Germs are just tiny bags of proteins and DNA. Heat unravels proteins. It’s like throwing a sweater into a dryer on high—everything shrinks and tangles.
When proteins break, the germ can’t function. It stops eating, breathing, and multiplying. Game over. No funeral, just a very hot puddle of dead stuff.
Fun fact: Boiling doesn’t technically “kill” everything. Some organisms, like prions (mad cow disease), survive boiling. But you’re not drinking cow brain water. You’re fine.
How Long Should You Boil?
If you’re at sea level, one minute of rolling boil does the trick. But if you’re camping on a mountain, water boils at a lower temp. Altitude is a germ’s best friend.
At 5,000 feet, water boils at 202°F. That’s great for tea, but bad for killing. You need three minutes up there. Throw in an extra minute for high-parasite water.
Pro tip: Watch the bubbles. A rolling boil means big, aggressive bubbles. No wimpy simmering. Your water needs to look like a hot tub party gone wild.
