Is rainwater safe to drink?

[PrettyCandles]

Surely rainwater that's fallen outside an urban area and has been collected in a clean container is safe to drink? Does anyone know?

Just boil it if you are feeling hesitant.

Yes, I know I could do that, but I wonder whether you can just drink it from the bucket. It smells so good!

I would boil it.....your bucket won't be hygenicaly clean even if your rainwater is/....

Actually, just boiling wouldn't be enough if it had environmental pollutants. That's why I said outside an urban area, as I assume that rain that has fallen in, say, London, will be fairly well contaminated by nasty chemicals.

Go on, live dangerously (as long as the bucket is clean of course).

Doesn't have to be a bucket, I could put a salad bowl out to collect rainwater.

That is true PC....but just because it has fallen in a rural area doesn't mean the clouds weren't formed in London

I figure it is raining where you are then? Just remember not to collect it in a colander.

thats what was about to say sms.

Mmm...good point.

I suppose the question is - do I want to live dangerously?

I'd be the wrong person for advice on that one - look what happened to me (long sad sigh as I recall my poor little 1 year old with a head scar)

You need to sterilise it using a UV light filter (if planning on doing this long term) or else boil it.

No, for once it's not raiing! It's been a lovely sunny aftertoon here. But the rainbutt smells gorgeous, and when dh was sweeping water out of our courtyard he raised such a stunning fragrance...mmmm. Until we got a rainbutt I had no idea that rainwater smells good!

With such a heightened sense of smell I'm guessing you ar pregnant.

when we lived abroad (Papua New Guinea) our water supply was from a rain water tank in the garden, all drinking water was boiled.

I say drink it - our water comes from a spring & I haven't died yet............

LOL. No, I'm not. But I do have a fairly good sense of smell (which is a total pain when I'm pg).