ASK KAREN: How many days can you keep water in the refrigerator without getting bacteria?

Karen McNew
WSLS 10 Anchor
Published: October 8, 2008

QUESTION: How many days can you keep water in the refrigerator without getting bacteria? I use a PUR filter on my faucet and put water in a plastic container with a faucet on the end so I can have cold- filtered water without having a lot of bottles in the fridge. I wonder if I am defeating my purpose of filtering the water and letting it set several days.

ANSWER: From what I have found, you do not need to worry about your filtered water being kept in the fridge for several days.
Carilion Clinic’s Dr. Mark Greenawald says, “In theory, the water your writer is asking about could be stored safely in the refrigerator indefinitely, even more so after being filtered.”
He says water that comes out of your faucet is bacteria free and as long as the container you are putting it in is clean, you should not have any problems.

Some added water “fun facts” from Dr. Greenawald:

* Bottled Water has an indefinite shelf life under optimal conditions.
* The FDA has not established a shelf life for bottled water.
* In the United States bottled water’s shelf life is date stamped for two years, but this is mainly for stock rotation purposes.