How to Store Emergency Water in a Small Home or Apartment
Living in a condo or a smaller home in the GTA does not mean you have to skip emergency water storage. It just means you need to be smarter about how you do it. Government guidelines call for a minimum 72-hour water supply for every person in your household. With the right containers and a bit of planning, you can have that without taking over your living space.
How much water you actually need to store
The Government of Canada recommends four litres per person, per day. That covers drinking, basic cooking, and personal hygiene. For a family of three in a two-bedroom apartment, a 72-hour supply is 36 litres. For a family of four, it is 48 litres. That is not as much space as you might think.
Where to keep it when you do not have a basement
The most common mistake is waiting until you have the perfect setup. You do not need a dedicated storage room. Here are some places that work well in a smaller space:
- Under a bed frame with enough clearance for a few jugs or bottles on their side
- Inside a closet, on the floor behind shoes or seasonal items
- In a kitchen cabinet corner, if you use a compact bottle size
- In a hallway storage unit or a bench with a lift-top lid
- On a balcony in cooler months, if the container handles temperature swings
The key is keeping water away from direct sunlight and away from heat sources like radiators or appliances that run warm. Cool, dark, and out of the way works fine.
Why your container choice matters more in a small space
In a small apartment, you cannot afford to store containers you will end up throwing out. That is why a glass bottle with refillable service makes more sense than stocking disposable plastic jugs every few months.
Our 3 gallon Italian glass bottles are compact enough to tuck away in most storage spots and hold 11.3 litres each. Three bottles covers 33.9 litres, which is close to a full 72-hour supply for a family of three. Glass does not absorb odours, does not leach anything into the water, and will not degrade over time the way plastic does. You own the bottle. Refills are $15.95 per bottle and available for pickup at 950 Verbena Road in Mississauga, or we can deliver to your door.
Distilled water holds longer and stays clean
One reason to choose distilled water for storage is that it has no minerals or contaminants to begin with. Tap water can develop off-flavours over time in storage, particularly in plastic containers. Distilled water in glass stays stable for much longer and will taste exactly the same when you open it as the day it was filled.
If you have a home water distiller, you already know this. If you are looking at getting one, an under-counter or countertop distiller is a good fit for an apartment, since it does not take up floor space and gives you on-demand clean water any time.
A simple setup for a GTA apartment family
Three glass bottles stored in a hall closet, refilled every six months or so, gives a family of three a full emergency supply without any complicated rotation. When an advisory hits, you are already covered. No last-minute run to a store, no buying up of bottled water that will have to be thrown away after.
To get started, call us at 905-670-7400 or order online. Bottles are in stock and available for same-day pickup at 950 Verbena Road, Mississauga.
Related: How much water should your family have ready? What the Government recommends
