With climate change affecting many of us, conserving water continues to be very important. And drinking water is also very important to our health. So, these can conflict when we don’t finish the water we’ve poured for ourselves.

In these situations, many of us dump the leftover water before refilling it with fresh tap water. But, we don’t necessarily need to do that.

Plain Talk about Drinking Water states, “Drinking water that is thoroughly disinfected, such as water from your public water supplier, can be stored for at least six months in capped containers that will not rust or break, such as plastic. Make sure the storage container is completely cleaned before filling. Water that has been boiled for one minute, or three minutes at high altitudes, can be stored for up to one year.”

If you’d like additional security, Plain Talk continues to say, “If possible, store water in a refrigerator to help control bacterial growth. Water is not sterile or devoid of living things, but it should be safe from harmful microorganisms. The chlorine residual from your tap water might only last about a month or less in stored water.”

For more information, visit DrinkTap’s Taste and Odor page.