What Should You Do During a Boil Water Advisory?
Boil your tap water before you use it. The CDC says boil water advisories tell you to boil your tap water before using it, because boiling kills germs in the water that could make you sick, and that to kill germs you should bring water to a full rolling boil for 1 minute, or for 3 minutes at elevations above 6,500 feet.
The CDC says to use commercially bottled water or boiled water for drinking and to prepare and cook food, and to brush your teeth with boiled or bottled water rather than tap water that has not been boiled. During any type of drinking water advisory, it says not to drink or use water from appliances connected to your water line, including the water and ice dispensers in a refrigerator or freezer.
For bathing, the CDC says people on municipal water should follow their local health and drinking water authorities on whether they can bathe or shower, and that water that is not safe to drink can sometimes be used for bathing if you are careful not to swallow any or get it in your eyes.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- Government sourceThe CDC says boil water advisories tell you to boil your tap water before using it, because boiling kills germs in the tap water that could make you sick. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC says to kill germs, bring water to a full rolling boil for 1 minute, or boil for 3 minutes at elevations above 6,500 feet. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC says to use commercially bottled water or boiled water for drinking and to prepare and cook food during a boil water advisory. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC says to brush your teeth using boiled or commercially bottled water, and not tap water that has not been boiled first. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC says during any drinking water advisory not to drink or use water from appliances connected to your water line, including refrigerator or freezer water and ice dispensers. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC says people on municipal water should follow local authorities on whether they can bathe or shower, and that water not safe to drink can sometimes be used for bathing if you do not swallow any or get it in your eyes. CDC ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.