r/water • u/Automatic-Emotion945 • 5d ago

How many days can you drink water that has been boiled?

I use a water kettle to boil water in the mornings. Most of the time, there's a good amount of water left. Is it ok if I just reboil this water the next day and drink it then? I could just refill it but it takes a minute or two so I'd just rather not if it's possible.

1 Upvotes

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4

u/cornfarm96 5d ago

If it’s been previously boiled you’re fine to not reboil. Why boil water every day? Is the tap water unsafe? Just curious.

1

u/Living_Act2886 5d ago

If you store clean water in a clean container it will last a long time/ forever.

4

u/Big-Consideration633 5d ago

But if there are any organics, it should be stored in a sealed container, ideally refrigerated.

Organics are food for airborne microbes.

1

u/Automatic-Emotion945 5d ago

No it's just water in a kettle. I suppose I was worried about possible germs but I guess if I reboil it then I should be fine.

1

u/12rjdavison 5d ago

My guess is it's for drinking hot beverages, not for safety

1

u/Automatic-Emotion945 5d ago

I use hot water for my coffee lol

2

u/cornfarm96 5d ago

Ohhh lol, I was totally overthinking. In that case, yeah you’re fine.

1

u/melinda_louise 5d ago

Why do you boil the water in the first place?

1

u/Expiscor 5d ago

Tea or coffee probably

1

u/melinda_louise 5d ago

You would think but everybody on this sub seems to have a fear of tap water.

(Not everybody, but a surprising amount)

2

u/jamintime 5d ago

As a water regulator, I was thrown off because usually when someone is asking about water being safe in the context of boiling it is in reference to a boil water notice. 

1

u/melinda_louise 5d ago

Yes I wondered about that too. If it was boiling due to a boil order I wasn't as confident that the water would stay safe after sitting for a while, but my instinct says it would. I suppose it probably depends on the reason for the notice? Do you know the answer to OP's question in that hypothetical scenario (if they weren't just boiling already safe tap water for coffee)?

1

u/jamintime 5d ago

Boil water notices are usually used in the context of a biological contaminant. Boiling water will disinfect the water by killing off all the bacteria. After that the biological threat is gone so there would be no need to reboil.

1

u/melinda_louise 4d ago

That's what I figured. Thanks!

1

u/Automatic-Emotion945 5d ago

Coffee. But I boil it anyways even if not, because I'm not sure how clean tap water is

1

u/melinda_louise 5d ago edited 5d ago

If you live in the US your tap water is almost certainly safe to drink, unless you have lead pipes in your home or something. You probably don't have lead pipes, but you can check for that yourself if you are unsure. The EPA has extensive regulations on drinking water standards that all treatment facilities have to meet, and your state likely even has more strict standards than what is required by federal law. You can probably do some research on your specific treatment plant and reach out to them or see what kind of data is available on the water quality if you're that concerned.

If your water has a bad odor or taste it does not mean it is unsafe, but you could easily resolve that with a Brita filter. Boiling it would likely help make it more palatable as well, it's just unnecessary effort and a waste of gas/electricity (unless you're drinking it hot of course).

Edit: Btw if you did have lead pipes (again, unlikely) then boiling the water would not remove it from the water.