How much water to store, and where to put it in a small flat

How much: the numbers

Be Ready asks for 3 litres of drinking water per person per day, for 3 days. Our table:

One litre weighs one kilo, so water is heavy. That's drinking water only. Be Ready says you'll need more for cooking and washing, and extra for babies, pets and medical devices.

Other countries for comparison:

• Sweden (Krisinformation): at least 3 to 5 litres per person per day.
• Norway (DSB): 20 litres per person for a week, and "5 to 10 litres is better than none" if space is tight.
• Germany (BBK): about 14 litres of drinks per person per week.

If you can't store much, Be Ready says you can make other water safer by boiling or using purification tablets. See making water safe to drink.

What to store it in

1. Sealed bottled water first. Be Ready calls it the safest way to prepare. Use it by its date (CDC).
2. Your own tap water in food-grade containers with a tight lid. If you can't get food-grade, the CDC says use something unbreakable (not glass), with a tight lid and ideally a narrow neck.
3. Never a container that held bleach, pesticides, fuel, paint or other chemicals (CDC).
4. Opaque, not see-through. UK forum users often report algae in clear containers kept in the light. Rigid opaque cans avoid it.
5. Collapsible containers fold flat for storage. They're less tough, so treat them as the ones you fill when a warning comes, or to collect water from a bottled water station.

Where to put it in a small flat

Split it up and spread it out. As a guide (general practice, based on CDC and Swedish advice to keep it cool and dark):

• Under beds: 2-litre multipacks lie flat.
• Bottom of wardrobes: a 6-pack fits most.
• Kitchen base cupboard: one or two 5–10 L cans, away from bleach and cleaning products. The CDC says to keep stored water away from toxic substances such as petrol and pesticides.
• Freezer gaps: Krisinformation suggests freezing PET bottles, which double as ice packs. Don't fill them to the top: they can crack as they freeze.
• Not the loft, not by a radiator, and not on a sunny windowsill. The CDC suggests about 10–21 °C, out of direct sunlight.
• Somewhere you can reach in the dark. Keep a torch with it.
• Keep a container you can carry to a bottled water station, as Krisinformation advises. A full 10 L can weighs 10 kg; think about the stairs.

Filling your own containers

The CDC's method, in metric:

1. Wash the container with soap and water and rinse it.
2. Sanitise it: about 1 teaspoon of unscented household bleach in about a litre of water. Close it, shake so it wets every surface, and wait at least 30 seconds.
3. Pour it out and let it air-dry.
4. Fill with tap water, close it tightly, and label it "drinking water" with the date.

When you use it, pour it or use a clean scoop. Don't put hands or cups into the store.

This is a dose for cleaning containers, not for treating drinking water. For that, see the UK Chief Medical Officers' last-resort method in our water safety post.

Keeping it fresh

• Self-filled tap water: change every 6 months (CDC).
• Bottled water: use by the date on the bottle.
• Set a reminder. Be Ready suggests a 6-month reminder to check dates and swap out items.
• Rotate: oldest bottles to the front, use them in lunches or the car, and replace them on your next shop.

Sweden's Krisinformation says stored water often stays fresh for several months but can't give an exact limit, because it depends on how it's stored. Look at it, smell it, taste it once or twice a year, and use any old water on plants.

Help from your water company

If your supply stops, check your water company's website for alternative water. Be Ready says customers on the water company's Priority Services Register should have alternative supplies arranged for them; if that doesn't happen, contact the company straight away.

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Related guides

• Emergency water at home: how much to store and how
• No water supply: what to do, and what you're entitled to
• An emergency plan for flats: what's different, and what to ask
• Stock rotation at home: first in, first out

Free tools

• Emergency supplies calculator (how much water for your household)
• No water in my area: your water company's live page

We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.

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