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Back in 1985 I spent a week in a downtown Cozumel hotel off the town square. Nice place, they had 5 gallon bottled water for the guest. The morning of Day 5, the bottle was empty and I asked the maid to replace it with a full one. While waiting, I walked out to the garden and she was filling the bottle from a water hose. I kept drinking the water anyway and never got sick.

I recently moved to Baja sur California my wife's family is from here and none of them use the water drinking or cooking. We are having a new home being built and have a whole house water filtration system with UV being put in. The system will save our pipes and appliances and will be drinkable, system is about 1500 us dollars and in my opinion we'll worth it

While in Mexico I usually wash my veggies and fruits first with tap water, then boiled tap water, then with bottled water and on top, spraying with vodka. I feel happy all day long.

Wow. I’ve lived in Mexico most of my life (in CDMX nine years now) and have never seen that effect when boiling water. I use tap water when brushing my teeth, though I don’t drink it, and we’ve always used boiled water for drinking, and just tap water for cooking without any problem at all that I’ve noticed. I guess there must be a lot of differences on the quality of water depending where you live and where your water comes from. I just wouldn’t generalize it to all of Mexico.

Awesome info Thanks for taking the time to make this video Paul Cheers 🍻

Have lived in Thailand, Philippines and Mexico; I've always drunk bottled water😎

My Mexican wife got typhoid fever from brushing her teeth with sink water in Chiapas last month. I saw her doing that and practically knocked the brush out of her hand. Another suggestion regarding food/water borne illnesses in Mexico. When eating at a restaurant do a quick look at the kitchen to check for cleanliness of the staff, etc. Oh, and I never eat raw vegetables at any less than outstanding restaurant. That led to three days in the hospital with shigella.

Outstanding info Q! Loved the visual with the boiled water. YUK!

My first trip for work in Mexico in 1989, I drank the city tap water, like a *fish.* I also got Montezuma's Revenge (dysentery) and almost DIED. I stayed sick for two years, and when I visited Mexico again i was very very cautious. I also take antiparasitics once every 4 months, timing it with my wife and my dogs. We don't use tap water for even boiling pasta. Washing only. The rooftop tank gets a liter of bleach every month, and emptied, cleaned thoroughly once a year. Never can be too careful.

Good job, Paul, and good info. Right on point ! Thanks.

Yikes! Thanks for the heads up. I’ve always heard the same thing and now I know why. Thank you for enlightening us😳

Thanks for sharing information.

The advert that popped up before your video played was for Aguakan 😂 oh the irony lol. Great vlog !!

I don't live in Mexico, but love it there. i go five times a year to Puerto Vallarta. I still go the way of bottled water, even when i brush my teeth. Love the video, Great information for all to heed.

I remember one time in my city in Mexico they announce they were going to make the service of water good to drink. The thing is that for it to work the price of the service was going to increase like 10 or 15 dollars. There were protest not huge ones, but the people weren't happy, and they didn't do it. I understand the reason, because you can buy the garrafón of 20 L for 11 or 8 pesos, in a month i spend like 5 dollars in water. I would pay for it to be drinkable just for the convenience, but it wasn't destinate to be. (My receipt for water here in Mexico is 5 dollars a month so it was Doble o triple for water)

It really does depend on what city and neighborhood you're in. I'm in Centro in Mazatlán and I feel fine brushing my teeth and doing dishes with the tap water. I have a filter on the kitchen sink and use it for drinking and cooking (not a UV disinfecting setup, just a filter system from Home Depot - it was inexpensive and I don't have to haul a garafone up my 35 steps). My tinaco is filled from a line on the street and I have a filter for that too. Clean the tinaco every January, and anytime the water decides to smell strange.

Saw that title and said, "oh man, I gotta watch that." I usually hear that quote in my mind with a Spanish accent.

I live in Morelia and while I don't drink the tap I do coffee and cook with it, with no residu. For drinking water I take my ePura 20l garrafon on a pullcart 2 blocks away to fill it at the Water Zone for around 30 pesos. We also have fresh spring water at the falls outside of Morelia. Cheers😀

My GF is Mexican ( Tampico) and every time I go to visit, she tapes a do not drink message on the faucet. I always forget how bad it is. Thanks for the videos. Btw-We stayed a few months back at Sea side and while driving around ,think I recognized the entrance to your casa.

Great intel as always. 👍 I remember my first trip to Cancun and seeing an advertisement for the local utility company, featuring " Electrically Purified," water. Ya right! 🤣 Stuck with the bottled water on that trip, and the trip after, and so on... 😁

We live in Nuevo Vallarta on the Pacific Coast. The area has a treatment plant for the water so we can drink from the tap and cook with it. Now, if they could just upgrade their septic treatment plant to keep up with all the new hotels and condo complexes we would be happy.

I've never seen a Rotoplas that was filled from a truck. But to all the other things in their water, yep, it is gross. I am very glad that I have an RO machine. The other thing I can't do with MX water is wash my solar panels, the Sarro (that white stuff you saw when you boiled it) builds up on the panel and lowers the efficiency of the panels

Thank you Sir. Hasta luego.

Great video thank you!

Hey, greatings from Denmark. Just love your videos, very informative and to the point. amazing that you in the US can retire after only 25 years on the job. I have been working since i was 15, now im 52 and must go on to im 69 years. Love your killer intro, how did you make it????

A dollar fifty is very cheap for the 5-gallon water. Poland Spring charges $10 in the United States

Nice video Paul, thanks for your input. I realize you aren't interested in a "system" at the house/condo but do you know if there are any that actually do take care of the bacteria and all the other issues? Personal interest only, here. Thanks.

SeaPal in Puerto Vallarta produces some good agua, at least in my neighborhood (Centro). They have a good informational website with alerts, and are seemingly transparent and well run. Vallarta of course benefits from a strong foreign and domestic tourism economy, which helps fund and prioritize quality large water systems and sewage. Our neighborhood has had new pipes installed withing the last 5 years. We have an under sink 6 stage filter including UV and we drink the water with confidence and so do our guests that stay when we are not in our condo. We've used the jugs for years and they work great. Having clean tap water is convenient as this means I don't have to whistle down the agua truck in a frenzy, or haul a jug from the mini-super. I still whistle them down for my case or 2 of Topo Chico. This also gives me all the focus I need to remember to go down to the calle at 10 pm for the sweet bread truck on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, or sprint for the steam whistle sweet potato cart when I hear it!

Our tinaco is cleaned every 6 months or so. We pay only $15 per garrafon plus a flat $15 delivery fee no matter how many garrafones we need. The water in our area of Yucatan state has a very high calcium content, so we don't give it to our cats either, don't want to risk kidney stones. Another good video. - Anne

Montazumas revenge! It does not just come from the water. You must wash fruits and vegetables. I do not even brush my teeth with the water. However the weight loss is spectacular if you do end up with it. lol

The landlord at our airbnb in Merida provided us with a rechargeable (USB) screw-on pump for our garrafones so they can just be put on the floor or a counter. No dispenser (or, as they say in the U.S. northeast "bubblah") necessary! First time I'd ever even heard of such a thing....

I enjoy your videos. I'm a permanent resident from the US; I live in the sierra norte de Oaxaca. We can drink the tap-water here; it's clean, sweet, delicious. That said, in el centro de Oaxaca I won't even bathe in it. I wondered after you shared the boiled water if you and Linda felt slim on your skin after showering in that water? I know of a couple of hotels in el centro de Oaxaca which have filtration systems. These are the only places I stay when in town and wanting a shower. I hate that slimy feeling on my skin and hair. I rented a place in el centro a couple years ago and paid for half of the water filtration system. It cost me $17,000MP and my landlord paid for the other half. It was worth it for the time I lived there. muchimas gracias

Oh nice reminder but a bit too late Just came to CDMX to spend Christmas with family and 2day ago I got 1/2 liter water (not bottled) and still in bed with nausea cramps and back pain even brushing theeeth at night I had to wake up middle to rinse again with bottled water That solve the rinsing but not my stomach thanks x this vid,

The water quality depends on where you are in Mexico and most hotels have filtration systems.

Here in Haultulco. 25 pesos. A cheap way to stay heathy.

Thanks for the video. I've really enjoyed watching much of what you produce, but I'm wondering if there is a way to contact you with some specific questions about living in Mexico, as my wife and I are strongly considering "snowbirding" in the Baja Peninsula area starting in the fall of 2022. I would be grateful for you experienced advice on a couple of issues that aren't addressed in your videos. Thanks!!

Yeah saw a lot of bottled water use in both MX TH and in mainland china also. Tinacos get treated with chlorine pills to go into the home but its used for washing maybe cooking etc. But typically boiled. At least my well water is.

I have always boiled tap water from South East Asia to Western Africa, including US. Recently, I have kept my boiled drinking water (tepid temperature) in pure copper bottle for at least a couple of hours and not more than 16 hours. That provides me with the essential mineral and not excessively. Copper also has anti bacterial and fungal properties.

I lived in a small town Mezcala Jalisco, we drank the tap water there it was safe but it tasted like crap because of the cleaning agent used there. So I drank tap water while in town, but when we went to work at dads ranch we always filled out decanters with spring water in a relatives property.

Thanks, Paul!!! Always great videos!!!! Is it safe to shower with tap water? Thanks

Qroo, Curious can we get a boots on the ground report about droughts in Mexico? Thanks for considering!

I was getting very bad gas pains in my gut, and diarrhea as well, back in the mid 1980's while in Puerta Vallarta Mexico. I decided to stop these, I'd drink Corona Beer ( low alcohol content) and eat only fish, that was caught fresh. Well it did solve my stomach and diarrhea problem, but I lost about 12 lbs in 2 weeks. I'd do somewhat of the same if I went back there. I'd also bring antibiotics, ( Cepro/ Amoxi) I believe all alcohol is made with distilled water -- so it works.

Hi Paul and Linda🤓 Thank you so much for all of your super informative videos! We are moving to Mexico quite soon and you're always very helpful. I am curious about showering and/or bathing water though. Do you guys use your tap water for that from a tinaca(sic?), and if so do you get that grody looking film everywhere? What happens if you open your mouth in the shower lol?

I live in San Carlos, Sonora half the year. I do drink a bit of the water almost every day. Swallowing pills, brushing teeth, rinsing mouth. We do cook with the tap water. But.....Just as Paul says the mineral content is very high. The water comes from wells 140 meters deep. It has a lot of Calcium, Magnesium, and some Sodium. There are almost zero sulfates - which cause the water to taste bad. Carbonates, Bicarbonates, and Chlorides predominate. Everyone who has taken a sample north for analysis comes back with the same report: safe, better than some municipal water systems in the USA - but very hard water. Even though it is safe where I live, I have garafones filled at 15 pesos for drinking water, coffee, SodaStream, etc. The water in Mexico differs. It is even different between San Carlos, Sonora and Guaymas, Sonora - a distance of 15 kilometers. I will not drink the water in Guaymas. The infrastructure is constantly breaking and the source is way different. Do empty, clean, and super-chlorinate your tinacos yearly. Keep the cover on also. We have our tinacos serviced in late September or early October before most of us return to Mexico.

You of course are correct, always be extremely careful with any wat situations in Mexico. Whether it be salads or even ice cubes. Ice cubes with a hole in the middle generally come from purified water, just saying.

I lived all my life (40+ years) in Mexico, (lower) mid class... the only people I know that drinks from the tap, are people that can afford filtering systems. Even in poor neighbourhoods they buy big jugs, the difference is that in rich neighbourhoods maybe they buy Ciel Water, while the rest probably go for a cheaper option, even refilled ones.

Thanks! I'm a hiker and will bring a Sawyer filter anyway. And eColi, if they adapted so can I, in a pinch. Giardia, ect, been there, not interested, but who is? The locals can't adapt to parasites either. But the minerals, wow. I had no idea. And boiling water to sterility anyway? I know most inland cities are at least as high as Denver, with lower boiling points, so boiling water is less hot, kills bugs slower. Bottled, thanks

LOL Such a great video. I know literally NO ONE, NUNCA, NADA, ZIPO, ZERO, ZILCHO, Mexicans who use the tap water for anything but showers and washing. Bottled water for everything and anything that may or will pass your lips. Paul, kudos for being so calm and politically correct, always willing to acknowledge there are some who will not head your wise advice, LOL!!

To add a little bit more context to the water in Mexico, it depends on where you are in Mexico. My girlfriend's friend got Salmonella one time from the drinking water but that doesn't mean that all places in Mexico are like that. Supposedly, there is a lot of Chlorine in the Water in Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo. This would make one think that there isn't too much living in the water due to chlorine. Another problem that exists there, is the ''Tinaco''. In Mexico, tinacos are very common. Sometimes the material used in the inside surface of the tinaco has asbestos(if it's an old one). If you are in Mexico, and have a new, antimicrobial surface on the inside surface of the tinaco(yes, that is common in Mexico) and if you had a carbon filter(filtering out the chlorine), in theory, you should be fine to drink the tap water in Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo. However, I've read about how some of those antimicrobial surfaces not working like they should. I don't know what to make of that. Maybe problems with quality control???

My hometown a city of one million, Saltillo, Coahuila, has a certification for safe drinking water. The neighboring city of Monterrey also has had this certification for many years. Many cities in the northern states of México have it because they are higher income cities and have much better infrastructure than states in the southern Mexico.

I have a little pump that takes water from the garrafón and supplies the fridge water dispenser. Very convenient.

I have nearly ruined two of my last vacations from the revenge. Next time I visit I must visit the supermarket and prepare most of my food in my room. The first time it struck I was on a bus, the next-a boat tour. 😵‍💫

It varies from community to community. The tap water here in the part of Chapala where we are is good enough for cooking. But we don’t drink it - it occasionally has things in it that need to be boiled.

I was in Merida recently. I was very careful with boiling tap water and making sure I didn't ingest any in the shower. I had bottled water etc. I got sick anyway. I have always wondered why the Mexicans don't chlorinate the water. It isn't that expensive to do that.

I'm not too far from you in a rural area near Merida.... There they only charge 10 pesos per bottle. They just drive through the village at a certain time every day other than Sunday, honk the horn, and it's done. But you're definitely correct when you say that tap water and also well water (via tinaco) are not for drinking unless your filter it. At 10 pesos per bottle of purified water a filtration system makes little sense.....

Every place in Mexico is different. When I visit Mexico (Jalisco State), I fill my garrafones from the line before it goes into the tinacos and me and my family drink it and never get sick.

Calcium in water is not a problem, I drink a lot of tea during the day at work and we have bottled water there but it has such a calcium concentration that my tea comes with literally little stones. And it's one of the most expensive spanish bottled water, Solan de Cabras. I agree it is not great but it is not dangerous except for stones on the long term.

Another issue is the plastic itself, the jugs are plastic and no matter what "they" say, plastic is made from petroleum and it is not safe to drink that water long term. The plastic does leach into the water.

Yes in Mexico we buy filter water always... And I still do buy filter water here in USA especially after what happened in Flint. And after seeing the sedement on the shower head, it might taste ok but healthy is not.

Looks like Indianapolis water. Lol My sister tested our tap water to bottled water. Exactly the same.

I bought a highly rated 6 stage water filtration system after moving to Zapopan. Still haven’t installed it because I don’t believe it removes bacteria. After 4 years, I’m used to using bottled water. Biggest pain is making a big batch of pasta for ready made meals and not being able to cool off with cold tap water. I still haven’t met anyone here that hesitates to brush their teeth with tap water, I do the same and have had no issues.

I’ve gotten sick and even my dogs got diarrhea drinking tap water, now is bottle water for all and for cooking. Thanks for the video.

Great video, do you have any tips on locating turnkey homes in your area? We are looking to move to the area. Thanks!

If you take a shower from the city source in mexico. The water while you shower in getting into your body by way of your skin.

I live in Hawaii right now and don't even drink the tap water here let alone in Mexico. I'll be in Puerto Vallarta at the end of this month though and I'm looking forward to my entire cost of living being roughly what I pay in rent right now in Waikiki.

Many places in Mexico, Mérida for sure, has saltpeter in the water. Boiling does not help that...it just concentrates it.

I inadvertently used the Mexican tap water to make coffee in an apartment in Cancun Malecon rentals for the first 3 days I was there. I was fine and didn’t notice anything. However I moved to bottled water once I realised it was No-no.

Great information...can you send me the info for the company you use? We will be staying in the same area as you and are looking for a water company to deliver those large jugs of water!!..really appreciate this video...Viv&Darrell

I did an all inclusive vacation in Playa del Carmen. I wad told not to drink the tap water but I made the mistake of using the water from the sink to brush my teeth. On my sixth day I got the infamous Montezuma’s Revenge. I don’t know if people get used to that. What’s the point of having a sink with water that can’t be used safely for personal hygiene. I imagine one can get it by merely washing his face through their eyes.

Thanks for this video :) With the tap water, is it still safe to shower and washing hair and clothes etc?

What is the white things in the boiled water called? I would like to look it up and research them more. Great video, by the way!

Hey mate thx for the insight... for those who would want to install a good filtering system... are the results good ... i am wondering... also what about rainwater catching and filtering etc... can you adress that perhaps?

What do you brush your teeth and wash your produce with. Is it safe to drink the water served at a restaurant? What is used at the dentist office?

Paul : Where is the bottle water comes from? HOW is that water bottle sanitize? ARE the empty bottles sanitize prior to fill them with water? Thanks

What about dishwashing and showering? Does it leave a film?

Merida,Yucatan water is the cleanest in all of Mexico. We brush our teeth with it and wash our vegetables. Have never seen brown water come out of the tap.

Qroo Paul, can you show us the video inside your house in Mexico ? You own it, right ? Also the landscape outside your house.

Pasta story was funny

If I drilled my own well, would it yield clean water? or is that messed up as well?

🤔 Are there any fountains (agua natural de manantial) available in MX?

So what water prurifier bottle to take when traveling to Mexico?

I've always trusted the ice served with drinks in most Mexican restaurants, I've never gotten sick...but now I'm a little curious.

Thank you ! I will stick with bottled water.

i heard u can get kindey stones if u drink tap water a lot. is that true? thanks.

What about showers 🚿 or laundry 🧺?

I've had one of those stomach viruses before and trust me, you do not want that. Liquid was exploding out of me like 6 times an hour for 20 hours straight. It was torture.

Paul: Is it safe to bath wash your eyes, mouth, body with México tap water? Has Linda had problems with her hair.? Have you both had problems with skin problems.? Thanks 🙏 🙏

Good video ! We the mexicans balance the loose weight with tortillas ., kidding when i was kid i use to drink it but was long time ago with much much less population idk now but my mom always use the garrafon and is all good .

Is it safe to wash dishes and hands in the tap water? What about brushing your teeth using tap water? What do you recommend?

What are your thoughts about using a Berkey or do you know anyone that has used one while in living in Mexico?

Mexico in general, has the same rule's, regulation's and various local, state and federal rule's, regulation's and law's the U.S.A. has in place. The one thing that set's Mexico apart from the U.S.A. is the enforcement of those various local, state and federal rule's, regulation's and law's. The ability of obtaining clean water is only truely available by either one haveing an osmos's system, which mean's constantly having to replace expensive filter's. OR purchase bottled water from one of the extremely few water bottling companies. Which in the long run, unless one can well afford to purchase the filter's; Considerably cheaper. But that takes one having to go to the various places that actually sell the bottled water, which is time consuming. The majority of citizen simply purchase their bottled water from any one of the vast and numerious trucks that are available almost 24/7/365. Which state they get their bottled water from the numerious local bottled water companies which by law are required to change their osmosis filter's based on the number of gallon aka liter's they bottle each and every day. Which if and when done as regulated, is extremely expensive when they need to be replaced based on the regulations every day. I live next door to such a bussiness in which numerious pickup trucks for the 18 hours a day the bussiness is open. Bring empty bottle's and exchange them for full one's, and then proceed to drive around the various barrio's and sell them for a slight profit. And as such have watched aka observed them at all times of they being open, and rarely over the year's of my observation, do I ever see them change the filter's. One can simply count the number of filter's they dispose of IF and when they do. Then there's the issue of having ice in one drink any where other than purchasing it from the various stores that sell it. The ice machines at any and all of the avilible resturants and hotel's. Depend on their changing the filter's also. Which is also rarely done based on the number of gallon's aka liter's they utilize when making the ice that is in your drink. The issue isn't with the local, state water being originally supplied. It's with the intrastuctor's in which it gets to where it needs to be utilized. The newest of housing developments have new intrastuctor's that brings water to it. But the intrastructor that provides the water to the new intrastructor is the same as it is to old communities. So unless one can afford to replace their expensive osmosis water filter's based on the number of gallon's aka liter's they utilize religiously. Only purchase water via the various large generally available almost every where. Those companies that are large enough to be Corporations. Meaning a OXXO, a KIOSKO etc. etc. etc. I utilize because the water being fed to my tinaco from the city is sparatic, two 1100 liter tinaco's. And have not one but four filter's in place prior to the water entering then. Two of which are carbon, two are the conventional white ones one generally only utilizes. And I replaced all of them on a month bases. Though there is only my wife and I which utilizes the water and only for bathing and the washing of clothes. Though the water is considerably cheaper than it is in the U.S.A. when it comes from your tap. It's no where to the N-th degree as a safe as it is in the U.S.A.

You'll be fine...until you're not, I like that...kinda like back up until it sounds expensive. Seriously though, I don't even drink the tap water in the States

There is a reason Thailand tops the list as it is simply verboten in all regards. We "showered" with bottled water from our second or third trip there and a friend caught E Coli while not using any water outside of his shower (which is even rougher when your trips are all for boxing and are training 8 hours a day. India as well. Possibly even worse as I have never seen filthier rivers. They dump all their dead bodies and trash in the same rivers used for bathing and drinking

So are the Restaurants using the tap?

I know to never use tap water for drinking or cooking but when cleaning fruits and veggies like lechugas, is it ok to use the tap water in a large bowl with iodine drops such as Microdyn?

Any thoughts on snorkeling or swimming near shore while there is runoff from the rainy season?

Just telling my wife last night that we need to get back out to Isla Mujeres!

Do you drink the water from the 5 gal. jug at room temperature? I myself prefer to drink water that is colder than room temperature which brings me to my next question. Can you purchase cases of bottled water in the grocery stores in Mexico like you can here in the US so that they can be stored in the fridge for a cold drink when you need it?

Just as safe as it is here generally. Mexicans get "Montezuma's revenge" when they drink our tap water or when abroad. Go to a different U.S. city and you might get the runs.. Different bacteria everywhere, nothing to get upset or worried over.