Safety During a Boil Order:
During advisories, any water used for cooking, drinking, drink mix preparation, making ice, washing fruits and vegetables or brushing teeth should be boiled.
To kill microbes, water must be brought to a rolling boil for one minute in a heat-resistant container. Once boiled, the water should be left to cool in a safe place, away from children and pets, and then poured into clean, covered containers. Boil water for two minutes when preparing infant formula, regardless of an advisory.
Dispose of all ice cubes, infant formula, mixed drinks and anything made with possibly contaminated tap water before the boil water advisory. Do not thaw frozen food in tap water. All home canning and beer/wine making should be postponed until after the boil advisory has been lifted.
In most situations, it is not necessary to boil water used for household purposes such as bathing, showering, laundry or washing dishes. Adults, adolescents and older children may bathe, shower or wash provided no water is swallowed. Toddlers, infants and immunocompromised individuals should only be sponge bathed during boil water advisories to avoid accidental ingestion.
Hands can continue to be washed using tap water.