Treatment time includes necessary process tasks such as filtering, stirring, settling, and decanting.
Key indicators
Minimum treatment time is not less than the manufacturer's recommended treatment time for a given disinfectant.
Consumers value shorter treatment time so long as it does not adversely affect efficacy.
Notes and exceptions
Time to treat affects willingness to pay less than product type (durable or FMCG).
Some FMCG products require substantial processing steps by the user such as stirring, settling, decanting, or filtering.
Most chlorine disinfectants require a minimum of 30 minutes treatment time to be effective. Guideline does not supersede disinfectant-specific constraints.
Pictorial images of instructions for batch treatment are critical for illiterate and multilingual communities.
Images of time can be depicted as digital or reflective of a common time device such as a cell phone or stop watch screen.
Supporting evidence
PATH. Formative Household Research Point-of-Use Household Water Treatment and Storage Products for Low- and Middle-Income Populations in Andhra Pradesh: Revised Final Report. Seattle, WA: PATH: 2009. Available at: http://www.path.org/publications/detail.php?i=1717.
