◆ PARALLAX

Hi all, I'm new and I moved into an apartment in Portland and Pia's post is the first thing that made sense to me. I bought three containers so far. Question: does the water go bad? I'm paranoid I'm just storing vinegar or something. How do I know if it's okay?

It doesn't go bad. Water is water. It is not like milk. It sits there and stays water.

What can happen: a bad seal lets dust or algae in, or the container was dirty before you filled it. None of that happens in six months in a closet. The rotation is not because the water expires -- it is because rotation forces you to check the seals and means you are not storing something for ten years and hoping.

Pour a glass right now. Smell it. If it smells like plastic, that's normal on the first fill. If it smells rotten, you did something wrong -- pour it out and refill. Stop worrying. Just keep rotating.

Bumping this thread because it's my first six-month rotation and I want to confirm the procedure. I have four containers. Do I just dump and refill, or clean them first? And can I really just use tap water?

Dump the old. A quick rinse with tap water is fine -- you are not sterilising, just getting rid of dust. Fill with fresh tap. Forty-five seconds per container. The whole rotation takes five minutes. Set the next reminder for August and go live your life. You are doing better than you think.

This thread is years old now and it still gets the right answers. That is how you know the core advice is sound. Do the rotation. Drink what you replace if you don't want to waste it. Know that you and your household have a real option now. That is the whole point.