Is tap water safe for brushing teeth in Hurghada, Egypt?

One tip: if you already follow basic rules (don't drink tap water, don't swallow pool water, watch out for ice), you should be fine overall — but always brush teeth and rinse your mouth with bottled water, not tap water.

It's often recommended to rinse your mouth and wash your face with bottled drinking water after swimming in the sea, and to use it for brushing teeth too — not tap water.

Some travelers say they brush their teeth with regular tap water and eat a lot of ice without any issues, though they also mention drinking relatively little alcohol (0.5-0.7 L per day), which may affect tolerance.

Several families with young kids (ages 2, 3, and 7) who visited Hurghada multiple times (5 trips) say the children regularly ate ice and rinsed their mouths with tap water while brushing teeth, with no stomach issues at all.

Tip from a family traveling with kids aged 4 and 10: for full safety, use only bottled water not just for drinking and brushing, but also for rinsing the toothbrush itself.

Even with strict precautions — no alcohol, brushing teeth only with bottled water, avoiding ice — a stomach bug can still catch you. No method guarantees full protection.

Tap water is not safe to drink. Adults can brush their teeth with tap water without issues, but for children it's safer to use bottled water.

A family washed their faces and brushed teeth with tap water throughout their stay — no issues for adults or children. The key rule: never drink the tap water.