A Homemade Antibacterial Water Filter

Sift dried clay through a size 30 sieve and onto clean plastic sheeting spread out over a work area.

Mix the sifted clay with an equal amount of dry coffee grounds then add water to the mixture, little by little. Mix and add until the mixture is the consistency of biscuit dough and holds its shape when squeezed through your fingers. Flatten the clay out with your hands, fold it in half then flatten it again. Continue this kneading process for five minutes.

Line a clay flower pot with plastic wrap. Mold the clay mixture to the inside of the flower pot's walls to create a clay container with 1/2-inch-thick walls. Leave the container outdoors to dry for 48 hours out of direct sunlight.

Place the container into a kiln. Bring it slowly up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit over a period of two hours then quickly raise the temperature to 1,650 degrees. Fire the clay container at this temperature from eight to nine hours. Turn off the kiln and allow the container to cool for two hours. Remove the pot from the kiln and wait for it to return to room temperature.

Measure the circumference of the pot at its lip. Draw a circle in the center of a large sheet of plywood. Make the circumference 1 inch smaller than the lip's circumference. Cut the circle out with a router.

Place the sheet of plywood over a large, clean bucket or other receptacle. The mouth of the receptacle must be wider than the diameter of the circle in the plywood. The bottom of the receptacle must be at least 8 inches lower than the bottom of the filter. Place the pot inside the hole in the center of the plywood.

Fill the filter with water. Record the amount of time it takes to collect 1 quart of water. For proper bacterial filtration, the flow rate should be 1 quart every one to two hours. Any faster and all of the bacteria may not filter out properly. Any slower and you will wait a long time for a little bit of water. If the filter drains too quickly, reduce the clay-to-coffee grounds ratio to 2:3 and fire another filter.

Allow the filter to air-dry for 24 hours in a warm, dry area.

Mix a colloidal silver solution at a concentration of 220mg of colloidal silver per quart of water. Mix 8ml of 3.2 percent (32,000 ppm) colloidal silver per quart of water. Or mix 99mg of powdered colloidal silver into 1 quart of water.

Submerge the filter into the colloidal silver solution. Keep it submerged until the filter stops emitting bubbles. Place the filter on a clean surface until it dries.