A product and apparatus for cleaning water or industrial and sewage waste water includes a mixture of diatomite that is heated and stirred to impart an enhanced negative electrical charge to the diatomite. A mixture of approximately 50% aluminium chloride (AlCl.sub.3) by volume is blended to provide a powder mixture for use as a flocculant in the system. According to a modification, the charged diatomite is instead blended with a mixture of approximately 50% ferric chloride (FeCl.sub.3) by volume and is stored in liquid form for later use as a flocculant in the system. From one to five percent, by volume, of polyacrylamide is preferably added to the mixture for use in sewage waste water treatment applications. An efficient system for reacting either the mixture or separately adding the diatomite and the metallic chloride to the water is described.