A cup of tea knocked over at the kitchen bench. A hand brushed against the oven tray. Bath water that turned out hotter than it looked. Most burns at home happen in a second, and what you do over the next 20 minutes has a real effect on how the injury heals.

Most people already know to put a burn under water. The problem is that most people stop too soon. Australian burn specialists recommend 20 minutes of cool running water, and research consistently shows that shorter cooling does far less to limit the damage.

This guide walks through exactly what to do, the common home remedies to avoid, how to adjust first aid for children and older adults, and how to tell when a burn needs a doctor.

Why cooling a burn for 20 minutes matters

A burn doesn't stop the moment you pull your hand away. Heat held in the skin keeps damaging deeper tissue for some time afterwards, which is why a burn can look worse an hour later than it did at first.

Cooling stops that process. The Australian and New Zealand Burn Association (ANZBA) says 20 minutes of cool running water, applied within three hours of the injury, reduces burn size and depth and helps with pain.

Why 20 minutes, and not five or ten?

The 20-minute figure comes from research rather than habit. A systematic review in 2022 found that water at around 12–18°C cools a burn most effectively, and that 20 minutes is the optimal duration. In the same research, cooling for 5, 10 or 30 minutes didn't show the same benefit.

In practice, 20 minutes feels like a long time, especially with a distressed child. Setting a timer on your phone helps you avoid stopping early just because the pain has eased.

Running water works better than a wet cloth

Cool running water from a tap or shower is preferred because the flow stays constant and the water stays consistently cool. A wet towel or a bowl of water warms up quickly against the skin, so it cools the burn less effectively.

It's not too late if you didn't cool it straight away

Cooling is most effective immediately, but it still helps for up to three hours after the injury. If a burn was missed, or only rinsed briefly, it's still worth giving it a full 20 minutes now.

Burns first aid in six steps

Australia's resuscitation council guidance sums up the goal of burns first aid in three parts: stop the burning process, cool the burn and cover it. These six steps follow that order.

1. Stop the burning process. Move the person away from the heat source, and only step in if it's safe for you to do so. If clothing is on fire, the person should stop, drop to the ground and roll to smother the flames.

2. Remove jewellery and clothing near the burn. Rings, watches, bracelets and clothing hold heat against the skin. Swelling can also make jewellery hard to remove later. For young children, this includes nappies. If fabric is stuck to the burn, leave it in place and cool over the top.

3. Cool the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes. Use a tap, hose or shower. The water should feel cool, not icy. If the burn covers a large area, a cool shower is often easier than holding a limb under a tap.

4. Keep the rest of the person warm. Cool the burn, not the whole person. Cover unburnt areas with a towel or blanket, especially for children and older adults (see the next sections).

5. Cover the burn loosely. Once cooled, lay a strip of cling wrap over the burn, or use a clean, non-stick dressing. Place cling wrap lengthways over the injury rather than wrapping it tightly around a limb, because swelling can make a tight wrap restrictive. Don't use cling wrap on the face. If the burn is on an arm or leg, raising it can help reduce swelling.

6. Decide whether the burn needs medical attention. Many small, superficial burns can be managed at home, but some need assessment. The checklist further down sets out when to see a GP, go to an emergency department or call 000.

If no running water is available, use any cool, clean liquid you have, or a cool compress that you replace frequently over 20 minutes. Get the burn under running water as soon as you can.

What not to do: Common burn myths and mistakes

Plenty of burn remedies have been passed down through families, and some of them make the injury worse. Despite years of public campaigns, doctors still see burns treated with ice and toothpaste, both of which can cause harm.

Why ice is the most common mistake

Ice feels like the logical choice because it's colder and numbs pain quickly. The problem is that extreme cold constricts blood vessels and can add a cold injury on top of the burn. Research has found ice to be either ineffective or linked to more tissue damage. Cool tap water does the job better.

Leave blisters alone

Blisters form to protect the healing skin underneath. Breaking them opens the wound to bacteria. If a blister is large, painful or in an awkward spot, a GP or practice nurse can decide whether it needs to be managed.

Cooling burns safely in children and older adults

Young children and older adults are the two groups most affected by scalds at home, according to the Public Health Association of Australia. Around a quarter of hot tap water scalds involve children aged 1–4, and close to a third involve adults aged 65 and over.

The first aid steps are the same for both groups. What changes is how carefully you manage body temperature during those 20 minutes.

Cool the burn, warm the person

Small bodies lose heat quickly, and older adults can become cold faster than you might expect. Burns first aid guidance by the NHS UK specifically warns that children and older people are most at risk of hypothermia during cooling.

A few practical ways to manage this:

• Run water only over the burnt area, rather than putting the whole person in a cold bath or shower.
• Wrap the rest of the body in a dry towel or blanket while you cool the burn.
• Keep the room warm, and keep a young child's head and chest covered.
• Watch for shivering, pale or bluish skin, or a child becoming unusually quiet or drowsy.

For children, doctors advise stopping cooling if signs of hypothermia appear, then starting again once the child's body temperature has returned to normal. The aim is still to reach a full 20 minutes in total.

Why burns can be more serious in older adults

Older skin is thinner and tears more easily. Some older people also have reduced sensation, so they may not feel heat quickly, and they may not be able to move away from a heat source fast enough. As a result, a burn that would be minor for a younger adult can be deeper in an older person.

Conditions such as diabetes and circulation problems can also slow healing. For carers, this is a good reason to have even small-looking burns checked by a GP.

Common causes for older adults include shower and bath water, hot water bottles, wheat bags and heat packs that have been heated for too long, and spilled hot drinks. For children, hot drinks, kettles, cooking pots and bath water are the usual culprits

Chemical, electrical and other burns

Everything above applies to heat burns and scalds, which make up most burns at home. A few other types of burn need a slightly different approach.

Chemical burns

With a chemical burn, such as from drain cleaner, oven cleaner, pool chemicals or some cleaning products, the aim is to wash the chemical off rather than simply cool the skin.

• Protect yourself first. Wear gloves if you have them and avoid touching the chemical.
• Remove contaminated clothing and jewellery carefully, without spreading the chemical to unaffected skin.
• Run cool water over the area for up to an hour, or until the stinging stops. This is longer than the 20 minutes used for heat burns.
• Don't try to neutralise the chemical with another substance, such as vinegar or bicarb soda. This can create heat and cause more damage.
• Don't cover a chemical burn with cling wrap or a hydrogel dressing. Use a non-stick dressing instead.

For advice about a specific chemical, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26, available 24 hours a day across Australia. Keep the product container handy so you can read out the label. If the chemical has gone into the eyes, flush with water immediately and seek urgent medical help.

Electrical burns

Don't touch the person until you're sure the power source has been switched off or they're clear of it. Once it's safe, cool any visible burns as you would a heat burn.

Electrical burns can damage tissue and affect the heart in ways that aren't visible on the skin. Anyone with an electrical burn should be medically assessed, even if the mark looks small. For high-voltage injuries, or if the person is unconscious, confused or has an irregular heartbeat, call 000.

Smoke, steam and hot air

Breathing in smoke, steam or very hot air can injure the airway. A hoarse voice or a dry cough can be an early sign of airway injury. Other warning signs include burns around the mouth or nose, singed nostril hair and difficulty breathing. Move the person into fresh air if it's safe, and call 000, because airway swelling can get worse over the following hours.

Sunburn

Mild sunburn can usually be managed at home with cool showers, rest and plenty of fluids. Severe sunburn with widespread blistering, fever or feeling unwell should be checked by a doctor, particularly in babies and young children.

Signs a burn needs more than first aid

A small, red, painful burn that doesn't blister will often heal well at home after proper cooling. Many burns need more than that, though, and the size and appearance of a burn don't always reflect how deep it is.

As a general guide, Australian health services use a 20 cent coin (about 3 cm across) as the size threshold for seeing a doctor.

Call 000 or go to an emergency department if:

• the burn is deep, or the skin looks leathery, white, brown or black, even if there's little or no pain
• the burn involves the airway, or there are signs of smoke or steam inhalation
• the burn was caused by electricity or a strong chemical
• the burn is large. For children, call an ambulance if the burn is larger than the child's forearm, or is on the face, airway, hands or genitals 
• the person seems unwell, confused, very pale or is having trouble breathing

See a GP or get same-day medical advice if:

• the burn is larger than a 20 cent coin
• the burn has blistered
• the burn is on the face, hands, feet, genitals or over a major joint such as the knee or elbow
• the person is a baby, young child or older adult, or has diabetes or another condition that affects healing
• the pain is severe, or isn't eased by over-the-counter pain relief
• you're not sure how serious the burn is

Keep an eye on it over the next few days

See a doctor if a burn becomes more red, swollen, hot or painful, starts to smell or ooze, or if the person develops a fever. These can be signs of infection. Healthdirect also advises seeing a doctor if you're not up to date with tetanus vaccinations.

If you're unsure what to do, you can call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 to speak with a registered nurse at any time of day or night.

Being prepared: What to keep at home for burns

The most important burns first aid tool is a cold tap. Beyond that, having a few basics within reach means you won't be searching through cupboards with a hurt child on your hip.

A well-stocked first aid kit

A household first aid kit covers most minor injuries, including the dressings you'll want once a burn has been cooled. The FastAid Family First Aid Kit is designed as a basic kit for the home. 

For larger households, farms or workplaces, browse our full range of first aid kits.

Whatever kit you choose, check it every few months. Replace anything you've used and anything past its expiry date.

Non-stick dressings

After cooling, a burn should be covered with something that won't stick to the wound. Cling wrap from the kitchen drawer works well as a temporary cover. For a sterile option, low-adherent dressings such as Melolin Low Adherent Sterile Wound Dressings are designed to protect a wound without sticking to it.

Avoid cotton wool, fluffy gauze or adhesive plasters directly on a burn, since fibres and adhesive can stick to damaged skin.

Disposable gloves

Gloves protect you when helping with a chemical burn, and help keep a wound clean when you're applying a dressing. Nitrile gloves are latex-free and suit most people.

👉 Shop our range of nitrile gloves from various brands.

A few simple prevention habits

Preparation also means reducing the chance of a burn in the first place:

• Keep hot drinks out of reach of young children, and never hold a child while drinking something hot.
• Turn saucepan handles inward and use the back hotplates when children are around.
• Run cold water into the bath first, then add hot, and check the temperature before anyone gets in.
• For older adults, check that heat packs and wheat bags aren't overheated, and avoid using hot water bottles directly against the skin.
• Ask a licensed plumber to check your hot water system. In Australia, new hot water installations must deliver bathroom water at no more than 50°C, which greatly reduces scald risk.

Get Your Home Ready for Burns and Everyday Injuries