Drinking Water: Bleach, Boil Or Use Bottled If You're Not Sure Of Safety

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared the city's drinking water to be safe on Tuesday after the superstorm Sandy ravaged the area.

However, the same may not be the case for other parts of the northeast. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that if you're not sure if tap water is safe to drink or bathe in, it's important to either use bottled water, boil the water or disinfect it first before using it.

Adding just a little bit of bleach to water can help to make it safe, if the water comes out of the tap clear already, the CDC noted. To use this method, add about eight drops (one-eighth of a teaspoon) of unscented bleach to one gallon of water, mix, and then wait a half-hour. After this point, it should be safe to drink.

The CDC notes that if the water comes out of the tap cloudy, then you should add 16 drops (or one-quarter of a teaspoon) of unscented bleach to the water, instead of eight drops.

The CDC also reported that infants should not used powdered formula prepared with this bleached water -- you should only use canned formula.

If you are boiling the water to kill the bacteria, make sure you let the water go at rolling boil for at least one minute, according to the CDC.