Should I Boil My Drinking Water?

Even water that appears clean can contain unsafe organisms that may cause digestive problems like cramping, diarrhea or worse.

In a contamination emergency where your water source is tainted with germs, boiling water can make it safer to drink.

It can also improve the taste by greatly reducing the amount of chlorine.

However, boiling your water won’t remove everything...

It’s not going to protect you from toxic chemicals, like pesticides, or heavy metals, like arsenic—for those, you’ll need a reverse osmosis (RO) system installed in your home.

In this article, we explore the benefits of boiling, including when and how you should boil your water to make it as safe as possible.

ESSENTIAL TAKEAWAYS

In the event of a water contamination emergency, its is very important to boil your tap water even if you have an at-home filter.

The majority of pathogenic organisms aren't able to survive in boiling water above 212 F. That is why boiled water is biologically safe water.

Elderly or ill people with weakened immune systems are most at risk. If you suspect that you or a loved one may be getting sick from contaminated water, please contact your local health department and see a doctor immediately.

Always boil your water when cooking, washing produce, making beverages, brushing your teeth or preparing baby formula. But you do not need to for household chores, like taking a shower, bathing, washing clothes or washing dishes.

For maximum protection, use a reverse osmosis (RO) filter before boiling your water. RO systems protect your family from 99.9% of harmful contaminants, including bacteria and viruses.

When the Government Asks You to Boil Your Water

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does its best to regulate local treatment plants, but they can still become contaminated with disease-causing bacteria, parasites, and viruses.

When this happens, your local officials may ask you to boil your water.

Other reasons for a boil-water advisory can include:

If a water main breaks or needs to be repaired
If the water source has been flooded with outside water
If the water pressure drops due to power outages or equipment failures

In these emergencies, it’s important to boil your tap water even if you have an at-home filter.

How Boiling Water Destroys Dangerous Microorganisms

Boiling water is kryptonite to microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and protozoans that can cause disease.

Most pathogenic organisms can’t survive in boiling water above 212 F, and some even die at lower temperatures. One study found that Cryptosporidium dies after just five seconds of 161 F.

The bottom line is, boiled water is biologically safe water.

COVID-19 Info: Do you need to boil your drinking water? According to the EPA, the COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking-water supplies. Americans can continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual.

Do you need to boil drinking water against covid-19

Do you need to boil drinking water against covid-19

Boiling Reduces Chlorine

Chlorine can make your water smell and taste bad, but boiling removes most of it through a process called degassing.

Degassing works because the hotter the water gets, the less chlorine it can hold.

To remove chlorine, bring the water to a rolling boil for at least 15 minutes.

Although boiling water can’t completely remove chlorine, it can get rid of most of it. If you want to dechlorinate a large amount of water, or guarantee that it’s 100% free of chlorine, you’ll need to use a reverse osmosis system that incorporates a carbon filter.

Who Is Most Likely to Get Sick from Contaminated Water?

Some people are more vulnerable to water-borne pathogens than others.

In general, older people with weakened immune systems are the most at risk.

Other high-risk individuals include:

Cancer patients
HIV/AIDS patients
Organ transplant patients
Immune system disorders

Your doctor should notify the local health department if he or she suspects that you got sick from drinking polluted tap water.

Are you a high-risk individual?

If you think something might be wrong with your tap water, please consult a medical professional and have your water professionally tested. You can also enter your zip code below to quickly check the water quality in your area.

When to Boil Tap Water

During an emergency, if it’s going in your mouth, it should be boiled.

Always boil your water for:

Cooking
Washing produce
Making beverages
Brushing your teeth
Preparing baby formula

If it’s being used for household chores, it does not need to be boiled. You don’t have to boil your water to take a shower or bath, to wash clothes, or to handwash the dishes.

In order to safely wash your dishes by hand, add a tablespoon of household bleach to a sinkful of tap water and allow the dishes to air-dry.

How to Boil Drinking Water

Are you ready to boil those germs into oblivion?

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends bringing your water to a full rolling boil for at least one minute, and to let it cool before using.

This ensures that the water gets above 212 F long enough to kill all the microscopic creepy crawlies.

DID YOU KNOW?

The lower your elevation, the higher the boiling point and vice versa. One mile above sea level at the top of Mt. Marcy, water boils at 203 F, but down in NYC, water boils at 212 F because of the lower elevation. Weird, right?

Don’t have a stove? You can boil water in your microwave using a microwave-safe container. In order to prevent the water from superheating (heating above the boiling point without bubbling) place a microwave-safe utensil in the water.

It usually takes about 30 minutes for water to fully cool, so make sure to boil water ahead of time for drinking, cooking and brushing your teeth.

Store in a clean, sanitized container with a tight cover.

What If You Can’t Boil Water Because of a Power Outage?

If you can’t boil water because of a power outage, you can disinfect it by adding a small amount of household bleach.

The bleach should be recently purchased, free of additives, and contain a hypochlorite solution of at least 5.25%.

Add 8 drops of bleach (¼ teaspoon) to each gallon of clear water, and 16 drops (½ teaspoon) to water that is cloudy. Let it sit for 30 minutes before using.

Long-term Alternatives to Boiling Drinking Water

Always boil your water during government-advised emergencies, even if you have a water filtration system installed in your home.

But for daily use under normal circumstances, boiling water is an inefficient, time-consuming, and ineffective way to disinfect and purify your water.

Reverse osmosis (RO) systems fit right under the kitchen sink and protect your family from 99.9% of harmful contaminants, including pesticides, lead, chlorine, nuclear waste, and most pathogenic organisms.

Cloud Water Filters even remineralize and alkalize your water with electrolytes.

Click here to learn more.