filtration that involves the use of a membrane. The system consists of five stages for the sedimentation to filtration through the membrane. It’s one of the most effective methods of removing viruses and bacteria from water as it’s capable of filtrating small microbes such as bacteria and viruses from the water thereby making it safe for human consumption.

But you have to note that this water purification method is not hundred percent ideal for bacteria removal; hence sanitation must be top-notch to prevent any contamination after filtration. Furthermore, if the RO membrane has an existing defect, it may allow the bacteria to pass through, which can lead to further contamination of the purified water. See our RO system reviews here.

Things To Remember When Using These Bacteria And Virus Removal Methods

Keeping your water sources clean and safe by maintaining high hygiene is much more important than removing the contaminants. Many viruses and bacteria are passed from one person to another; hence, the best way of preventing transmission is maintaining hygiene measures. Cleaning the appliances used for purifying water will help reduce viruses and bacteria from infecting your water.

While boiling is reliable and able to kill all microbes, there are factors to consider. At a rolling boiling, you’ve to consider the atmospheric pressure. When the altitude is high, the water takes more time to boil. If the height is greater than 2000 meters, water should be boiled for three minutes to achieve the best results.

If you choose filtration, keep in mind that the membrane determines the microbe you need to remove. The most suborn microbes, such as bacteria and viruses, will need small membrane filters.

Additionally, you have to follow the instructions of the manufacturer’s manual for effective filtration and removal of pathogens from your water. However, there are some filters equipped with unique gadgets that have chemical disinfection to deliver super accurate results.

Also, keep in mind that while disinfection reduces pathogens present in water, there are factors which determine the effectiveness of the chemical used for treatment. Such factors include pH, water cloudiness, temperature, contact time and chemical concentration. 

Conclusion

It’s important to consume water which is healthy and good for human use. Consider using the above-explained viruses and bacteria removal methods to make any untreated or poorly treated water safe for use.

Most of the methods explained above such as UV, filtration, oxidation, and disinfection by using chlorine guarantee premium results. You must follow the given instructions to get quality and reliable results.

Methods such as filtration will depend on how clean you want the water to be. Using small membrane ensures total removal of all pathogens, but combining it with chemical disinfection proofs the best way to remove all the pathogens.

While searching for the best products to help you clean and disinfect water for use at home or business, check out for online reviews to find the best products. Check out our salt-based water softener reviews to find the best water softener for your home or business.

Curtis is the founder and owner of softeningwater.com. He is the lead guy concerning all the water-softening accessories in this site's guides and reviews. If he is not writing a reviews, guides or any other useful tips, you will find him testing them to find out their suitability. He is passionate about softening water. You will find him extremely helpful and always willing to educate the general populace all there is concerning water and its effects on their health and appliances.