I must admit that the lifestraw water filter is one of the most important inventions of this decade. It has helped lots of people around the globe by providing then clean drinking water. However, with the passage of time people developed few myths about it. They can not seem to differentiate myths from realities. So, here in this post, I’ve listed some of the facts related to the Lifestraw water purifier. There are some facts which can actually contribute towards saving someone’s like actually. Read on and share your opinion in the comments below. If you already know these facts then it means you’ve done your detailed research. But still, I would ask you to read on because there might be something that you might have missed.

Fact # 1: You can drink urine through Lifestraw Water Filter

Urine contains 95% water and 5% waste material (excess fluids, water-soluble molecules, nitrogen, vitamins, minerals, proteins, antibodies, and other metabolites). However, the Lifestraw water filter possesses the power to make this waste product (urine) a drinking product. Although, we do not advise this practice as a regular survival technique. The US Army Field Manual for survival, evasion, and recovery also specifically lists urine on its “DO NOT drink” list. But anything is legit in extreme survival cases. But keep in mind that you should not drink your urine more than once. Because once you drink it, the next urine that you pass won’t have 95% water in it, rather a mere 50% (Yes this 50% of the water will be almost non-use-able).

Drinking urine can be especially dangerous for survivors of crushing injuries. That is because muscle fibers are damaged, the cells can leak potassium and phosphorous into your bloodstream. Even a victim of crushing injuries with healthy kidneys might not be able to clear the dangerous build-up. Check out this link from ScienceDaily. There are some myths that urine has curative powers. However, urologists and nephrologists say that the increasing concentration of toxins will quickly do more harm than good. The American Cancer Society states that “NO well-controlled studies published in available scientific literature support the claims that urotherapy can control or reverse the spread of cancer.“

Fact # 2: Life Straw removes all types of bacteria

Yes, you read that right. Life straw removes 99.99% of waterborne bacteria like Escherichia coli (“E. Coli”), Campylobacter, Vibrio cholerae (“Cholera”), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella, Salmonella, etc. It also removes 99.9% waterborne protozoa including Giardia lamblia (“Beaver Fever”), Cryptosporidium parvum (“Crypto”), Entamoeba histolytica, etc.

Fact # 3: Life Straw Water Filter does NOT remove viruses

The regular lifestraw water filter has>LOG 6 reduction capability. Its pores are good enough to stop the bacteria, not viruses as they are too small and most of the water-borne viruses will pass through LOG 6 filters/purifiers. However, some advanced water filters with >LOG3 reduction capability can remove viruses as well.

Fact # 4: It can NOT remove chemicals from water

If your water source is polluted with chemicals especially heavy metals like cadmium, chromium, mercury, lead, arsenic, and antimony, then you should choose another water source as normal lifestraw can not remove most of the heavy metal. It can not process/filter regular chemicals like chlorine also that we use in our pools for cleaning purposes. You’ll need a water filter with a charcoal layer to process and clean water contaminated with heavy metals.

Fact # 5: You can NOT drink saltwater with Lifestraw

Lifestraw personal water filter is made of a hollow fiber fixed in a tube. This hollow fiber has a pore size of about 0.1 microns. This pore size can easily filter all kinds of bacteria and pathogens. However, it is not small enough to filter any dissolved material like salt. That is why you can not drink seawater with lifestraw. If you need to filter salt from the water, you’ll need a water filter with a reverse osmosis membrane or a multiple layers filtration system. This sort of filter is generally more expansive than personal water filters.

Fact # 6: You can NOT drink from just any water source

In a nutshell, a big no. As I already stated above that you can not remove viruses and chemicals from infected water using regular lifestraw water filter, similarly, you can not remove radiations from the contaminated water sources. So drinking from water sources where factories/hospitals dump their wastes, are not safe at all. You should consider looking for another water source that is more clearer or you should get a better lifestraw filter.

Fact # 7: It does NOT work for a lifetime

Every water filter has a filtering capacity after which you need to replace it with a new one. If someone says their filter works for a lifetime, they are just lying to get their product sold. Generally, 1 regular life straw water filter cleans 1000-1200 litters of water from a normal water source (stream, pond, etc) and after that, you must replace it. You must keep it in mind that the life of your lifestraw also depends upon the nature of water sources you use. If you are drinking from a highly contaminated water source, then it may expire earlier than exact.

Here a question arises, how will you know when it is time to buy a new one and replace your old one. Well, you will clearly notice that its water flow rate has decreased significantly and even blocked so that is the time you need to throw it in the trash can.

5 Tips to Safe Drinking Water with LifeStraw Water Filter

Running water might be SAFER to drink, but it still is not safe enough to drink. The reason for this is because you don’t know where that water is coming from. There might be a swamp filled with pathogens and chemicals just half a mile up the stream. Do not drink from a water source about which you are doubtful and especially do NOT drink if you know that water is surely contaminated which your lifestraw can not filter. If you want to increase the life of your filter, clean it after every use. Backflush your LifeStraw by blowing a breath of air back into the mouthpiece to purge all remaining water trapped within the filter. If you have access to clean water, suck some into the filter and backflush it again. Give it a few shakes and leave both ends uncapped to air dry at room temperature. If you have a water container like a water bottle, consider filling it first and then let the dirt settle down a bit and then drink using your straw. This way, you will need less filtering. In extreme survival cases (where your life is threatened), anything which comes to your mind and can be done with whatever you have is good, legit and legal.