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Original poster

Do you drink water from a hotel bathroom tap?

97 replies

SpangoDweller · 07/02/2023 22:15

Just wondering. Travelling for work with a couple of colleagues & one asked why I bought a large bottle of water for my room. Staying in a small independent hotel & I have no idea if it’s mains or tank fed, & I drink loads of water so I need a source!

OP posts:
tothelefttotheleft · 07/02/2023 22:31

No

Tamarindtree · 07/02/2023 22:32

No. I don’t ever drink tap water.

WandaWonder · 07/02/2023 22:32

What is the difference in bathroom or kitchen tap water?

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 07/02/2023 22:34

Yes. If there is no sign saying 'water unsuitable for drinking' then it wouldn't occur to me not to. Why waste money on plastic bottled water?

Whu · 07/02/2023 22:34

UK tap water is safe to drink isn’t it?! And what’s different with kitchen and bathroom? I feel I’ve missed some
memo. Ah well survived this long!

frenchnoodle · 07/02/2023 22:35

WandaWonder · 07/02/2023 22:32

What is the difference in bathroom or kitchen tap water?

Old houses used to have the mains water go directly to the cold kitchen tap and the rest linked to a big storage tank full of water in the attic. so anywhere other than the kitchen could have stagnant water with dead rats or whatever floating in it.

WandaWonder · 07/02/2023 22:36

frenchnoodle · 07/02/2023 22:35

Old houses used to have the mains water go directly to the cold kitchen tap and the rest linked to a big storage tank full of water in the attic. so anywhere other than the kitchen could have stagnant water with dead rats or whatever floating in it.

Show quote history

Ok thanks

museumum · 07/02/2023 22:38

Hadn’t occurred to me not to. I didn’t think anywhere still had a cold water tank these days? Most modern hotels wouldn’t have a hot water tank either - it’s heated on demand like a home combi boiler.

frenchnoodle · 07/02/2023 22:38

Nowadays with water pumps for low pressure and instant hot water heaters it's all probably fresh water.

KrasiTime · 07/02/2023 22:38

frenchnoodle · 07/02/2023 22:35

Old houses used to have the mains water go directly to the cold kitchen tap and the rest linked to a big storage tank full of water in the attic. so anywhere other than the kitchen could have stagnant water with dead rats or whatever floating in it.

Show quote history

I grew up in an old house. Drummed into me to never drink water from anywhere but the kitchen tap. And that we had to let it run a bit first. I still do that now.

msbevvy · 07/02/2023 22:43

museumum · 07/02/2023 22:38

Hadn’t occurred to me not to. I didn’t think anywhere still had a cold water tank these days? Most modern hotels wouldn’t have a hot water tank either - it’s heated on demand like a home combi boiler.

A lot of high rise buildings still have water tanks. This would include a lot of hotels

Smartiepants79 · 07/02/2023 22:46

Yes!
We live in a first world country.
All tap water is clean and safe. How lucky are we!!

daretodenim · 07/02/2023 22:47

I only drink tap water in hotels if I'm desperate with no alternative. I also always wash any cups and glasses in the room and boil and empty the kettle before I use it. Then I use tap water in it.

I actually have a mug I pack with me now when I'm staying in hotels. Then I don't need to wash anything.

And after having a coffee machine in which someone had put milk instead of water through it..then left milk in the pipes, I also always run the coffee machine without coffee in it first to clean it out/test for horrific smells!

Shoogly · 07/02/2023 22:48

I don't unless utterly necessary but would make tea. It's probably better in a hotel than a house though because so much more demand for water would mean it wasn't sitting stagnating anywhere.

Summerfun54321 · 07/02/2023 22:49

I drink water from hotel taps on the basis that I'd assume they'd have to have a "not drinking water" sign if the water wasn't drinkable.

whytesnow · 07/02/2023 22:50

No apparently it's a diff tank from kitchen

maddy68 · 07/02/2023 22:53

Yes of course. All tap water is of a high standard within the EU. Unless it specifically states that it isn't suitable (stored in water tanks )

NotStayingIn · 07/02/2023 22:55

No not since hearing the story about the death of Elisa Lam.

When the hotel guests complained that the water from their bathroom tab looked and smelled funny, they found her decomposing body floating inside a water tank on the roof of the Hotel.

Yikes! (It was in the US not here, but still, can't shake the image)

Summerfun54321 · 07/02/2023 22:55

Smartiepants79 · 07/02/2023 22:46

Yes!
We live in a first world country.
All tap water is clean and safe. How lucky are we!!

Sorry this isn't true in the UK. All mains fed water is safe. Some older plumbing systems exist where cold water is fed into cold taps via a tank in the loft which can accumulate all sorts of debris. There was a dead pigeon found in my childhood house water tank once that fed our bathroom cold taps. Modern systems don't have cold water feeder tanks but there are plenty of older systems still in action in the UK.

Shoogly · 07/02/2023 22:55

The glasses and cups in hotel rooms are probably more manky than the water. I don't think they get washed other than in the bathroom sink with no soap.

Tilllly · 07/02/2023 22:57

TinaYouFatLard · 07/02/2023 22:21

Only when desperately hungover and I’ve drained the minibar dry.

I'm coming on your next trip 🤣

GoAgainstNicki · 07/02/2023 22:58

No because I wouldn’t even drink out of the bathroom tap at my own house. Saying that though, I don’t drink tap water from my kitchen sink so my opinion is probably irrelevant haha

WashAsDelicates · 07/02/2023 22:58

I used to ask at Reception whether we could drink the water from the bathroom, and the answer was always that we could. So, yes, I do.

Christmascracker0 · 07/02/2023 22:59

I drink from the tap, I’d be parched otherwise!

Only problem is my Chillys bottle doesn’t usually fit in the sink so I have to use one of the tiny wee glasses 😆

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