Question About the Water

LinaBean

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May 29, 2013
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My husband and I just moved to the North Coast and we're a little bit confused on the water issue. We know you're not supposed to drink it (why? ... is it a case of bacteria?), but can we safely use it for washing dishes and/or cooking?
 

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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Regardless of whether your water comes from a well, cistern, truck, etc., it's not purified and is not potable. Many don't even use it for brushing their teeth.

As to what to use it for, you'll get several answers here. I use it to cook when it's something that will boil/cook for awhile. I use bottled water for coffee, for instance. I use bottled water to wash vegetables I'll eat raw [lettuce, tomatoes, etc.].

Bottled water is so cheap in DR , it doesn't pay to take a chance.
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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I pour boiling water on the dishes and silverware after washing them in water from the faucet.

For drinking, I fill gallon bottles with water from the faucet and treat it with Purrissima. I also use this to brush my teeth

Even when you take precautions, don't be surprised if you have some problems at the start. Most people do.
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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We do exactly what AlterEgo mentioned. Bottled water is cheap.

I do not brush my teeth with tap water, but my wife does as do most Dominicans.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i only use bottled water for drinking (further cleaned by fridge's filter), making coffee, tea and some other stuff like jelly or bread/cakes. tap water for everything else, including brushing teeth and washing veggies. heck, i'm lying, often i do not wash vegetables at all. immunity through exposure :)

if you live in a house and have own cistern i suggest you drop a pill of cloro inside (the same used in swimming pools). if you want to wash your veggies in tap water use few drops of cloro or squeeze some lemon/vinegar in the water.

but as a newcomer you may have to be a bit more careful at the beginning. as ken said: some people get sick when they first arrive here.
 

Koreano

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Jan 18, 2012
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In the beginning we did not use tab water for anything other then washing things. We were so paranoid we either used boiled water or used small amount of bottled water to final rinse and then put the dishes away. Now about one year under our belt and tried to loosen up a little and started to use tab water to wash our teeth couple month back. I guess it wasn't good idea or bad luck because I had noticed we are consistently getting sick. Many common colds here and there, never ending lingering illness. So I decided to wash our cistern two days ago and we will put coleraine tablet every two months. And we will try again when everyone is 100%. At the beginning it makes sense to be over paranoid on every little things.
 

Castellamonte

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Mar 3, 2005
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I've lived here for 6 years constantly and 10 years off and on...never got sick from the water...I always get mine from a bottle. I wash dishes, clothes and my nasty body with normal tap water but I won't drink it. My family and friends who have...I get to visit in the clinic as they fight off amoebas and parasites.
 

Aguaita29

Silver
Jul 27, 2011
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My husband and I just moved to the North Coast and we're a little bit confused on the water issue. We know you're not supposed to drink it (why? ... is it a case of bacteria?), but can we safely use it for washing dishes and/or cooking?

You can`t drink it but you can use it to wash the dishes and cook things that will need to boil for a while.
 

cleverlemming

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Jul 14, 2012
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You're not supposed to drink it because almost all wells on this island are contaminated by the septic field 20 feet away. We also have amoebas here. Even in places that have state-of-the-art water plants, like Las Terrenas, the delivery systems are compromised by all of the locals who just chop their way into the pipe in a muddy trench. The first hotel I stayed in here had lovely wrapped water glasses next to the bathroom sink. I was sick for three days. I don't have any problems cooking with my water as it comes from a water plant and has no sediment or odor but I don't cook anything that doesn't require at least the recommended one minute of boiling--like spaghetti. On the other hand, it can be quite pleasant to lie in bed with a fever and watch the ceiling fan through the mosquito netting between vivid dreams. It's kind of a tropical initiation. You just have to stay hydrated.
 

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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If you use a dishwashing machine it heats up enough to kill all the bacteria

We shipped a portable dishwasher down for exactly that reason. Then we realized it didn't fit the kitchen faucet - looked in every ferreteria in every town we passed through, but they didn't sell the little thingy that screws onto the end [we needed a longer one] - everyone said we had to buy a whole new faucet. So we waited until we got home, and bought one for a couple of bucks. Next trip we'll try the dishwasher! Now I just hope it works after sitting there unused for so long.
 

Contango

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Dec 27, 2010
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You CAN BRUSH YOUR TEETH WITH THE TAP WATER NO PROBLEM...
Just don't swallow it and remember to spit.. I've never had an issue....

also I never use my dishwasher anymore, I found rinsing the dishes in VERY HOT tap water and let them drip dry is fine...
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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You CAN BRUSH YOUR TEETH WITH THE TAP WATER NO PROBLEM...
Just don't swallow it and remember to spit.. I've never had an issue....

You have been lucky.

also I never use my dishwasher anymore, I found rinsing the dishes in VERY HOT tap water and let them drip dry is fine...

I find that step of using a hot water rinse to be completely unnecessary. Just let the dishes dry thoroughly before using them.
 

jabejuventus

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Feb 15, 2013
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"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink it."

Almost 10 years ago I spent 2 months in a beautiful villa in Casa de Campo, La Romana. The stay included service of a supply of bottled water to use as described in this thread (drinking, etc.). The first bottle delivered to us was inspected by our savvy maid. She noticed a large number of very samll black parasitic organisms (she called them parasitos)swimming around at the bottom of the bottle. They were so small that had there not been so many they could have easily gone undetected. Complaints, outrage, and hyper-precautions ensued. Although this incident occurred some time ago, a little horse sense when it comes to managing your water is still needed today.
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
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Jan 9, 2009
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"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink it."

Almost 10 years ago I spent 2 months in a beautiful villa in Casa de Campo, La Romana. The stay included service of a supply of bottled water to use as described in this thread (drinking, etc.). The first bottle delivered to us was inspected by our savvy maid. She noticed a large number of very samll black parasitic organisms (she called them parasitos)swimming around at the bottom of the bottle. They were so small that had there not been so many they could have easily gone undetected. Complaints, outrage, and hyper-precautions ensued. Although this incident occurred some time ago, a little horse sense when it comes to managing your water is still needed today.

And there IS a difference in the brands of water as far as quality, according to a SIL who is a pharmacist. On the south coast, she told us not to use anything except Cristal or Planeta Azul.

I also have a Brita pitcher in the fridge, so I filter the bottled water too, and change the filters frequently.
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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About once a year, there is an article in the news papers, that "Public Health" has closed several "Bottled Water" companies who's bottled water was contaminated.
I also saw the bottles on a huge truck being filled with water from the "street supply" one day!
"Giardia" is endemic in the people who live in the DR.
If you live here, you probably have it too.
You get stomach cramps, and often diarrhia, for a few months when you first get here.
Then your body get accustomed to it.
I don't worry about the "WATER", it's probably all contaminate at one time or another any way.
AND, if you knew where my mouth was anyway???????????????????????????????????
Stating, "I drank some "Bad Water", and it made me sick"!!!!!!!
Is just not scientifically correct.
You may have gotten "SICK" but KNOWING how/why you got sick is just not possible.
There are a LOT of things to be concerned about here, the water is not one of them!
Use some "Cloro"in water, or "Purisima", like KEN,AND my mother-in-law do,to soak your fruits & veggies,drink bottled water, brush your teeth with bottled water if that makes you feel good, other than that, you live in a tropical 3rd. World "Paradise", there is contamination EVERYWHERE!
Or, you can be like the Colonial English, drink Gin, Beer, and "Tonic Water".
Hence, the popularity of the "Gin & Tonic", with a "Twist"!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Time to go expose myself to some "E-Coli"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

drescape24

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Nov 2, 2011
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In the beginning we did not use tab water for anything other then washing things. We were so paranoid we either used boiled water or used small amount of bottled water to final rinse and then put the dishes away. Now about one year under our belt and tried to loosen up a little and started to use tab water to wash our teeth couple month back. I guess it wasn't good idea or bad luck because I had noticed we are consistently getting sick. Many common colds here and there, never ending lingering illness. So I decided to wash our cistern two days ago and we will put coleraine tablet every two months. And we will try again when everyone is 100%. At the beginning it makes sense to be over paranoid on every little things.

I read you got a cold from the tap water? I use tap water to brush my teeth and every trip I leave with a cold. Is it possible water can give you a cold? I would have never though if its true.