BajaNomad - How safe is tap water for cleaning and cooking?

How safe is tap water for cleaning and cooking?

walterbyrd - 3-7-2013 at 11:45 AM

Everybody knows you are not supposed to drink the tap water.

What about for washing vegitables? Or cooking food?

What about filtering water, instead of using bottled?

mtgoat666 - 3-7-2013 at 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by walterbyrd
Everybody knows you are not supposed to drink the tap water.

What about for washing vegitables? Or cooking food?

What about filtering water, instead of using bottled?

depends on where you are. the penninsula is 1,000 miles long and has many, many water systems, which one are you asking about??

Pompano - 3-7-2013 at 11:49 AM

For as many years as I can remember, whoever washed the dishes en mi casa used a few drops of bleach..chlorine..as a disinfectant. Seems to have worked as I am still kicking around.

vandenberg - 3-7-2013 at 11:58 AM

I drink our tapwater all the time without any problems. Seems to me that you do worry a little excessively, like being scared of your own shadow. :no:

Not recommended for the pioneer spirit. :biggrin:

[Edited on 3-7-2013 by vandenberg]

DENNIS - 3-7-2013 at 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by walterbyrd
What about filtering water, instead of using bottled?

It's only as good as the filter you use. Bottled water is filtered water.
You can buy a water test kit if it will give you any peace of mind.

MitchMan - 3-7-2013 at 12:08 PM

The following is not scientific.

In La Paz, I shower in tap water, I wash dishes in tap water and always allow the dishes to completely dry before using utensils or dishes. I always and only use the hot water tap for washing dishes as that water source has past through the hotwater heater.

I only use bottled water for drinking and cooking and for rinsing and washing fruits and vegetables and poultry and fish and even pork and red meat.

For washing fruits and vegetables, I use bottled water with bit of bleach and dish washing soap and let the fruits and veggies soak in that solution for at least 5 minutes, rotating frequently, then rinse with bottled water and let air dry on the counter. Consider washing oranges and mangoes and avocados even though you remove the skins/pealings to get to the fruit as those items may well come into contact with other fruits and vegetables that you do eat without pealing. Also, you may cut up these items and the knife blade and juices may run over the skin and onto what you eat.

Always rub and rinse any and all meats well in bottled water and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap for cold storage.

Also, I have frequently gotten cuts and scrapes while working in the yard and I wash those wounds with tap water and soap, and then alcohol.

Six years, no problems, no Montezumas revenge.

[Edited on 3-7-2013 by MitchMan]

mulegemichael - 3-7-2013 at 12:13 PM

lots of folks here in our little community drink water from the tap but it tastes like crap!....we use it to brush our teeth, wash the dishes and veggies but bottled water for drinking, cooking and coffee..

willardguy - 3-7-2013 at 12:19 PM

good question. goat is right, everywhere you go the quality of water will be different. at gonzaga the water we use from the old spanish well is practically saltwater but across the bay the well water is drinkable.
I would think just by rinsing dishes and showering you're gonna ingest enough bad water to build up a resistance to it. yvon chouinard (of patagonia fame) since he was a little boy has made a habit of drinking water from every river he has ever fished and claims now he can eat anything from any street vendor in the world without a problem.

walterbyrd - 3-7-2013 at 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg
I drink our tapwater all the time without any problems. Seems to me that you do worry a little excessively, like being scared of your own shadow. :no:

Not recommended for the pioneer spirit. :biggrin:

[Edited on 3-7-2013 by vandenberg]

Not sure what your problem is.

I have never in Baja. It is that ridiculous for me to ask such a question? Isn't that the sort of question anybody should ask?

David K - 3-7-2013 at 01:40 PM

Not a bad question, but you need to ask where. Baja California is 800 miles long (California and Oregon together)... just skinnier. So just like San Diego is different than Mt. Shasta and Portland is different than Death Valley... You have to understand in the dozens of cities and hundreds of towns on the peninsula, there are going to be different conditions.

To be a safe traveler, until your stomach is used to the local water, use only bottled water for drinking... We only drink bottled water where we live (in the USA), have you tasted San Diego water? LOL

As for washing dished or other cleaning... that sounds like you are not vacationing, so see what the neighbors do, but I bet if they have plumbing, they use the water.

comitan - 3-7-2013 at 01:52 PM

Every time you eat out ask them what water they use, if they use tap water you might as well. You can be super safe at home and blow it all when you eat out.

J.P. - 3-7-2013 at 02:07 PM

Mexico spent a lot of money seversl years ago on water clean up. In most major city's the water is said to be Potable. The problem was and is the poluted delivery system, Roof top storage in metal tanks with no covering on them and worse. in some areas things are getting better. I think it's still aginst the law to serve tap water in resturants .
Like every where else the Masses have been sold a bill of goods about Purified water.

mcfez - 3-7-2013 at 02:50 PM

I have never drank bottle water in Mexico. Never had a issue.

Funniest thing to watch is when in a restaurant where folks are ordering bottle water ....which I assume is to avoid the bacterium. Then that nice fresh salad comes along.....that was washed down from the kitchen's tap water :-)

You may feel a mildly sickly for the first day or so.....as in any other country...if you just eat and drink as the natives do.

My two cents worth..........

Barry A. - 3-7-2013 at 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mcfez
I have never drank bottle water in Mexico. Never had a issue.

Funniest thing to watch is when in a restaurant where folks are ordering bottle water ....which I assume is to avoid the bacterium. Then that nice fresh salad comes along.....that was washed down from the kitchen's tap water :-)

You may feel a mildly sickly for the first day or so.....as in any other country...if you just eat and drink as the natives do.

My two cents worth..........

To back you up here, I moved a lot when working for the Government-----many new homes in many new places. 100% of the time it took me a few weeks or months to get use to the new water (felt nauseated, diarea, sometimes even thru-up) but when I did all was just fine, and I became acclimated the new makeup of the local water, and I drink a LOT of water, and always have.

Barry

BajaBlanca - 3-7-2013 at 03:32 PM

to beo nt he safe side, when eating fresh veggies that you have washed in tp water, put a little vinegar in it - natural disinfectant.

One gring who used to live inour village had the water here tested in the States and discovered that it was perfectly good to drink.

that being said, JP has a VERY valid piont. Storage is the pits.

Now that we are getting water delivered form Vizcaino, maybe Asuncioners can give us their take on this ? It is a first for us ....

Right now we shower, wash dishes and fruits/veggies with tap water - have done so from day 1 - have never gotten ill. We do drink bottled water that comes from san ignacio and then is filtered.

Alm - 3-7-2013 at 04:18 PM

Bottled water is not just a "filtered water". It's a purified water, filtered usually through the osmotic membrane similar to that in desalinators. As such, it doesn't contain ANYTHING but water. In fact, it is so void of anything that sometimes I feel a need to add a drop of salt into it, especially when it's hot or when my diet wasn't quite perfect.

OTH, filters like Brita are fine coal filters and filter MOST impurities but not all, and it won't remove the bacteria if there is any. They won't make a salty taste - present in many places in Baja tap water - to disappear. But they are perfectly OK for filtering a) water for washing whatever you have, or b) filtering a tap water that doesn't taste bad to begin with, for use as a potable water. In case A I wouldn't bother at all - fruits, meat etc don't need perfectly clean water. In case B keep in mind that you still have to boil it if you are going to drink it rather than cook in it.

TMW - 3-7-2013 at 05:25 PM

Never drink anything that doesn't go pzzzz when you open it.

Marinero - 3-7-2013 at 05:42 PM

In Los Barriles our Muni water is pretty hard, but has always seemed safe. I have a three stage filter system that seems pretty clean when the elements are changed out. It is not bad tasting, just not spring fresh.
Having said that, I also have an R/O system which gives bottled water taste and purity which we drink, used for cooking, coffee and make up water for the icemakers.

Locals drink it straight from the pipes. Never heard of any problem

J.P. - 3-7-2013 at 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Alm
Bottled water is not just a "filtered water". It's a purified water, filtered usually through the osmotic membrane similar to that in desalinators. As such, it doesn't contain ANYTHING but water. In fact, it is so void of anything that sometimes I feel a need to add a drop of salt into it, especially when it's hot or when my diet wasn't quite perfect.

OTH, filters like Brita are fine coal filters and filter MOST impurities but not all, and it won't remove the bacteria if there is any. They won't make a salty taste - present in many places in Baja tap water - to disappear. But they are perfectly OK for filtering a) water for washing whatever you have, or b) filtering a tap water that doesn't taste bad to begin with, for use as a potable water. In case A I wouldn't bother at all - fruits, meat etc don't need perfectly clean water. In case B keep in mind that you still have to boil it if you are going to drink it rather than cook in it.

In theroy you are correct. but there is no control on the production of bottled water. A lot of it is just tap water run through filters with no certification of mineral content or any other element

MitchMan - 3-8-2013 at 08:57 AM

Anybody have any comments on La Paz tap water, that is, does anybody drink it straight out of the tap? If so, what part of La Paz?

EnsenadaDr - 3-8-2013 at 09:20 AM

Sounds good to me. The chlorine in the water is what might hurt you, and you can't build up a resistance to chlorine. Too much might do you harm.

Quote:

Originally posted by MitchMan
The following is not scientific.

In La Paz, I shower in tap water, I wash dishes in tap water and always allow the dishes to completely dry before using utensils or dishes. I always and only use the hot water tap for washing dishes as that water source has past through the hotwater heater.

I only use bottled water for drinking and cooking and for rinsing and washing fruits and vegetables and poultry and fish and even pork and red meat.

For washing fruits and vegetables, I use bottled water with bit of bleach and dish washing soap and let the fruits and veggies soak in that solution for at least 5 minutes, rotating frequently, then rinse with bottled water and let air dry on the counter. Consider washing oranges and mangoes and avocados even though you remove the skins/pealings to get to the fruit as those items may well come into contact with other fruits and vegetables that you do eat without pealing. Also, you may cut up these items and the knife blade and juices may run over the skin and onto what you eat.

Always rub and rinse any and all meats well in bottled water and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap for cold storage.

Also, I have frequently gotten cuts and scrapes while working in the yard and I wash those wounds with tap water and soap, and then alcohol.

Six years, no problems, no Montezumas revenge.

[Edited on 3-7-2013 by MitchMan]

SFandH - 3-8-2013 at 09:58 AM

"How safe is tap water for cleaning and cooking?"

Depends upon how close the well is to the septic tank.

Don't know if it's true, but I've always thought that the water systems tend to mix a bit in Baja towns when it rains hard. One time I got really sick about one hour after taking a shower in an old Baja motel, a rainstorm had moved through the previous day.

EnsenadaDr - 3-8-2013 at 10:01 AM

You know, I notice how after the water is turned off for "maintenance reasons" down here, the water coming out of the tap is dirty...no way would I ever take a swig from the tap unless I had a filter system installed...don't know if the filter takes out chlorine or other minerals, either.

Quote:

Originally posted by SFandH
"How safe is tap water for cleaning and cooking?"

Depends upon how close the well is to the septic tank.

Don't know if it's true, but I've always thought that the water systems tend to mix a bit in Baja towns when it rains hard. One time I got really sick about one hour after taking a shower in an old Baja motel, a rainstorm had moved through the previous day.

capitolkat - 3-8-2013 at 12:00 PM

To answer Mitch Man's question. We don't live too far from you and are on municipal water. We drink it , bath in it, wash dishes and veggies in it- for about 2 years now. No problems. We do have a RO filter for two outlets to the icemakers, and a tap on the sink that is RO and a whole house filter for particulates. But most of the time we use the tap water for every day usage. it's hard and I have to add a lot of acid to the pool to adjust the Ph as it has an automatic filler.

vandenberg - 3-8-2013 at 12:32 PM

Yes, biggest trouble with the tap water is, it has so many minerals in it, that it makes you gain weight. :saint:

At least that's what I have Barb believe. :bounce:

chinolbz - 3-8-2013 at 10:25 PM

A friend of mine in Los Barriles uses a well water test kit a couple of time a season. It checks out as good as the water in the states. Wife still likes local bottled water for ice and drinking. I just use the tap. Chino

EnsenadaDr - 3-9-2013 at 02:44 AM

The Mexicans don't drink their own tap water...does that mean anything or is it purely based on tradition...

chuckie - 3-9-2013 at 04:01 AM

Sorta funny..The other nite, not quite awake I drank a full glass of water from the tap...Tasted awful! Usually use the bottled stuff...BUT I make coffee and cook with the city water....

watizname - 3-9-2013 at 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg
Yes, biggest trouble with the tap water is, it has so many minerals in it, that it makes you gain weight. :saint:

At least that's what I have Barb believe. :bounce:

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. I have been wondering why I have been gaining all those extra pounds for years.
Again, Mil Gracias. :biggrin:

neilm81301 - 3-9-2013 at 10:10 AM

Doc;
A charcoal filter will take out chlorine; it's what we use after bleaching tap water.
Neil

Quote:

Originally posted by EnsenadaDr
You know, I notice how after the water is turned off for "maintenance reasons" down here, the water coming out of the tap is dirty...no way would I ever take a swig from the tap unless I had a filter system installed...don't know if the filter takes out chlorine or other minerals, either.

Quote:

Originally posted by

Osprey - 3-9-2013 at 10:48 AM

Water outages and hurricanes are not my drinking water problems. It's when my wife is sick and doesn't feel like cooking. That's when I put my talented dog Storm to work cooking our meals for few days till she gets better. Twice I caught him using water from the toilet and once from the fountain.

No accounting for taste.

DavidE - 3-9-2013 at 11:03 AM

If there are mines nearby or any history of them I try and keep in mind that metal, arsenic, lead, antimony, mercury, is another factor that cannot be boiled or dosed away.

The RO filters I see in most agua purificada plants are not nearly as fine as membranes found on sea water filtration plants (like on yachts). Before I get carried away thinking I am drinking "near distilled water" I'll fill a glass and let it evaporate. If it leaves a film on the glass it isn't extremely low in total dissolved solids.

Ultraviolet light only kills a certain percentage of bacteria but all virus. But UV does not kill single cell amoebae or protozoa - filters are the only mechanism that will keep single cell life out of the supply.

OZONE sterilization when done right, is absolute. It is possible to store ozone treated water for a year with no danger of bacterial, fungal, or viral growth.

bajaguy - 3-9-2013 at 11:29 AM

http://www.waterfixercompany.com/works.html