# Why stock up on bottled water? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 7, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069 "2020-03-07T21:53:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/1 "2020-03-07T21:53:34Z")
I went to Sam’s today and saw people buying a lot of bottled water. I wanted to ask them for the logic behind getting bottled water. I get that it’s possible that I may be stuck at home for days because of the virus, but I can always get water from the tap. Or is there a somewhat rational reason for the possibility of needing lots of bottled water? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/2 "2020-03-07T22:26:05Z")
Some people don’t drink their tap water. Some people also think bottled water is cleaner than tap water, which is funny, because it’s tap water. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/3 "2020-03-07T22:36:14Z")
Other scary things that involve not going into public frequently involve loss of utilities. At a less than fully rationale level our glorious pattern matching brain says water is an essential item for the shopping list to prepare for sheltering at home. Or they don’t like drinking their tap water. Which is not necessarily a rational and carefully evidence based decision either. Still if they want to keep drinking bottled water stocking up is the way to guarantee they can. > [@Ethilrist](#): > > Some people also think bottled water is cleaner than tap water, which is funny, because it’s tap water. Some of it is essentially well water. In those cases it is a less tested and potentially less clean option than tap water. ---
**Author:** ![EdelweissPirate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@EdelweissPirate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdelweissPirate)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/4 "2020-03-07T22:38:56Z")
Why do people stock up on bread and milk when the forecast calls for 6-8” of snow? I wouldn’t go looking for rationality in inherently irrational acts. If you see an epidemiologist stocking up on bottled water, it might make sense to do the same. But I wouldn’t be surprised if many people stocking up at warehouse stores (so they don’t have to go out later, a legit strategy) reflexively pick up a few cases of bottled water, either out of disaster-preparedness habit or because they’re so terrified that they’re stocking up on All The Things. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/5 "2020-03-07T22:45:58Z")
We had plenty of water (living in an earthquake zone, we have a reasonable emergency supply cabinet), but not much toilet paper. Given our jobs, there’s a reasonable chance one of us will have an possible exposure and be directed to self-quarantine for two weeks. Life is better with supplies, whether or not you fall ill. ---
**Author:** ![EdelweissPirate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@EdelweissPirate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdelweissPirate)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/6 "2020-03-07T22:51:49Z")
Right, but you just said you’ve already got plenty of bottled water (in addition to your taps). The OP was wondering why people were stocking up on water specifically because water is one of the few commodities you can replenish without leaving your house. Life is indeed better with supplies, but nearly all of us are fully supplied with tap water. So why go out to buy supplies you already have? At least, that’s my read on why the OP was asking. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/7 "2020-03-07T22:56:22Z")
The government is suggesting “food and water for two weeks”, probably as part of a general boilerplate it rolls out regarding emergency supplies. People panic-buying bottled water is probably less of a problem than panic-buying hand sanitizer - at least if you can’t get bottled water you can get tap (for most of us) but hand sanitizer isn’t piped into your home as a public utility. I have _some_ bottle water because utility interruptions can happen, but this isn’t the sort of disaster where the water is going to be shut off for good. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/8 "2020-03-07T22:59:12Z")
> [@EdelweissPirate](#): > > Right, but you just said you’ve already got plenty of bottled water (in addition to your taps). The OP was wondering why people were stocking up on water specifically because water is one of the few commodities you can replenish without leaving your house. Life is indeed better with supplies, but nearly all of us are fully supplied with tap water. So why go out to buy supplies you already have? > > At least, that’s my read on why the OP was asking. Do forgive me for answering more broadly. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/9 "2020-03-07T23:18:57Z")
I have 30 days worth of both food and water for my family stored (bottled and a 55 gallon drum). I think this is a wise idea. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/10 "2020-03-07T23:32:49Z")
I have one day of food, three days of water, and about a month of wine. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/11 "2020-03-07T23:35:42Z")
I’m prepared at home. Problem is: I’m not at home. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/12 "2020-03-07T23:49:32Z")
Every supermarket I’ve been too bottled water is gone but all the gallon containers are still plentiful. Don’t people understand it’s more cost-effective to buy the jug? ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/13 "2020-03-08T00:51:57Z")
There are good responses to what I was asking about. Thank you. Feel free to discuss anything related, or let this thread die. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/14 "2020-03-08T01:15:48Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Every supermarket I’ve been too bottled water is gone but all the gallon containers are still plentiful. > > Don’t people understand it’s more cost-effective to buy the jug? The nice thing about bottled water as opposed to the jug is you can take it to school or work or wherever after the panic. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/15 "2020-03-08T01:24:58Z")
Also if you’re going to a football game or something, it’s easier to smuggle bottles of water than jugs (at least if you’re a guy). ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/16 "2020-03-08T01:42:19Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > Other scary things that involve not going into public frequently involve loss of utilities. At a less than fully rationale level our glorious pattern matching brain says water is an essential item for the shopping list to prepare for sheltering at home. > > Or they don’t like drinking their tap water. Which is not necessarily a rational and carefully evidence based decision either. Still if they want to keep drinking bottled water stocking up is the way to guarantee they can. > Some of it is essentially well water. In those cases it is a less tested and potentially less clean option than tap water. The pipes in our house are full of crud. The water tastes bad. I drink bottled water because of that. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/17 "2020-03-08T02:00:25Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > The government is suggesting “food and water for two weeks”, probably as part of a general boilerplate it rolls out regarding emergency supplies. > > People panic-buying bottled water is probably less of a problem than panic-buying hand sanitizer - at least if you can’t get bottled water you can get tap (for most of us) but hand sanitizer isn’t piped into your home as a public utility. > > I have _some_ bottle water because utility interruptions can happen, but this isn’t the sort of disaster where the water is going to be shut off for good. I’m in SF and I’ve been buying more food recently and also bottled water to stock up a bit. The non-perishable food stuff is related to COVID. I’f I get sick and/or quarantined I want to have a good amount of food around. I bought the water because I should have already prepared for an earthquake but like many, I kept putting it off. COVID serves as a reminder that I need to be better prepared in general for emergencies. I think maybe a lot of people are kind of thinking along these lines. “Well, I’m not sure how it will help with the corona virus thing but I’ve been meaning to be better prepared for emergencies for a long time. This got my but in gear.” ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/18 "2020-03-08T03:14:29Z")
A couple of months ago, there was a big leak in the water pipe down the street. They had to shut off the water for two or three hours to fix it. But what would have happened if all the pipe-fixers were too sick to work because of the virus? Imagine you have your own well. In large parts of the country people have their own wells. The pump breaks. The repair guy isn’t available. The plumbing parts store is closed. Costco is closed. What do you do? What if there is no staff to maintain the water pumping/filtration plant for your town? I wonder if there are people who are scared that the virus might contaminate the municipal water system and spread that way – whether or not it is true. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/19 "2020-03-08T03:40:03Z")
In Australia, they can’t survive without toilet paper > **[Australian police charge two Sydney women over toilet paper feud](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-toiletpaper-austra/australian-police-charge-two-sydney-women-over-toilet-paper-feud-idUSKBN20V00P)** > > Australian state police on Sunday charged two Sydney women involved in a violent brawl over toilet rolls as major grocers in the country restrict supplies to one pack per person amid panic buying by residents. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069/20 "2020-03-08T03:56:09Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > I wonder if there are people who are scared that the virus might contaminate the municipal water system and spread that way – whether or not it is true. pot, boil for a bit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-stock-up-on-bottled-water/849069.md?page=2)