Aquatabs Water Purification Tablets review
By Tom Calder
The most widely trusted purification tablet in the world, and a sensible few pounds to keep in any grab bag. It disinfects clear water reliably, but it is not a filter, so treat it as one layer of your water plan rather than the whole answer.
- Best for
- A cheap, compact backup for disinfecting clear tap or stored water if the mains supply is compromised.
- Skip it if
- Your likely water source is cloudy, silty or chemically contaminated
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Researched, not used. We haven't used this product. This review is built from the maker's specifications, owner reports and our own sizing.
What we like
- Certified to NSF/ANSI 60 and used by the WHO, UNICEF and Red Cross; kills bacteria, viruses and Giardia in about 30 minutes.
- Very cheap and compact, with a roughly five-year shelf life; one tablet treats a litre, so a 50-pack covers a household's drinking water for a few days.
- Milder chlorine taste than older iodine tablets, and individually sealed so part-used packs stay stable.
Worth knowing
- Disinfects but does not filter: it won't remove sediment, chemicals or heavy metals, and won't reliably kill Cryptosporidium.
- Leaves a faint chlorine taste that some people notice.
Out of stock when we checked: our alternatives
Closest in size first, then by our score. None of them was showing out of stock when we last checked.
Best for The buy-once reserve — the only tank here made for drinking water (WRAS-approved polymer, Bye-law 30 kit), UK-made, 10-year warranty.
Best for The clever middle ground — 40 litres one person can actually move.
Best for The step past jerry cans — a week-plus of household water in one food-grade tank.
in stock when checkedⓘ As an Amazon Associate, PreparedBritain earns from qualifying purchases. We may earn a commission when you buy, or a fee when you request a quote, through our links. When two products are close, commission can decide which one we pick. A clearly better product always wins. Amazon prices come from Amazon's own product data and show the date and time they were retrieved. Prices at other retailers are checked by us, less often. Prices and stock can change at any time, so always check the retailer's price before you buy.
Our review
These are the small one-litre Aquatabs: each tablet disinfects a litre of clear water in 30 minutes, and a pack of 50 sits in a grab bag or a kitchen drawer for years. They are the simplest way to make doubtful but clear water safer to drink when you can't boil it. They do not filter, so cloudy water needs straining first.
What they are
Aquatabs are chlorine-releasing disinfection tablets sold in several strengths. Aquatabs' dosing chart, worked out to give 5 parts per million of chlorine, matches each strength to a volume: 8.5 mg for 1 litre, 33 mg for 5 litres, 67 mg for 10 litres and 167 mg for 20 litres. This pack is the one-litre tablet, 50 to a pack in blister strips, so it treats 50 litres in all.
Aquatabs describes the active ingredient as NSF certified and approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency, and its FAQ says the tablets are certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 60, a standard for chemicals used to treat drinking water.
How to use them
Drop one tablet into a litre of water, stir, cover and wait 30 minutes before drinking. Aquatabs says to pass cloudy water through a clean cloth first, and its FAQ advises filtering turbid water before treating it, because particles shield germs from the chlorine. Use cool or lukewarm water: the FAQ says not to add tablets to boiling water.
Strengths vary between packs and brands, so always read the dose on the label you have. The government's Be Ready advice says the same, and adds that most alternative water sources will need filtering before tablets are used. Our guide on how to purify water in an emergency covers boiling, filtering and tablets side by side.
What they can't do
Disinfection is not filtration. Tablets do nothing about mud, chemicals, fuel or heavy metals, so flood water and water from unknown sources need a different approach. Aquatabs' FAQ claims a 99.9 per cent reduction in Giardia cysts within 30 minutes in clear water, but makes no claim for Cryptosporidium, and the US Centers for Disease Control says chlorine tablets will not kill it. If that is the worry, pair tablets with a fine filter.
They are also a backup, not a water supply. Be Ready says bottled water is the safest way to prepare and recommends 3 litres of drinking water per person per day for three days, which for a family of four is 36 litres before you have treated a drop. If your water company issues a boil water notice, follow its instructions.
How they compare
On our water storage comparison, chlorine dioxide tablets are the alternative chemistry: the CDC says they will kill Cryptosporidium if the label's instructions are followed, which can mean a much longer wait. For larger volumes, the Oasis 167 mg tablets treat 20 litres each, which suits a filled container far better than 20 single-litre tablets. Every tablet we list is on the purification tablet page.
Our verdict
A cheap, compact, well-documented layer in a household water plan, best kept in a grab bag or car where you might need to treat a bottle at a time. Keep stored water as the main plan, and add a filter if the likely source is cloudy.
A researched review, built from the maker's specs, manual and UK listings; facts checked 2 Nov 2026. Sources: Aquatabs: tablets and dosing chart; Aquatabs: frequently asked questions; GOV.UK Be Ready: water supply interruptions; CDC: Making water safe in an emergency.
Who shouldn't buy this
Your likely water source is cloudy, silty or chemically contaminated. Tablets only work on clear water, so in that case choose or add a proper filter rather than relying on these alone.
Key specs
| Capacity | 50 L |
| Type | Chlorine (NaDCC) tablets |
This is a Researched review: we haven't used this product. We check every specification against at least two independent sources, re-check the UK price on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and say plainly who it isn't for. Commissions never change a rating.
Questions
How long do Aquatabs take to work?
Aquatabs says the water is disinfected within 30 minutes. Stir after adding the tablet, cover the container and wait the full time before drinking.
What is the shelf life of Aquatabs?
Aquatabs' FAQ gives 2 to 5 years for strip-packed tablets and less for tubs. Store them away from heat, cold extremes and humidity, and check the date on the pack.
Do Aquatabs kill Cryptosporidium?
Aquatabs makes no claim for Cryptosporidium. Its claims cover bacteria and a 99.9 per cent reduction in Giardia cysts in clear water. Use a fine filter as well if Cryptosporidium is a concern.
Can I use one tablet for a bigger container?
No. This tablet is dosed for 1 litre. Larger containers need a stronger tablet, such as the 20-litre size, or one tablet per litre. Follow the dose on the pack.
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