You mentioned wringing out clothes, maybe it would be pretty simple to script: look at a canteen, wring clothes into canteen, but then its dirty water that needs to be cleaned (boiled)?
Also, I had an issue trying to fill a jerrycan with water from a pump. Only smaller items like canteens and water bottles worked at the pump for me, the crafting (or fill) circle popped up and animated fully, just did not actually put any water in the jerrycan I was holding.