Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.
Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.
Summary
A boil water notice, also called a boil water advisory or a boil order, is an alert from a water utility or a health department that tap water may carry harmful germs. Most households get the drinking part right and boil or buy bottled water, then miss the rest: ice already sitting in the freezer, the filtered tap on the refrigerator door, a child's toothbrush rinsed under the faucet, and a baby's bath. This page covers what to use instead for every one of those, and what changes if your notice is a do-not-drink notice or a do-not-use notice rather than a boil water notice. It also covers the part most guides skip: what to do once the notice is lifted, since the water sitting in your home's pipes, ice maker and filters does not become safe the moment the notice ends. This page does not give you a fixed number of minutes to flush your pipes, because that figure depends on your own water system and your utility sets it, not a general guide.
Necessary equipment
| Item | Note |
|---|---|
| A cooking pot with a lid | Use a pot with room for all the water you need. |
| A stove or another heat source | The heat source must bring water to a full boil. |
| Clean containers with tight lids | Store treated water in a clean, closed container. |
| Bottled water material | This is a substitute for boiled tap water. |
| Unscented household bleach material | The bleach must have no scent. |
Identify the kind of notice
Estimated 2 min to 2 min
- Read the notice from your water utility or health department.1mReport a problem with step 1, Identify the kind of notice
- The notice names the water system it covers.
- The notice states one of three advisory types.
- Make sure you know the advisory type before you act.1mReport a problem with step 2, Identify the kind of notice
- A boil water notice is a warning that the water can carry germs.
- A do-not-drink notice means the water can carry a chemical.
- Heat alone does not remove a chemical from water.
- A do-not-use notice means you must avoid all contact with the water.
Stop the use of untreated tap water
Estimated under a minute to 1 min
STOP THE USE OF UNTREATED TAP WATER BEFORE YOU BOIL IT OR BUY BOTTLED WATER.
Germs in untreated water can cause illness, such as vomiting and diarrhea.
- Stop the use of untreated tap water in your home.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Stop the use of untreated tap water
- Do not drink untreated tap water.
- Do not cook food with untreated tap water.
- Do not use untreated tap water to make ice.
- Do not brush your teeth with untreated tap water.
Make water safe to drink and cook with
Estimated 12 min to 24 min
Source: Drinking Water Advisories: An Overview · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-03
Source: Drinking Water Advisories: An Overview · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-03
KEEP CHILDREN AND PETS AWAY FROM THE STOVE BEFORE YOU HEAT WATER TO A BOIL.
Boiled water and steam can scald skin in seconds.
- Heat the water to a full boil.10mReport a problem with step 1, Make water safe to drink and cook with
- Boil the water for 1 minute at a normal elevation.
- Boil the water for 3 minutes at an elevation above 6500 feet.
- Let the water cool before you use it.
- Boil the tap water even when a home filter cleans it.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Make water safe to drink and cook with
- A pitcher filter and a refrigerator filter do not remove all germs.
- Boil the filtered water before you drink it.
- Use the bottled water instead of boiled tap water if you have it.1mReport a problem with step 3, Make water safe to drink and cook with
- Do not use water from an appliance connected to your water line.1mReport a problem with step 4, Make water safe to drink and cook with
- This rule covers an automatic ice maker and a refrigerator door dispenser.
- Use a tray to make ice with boiled water or bottled water instead.
Protect an infant, a young child or a pet
Estimated 8 min to 14 min
- Feed an infant with ready-to-use formula when you have it.2mReport a problem with step 1, Protect an infant, a young child or a pet
- Ready-to-use formula needs no added water.
- Mix powdered formula with cooled boiled water or with bottled water.
- Give an infant or a young child a sponge bath instead of a bath.5mReport a problem with step 2, Protect an infant, a young child or a pet
- A sponge bath lowers the chance a child swallows the water.
- Watch a young child during a bath in tap water.
- Do not swallow water when you bathe or shower.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Protect an infant, a young child or a pet
- Give pets bottled water or cooled boiled water.1mReport a problem with step 4, Protect an infant, a young child or a pet
Wash your hands and dishes
Estimated 6 min to 11 min
Source: Preventing Crypto at Home During a Boil Water Advisory · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-03
Source: Preventing Crypto at Home During a Boil Water Advisory · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-03
- Wash your hands with tap water and soap.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Wash your hands and dishes
- Soap and tap water will remove germs from hands in most cases.
- Follow different guidance if your health department gives it.
- Use a dishwasher on the hot cycle if you have one.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Wash your hands and dishes
KEEP BLEACH AWAY FROM YOUR EYES AND SKIN BEFORE YOU MIX THE SOLUTION.
Bleach can irritate skin and eyes on contact.
- Wash dishes by hand in a bleach solution if you have no dishwasher.5mReport a problem with step 3, Wash your hands and dishes
- Wash and rinse the dishes as usual.
- Add a teaspoon of unscented bleach to each gallon of warm water in a separate container.
- Soak the rinsed dishes in the bleach solution for at least 1 minute.
- Let the dishes air-dry.
Respond when the notice ends
Estimated 10 min to 26 min
- Wait for an official notice that the water is safe again.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Respond when the notice ends
- Your water utility or health department declares the end of the advisory.
- Do not assume the advisory ended without an official notice.
- Flush the pipes in your home as your water utility directs.5mReport a problem with step 2, Respond when the notice ends
- Ask your water utility about the time to run each tap.
- This step removes water that sat in the pipes during the advisory.
- Discard the ice made during the advisory.3mReport a problem with step 3, Respond when the notice ends
- Run an automatic ice maker through several cycles.
- Discard the ice from each cycle.
- Wash and sanitize a manual ice tray before you reuse it.
- Ask your filter manufacturer for advice on a filter used during the advisory.1mReport a problem with step 4, Respond when the notice ends
Terminology
This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.
- boil water notice
- Also called: boil water advisory, boil order, boil advisory, water advisory
- do-not-drink notice
- Also called: do not drink advisory, chemical water advisory
- do-not-use notice
- Also called: do not use advisory, no contact water advisory
- full rolling boil
- Also called: hard boil, full boil, rolling boil
- point-of-use water filter
- Also called: pitcher filter, fridge filter, refrigerator water filter, filtered tap
When to use a professional
Call your doctor if you feel sick after you drink treated water. Call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222 if you suspect a chemical in your water. Call your water utility if you have a question about the notice. Call your local health department if you cannot reach the water utility. A boil does not make a do-not-drink notice safe.
Common questions
What is a boil water notice?
A boil water notice is a warning from your water utility or health department. It means the tap water may carry germs that can make you sick. Bring the water to a full boil before you drink it, cook with it, brush your teeth or make ice. Boiling for 1 minute makes the water safe, or 3 minutes if you live above 6,500 feet in elevation. A boil water notice is different from a do-not-drink notice or a do-not-use notice, which involve a chemical or a wider hazard that boiling cannot fix.
Is it safe to shower during a boil water notice?
Showering and bathing are generally fine during a boil water notice. Be careful not to swallow the water while you wash. Give an infant or a young child a sponge bath instead of a full bath, since a baby is more likely to swallow water. If your notice is a do-not-use notice rather than a boil water notice, avoid all contact with the tap water and follow your water utility's instructions instead.
Can I brush my teeth with tap water during a boil water notice?
No. Brush your teeth with water you have boiled and cooled, or with bottled water, until the notice ends. This is one of the details people miss, along with rinsing a toothbrush under the tap.
Can I still use the ice maker on my refrigerator during a boil water notice?
No. An automatic ice maker and a refrigerator door dispenser draw from your home's water line, and a home water filter does not remove all germs. Throw out any ice you already made, and stop using the ice maker until the notice ends. Make ice with boiled and cooled water, or use bottled water, if you want ice during the notice.
How long do I need to boil water to make it safe?
The CDC recommends a full rolling boil for 1 minute at elevations up to 6,500 feet, and 3 minutes above that elevation. Let the water cool before you use it. Boiling kills germs, but it does not remove a chemical, so it will not help during a do-not-drink notice.
What do I do when the boil water notice is lifted?
Wait for an official notice from your water utility or health department before you go back to normal water use. Your water utility will tell you how to flush the pipes in your home, since the instructions vary by water system. Throw out ice made during the notice, and run an automatic ice maker through a few cycles before you use the ice again. Ask your water filter's manufacturer whether to replace a filter that was in use during the notice.
Related procedures
- How do I store emergency drinking water for my household?
- What to put in a home emergency kit and how much of it
- How old is my carbon monoxide detector and when do I replace it
- How to change the battery in a smoke detector and test it
- How to get the house ready for a storm and a power outage
Sources
Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.
- Tier 1Drinking Water Advisories: An Overview
- Tier 1Preventing Crypto at Home During a Boil Water Advisory
- Tier 1Water Decontamination Frequently Asked Questions for Customers
Revision history
Current version 1 · updated 2026-08-03 · next review due 2027-08-03
- v1 · 2026-08-03First draft. Boil time and the three-way distinction between a boil water advisory, a do-not-drink advisory and a do-not-use advisory are sourced from CDC's Drinking Water Advisories overview. Household actions for ice, refrigerator dispensers, infant formula, teeth, bathing, handwashing, hand-dishwashing sanitization and pets are sourced from CDC's Preventing Crypto at Home During a Boil Water Advisory page. Post-advisory flushing guidance is sourced from EPA's Water Decontamination FAQ for Customers, which gives no fixed flushing duration for a household service line, so this record routes the reader to their own water utility rather than printing one. New sources are proposed in data/sources-additions-respond-to-a-boil-water-notice.json and are not yet admitted to data/sources.json, so check 2 and check 3 will hold this record on 'source id not in data/sources.json' until scripts/sources_admit.py runs.
Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.
Comments and corrections
Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.
Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.