How do I treat a cold at home? In most cases, you treat the symptoms while your body clears the virus, and you do not need to see a GP. The NHS says you can usually treat a cold at home without seeing a GP, and most people start to feel better in about one to two weeks. There is no cure for a cold, because colds are caused by viruses, not bacteria. That single fact explains most of the advice that follows: rest, fluids and simple symptom relief help you feel better, while antibiotics will not speed up your recovery.
A cold is a mild viral infection of the nose, throat, sinuses and upper airways. It is one of the most ordinary illnesses in winter, and also one of the most misunderstood, because the medicine cabinet is full of products that promise more than they can deliver. This guide follows the NHS common cold page, which was last reviewed in March 2026, and sticks to what that page actually recommends: what to do, what to avoid, what medicines can help, and the warning signs that mean you should get medical advice.
What does a cold feel like, and how long does it last?
Cold symptoms come on gradually over two to three days, which is one of the ways a cold differs from flu. Flu tends to appear quickly, within a few hours, and to leave you exhausted and too unwell to carry on as normal. A cold builds slowly and, while it makes you feel unwell, you can usually still carry on, at least in the early stages.
The main symptoms listed by the NHS are a blocked or runny nose, sneezing, a sore throat, a hoarse voice, a cough, and feeling tired and unwell. You may also have a high temperature, aching muscles, a loss of taste and smell, and a feeling of pressure in your ears and face. Not everyone gets every symptom, and the mix changes as the cold runs its course: a sore throat and sneezing early on, then a blocked nose and a cough that can linger after the worst has passed.
Most people start to feel better in about one to two weeks. Symptoms can last longer in young children, who may also be irritable, have difficulty feeding and sleeping, breathe through their mouth, and get sick after coughing. That longer tail in children is normal, but it is also why the NHS lists separate advice for children below. If your symptoms do not get better after ten days, or you have a cough for more than three weeks, the NHS says to see a GP, and those thresholds are covered in full later in this article.
You are infectious until all your symptoms have gone, which usually takes one to two weeks, and it can be longer in babies and young children. You can even start spreading a cold a few days before your symptoms begin. Colds are spread by germs from coughs and sneezes, which can live on hands and surfaces for 24 hours. That is why hand washing and tissues matter as much as any medicine, and why staying at home while you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough for normal activities helps protect other people as well as giving you time to recover.
How do I treat a cold at home, step by step?
The NHS home treatment list is short, and that is the point. Start with rest. Get plenty of rest, and try to stay at home if you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to do your normal activities, avoiding contact with other people until you feel better. Rest is not a polite suggestion. Your body is fighting a virus, and pushing through a full working day, a hard workout or a late night makes the symptoms feel worse and can stretch the illness out.
Drink lots of fluid, such as water, to avoid dehydration. A blocked nose, a cough and a temperature all lose fluid, and dehydration makes headaches and tiredness worse. Water is enough. Hot drinks can feel soothing, and a hot lemon and honey drink is one of the specific remedies the NHS recommends for a sore throat: squeeze half a lemon into a mug of boiled water, add one to two teaspoons of honey, and drink it while still warm. Do not give hot drinks to small children, and do not give honey to children under 12 months old.
Eat healthy food when you feel able to. It is common for small children to lose their appetite for a few days during a cold, and that on its own is not a reason to worry, provided they are still drinking fluids. For adults, there is no special cold diet to follow. Regular meals, fluids and rest cover the basics, and forcing food when you feel sick helps no one.
For a sore throat, gargle salt water. The NHS lists this as a home remedy for adults, with the note that it is not suitable for children. A salt water gargle soothes the throat lining and can ease soreness for a while, even though it does not treat the virus itself. It is a symptom measure, like the lemon and honey drink, and it is best used alongside rest and fluids rather than instead of them.
For a blocked nose, breathe in steam. The NHS suggests sitting in the bathroom with a hot shower running, which fills the room with warm, moist air without the scalding risk of a bowl of hot water. That distinction matters: do not let children breathe in steam from a bowl of hot water, because of the risk of scalding. A steamy bathroom is the safer version of the same idea, and it can ease congestion for a short time. Keep warm as well, especially in November, when cold air and dry indoor heating both irritate an already sore nose and throat.
Finally, do not smoke while you have a cold, as the NHS warns that smoking can make your symptoms worse. If you smoke, a cold is a practical reason to pause, not just a general health lecture. Smoke irritates the airways that the virus has already inflamed, and it prolongs coughing.
What medicines help a cold, and what should I avoid?
You can buy cough and cold medicines from pharmacies or supermarkets, and a pharmacist can advise you on the best medicine for your symptoms. The NHS names three kinds of help. First, medicines like paracetamol or ibuprofen to ease aches or lower a temperature. These do not cure the cold, but they can make a miserable day bearable, and they are the mainstay of symptom relief for most adults.
Second, decongestant nasal sprays, drops or tablets to unblock your nose. Decongestants should not be used by children under six. Nasal sprays bought without a prescription should not be used for more than a week, as this can make your symptoms worse. That rebound congestion is a common trap: the spray works, so people keep using it, and the nose then blocks up worse than before when they stop.
Third, vapour rubs to help ease chesty coughs in babies and small children. A pharmacist can advise which products are suitable for the age of the child, because some cough and cold medicines are not suitable for babies, children and pregnant women. If you are buying for a child, or you are pregnant, ask first rather than guessing from the shelf.
The most important medicine warning is about doubling up. Do not use other cough and cold medicines if you are also taking paracetamol and ibuprofen tablets, as you may take more medicine than you should. Many combination cold remedies already contain paracetamol, so taking them on top of separate paracetamol tablets can push the dose too high without you realising. Check the label of every product you take, add up the paracetamol across all of them, and ask a pharmacist if you are unsure. The same caution applies to ibuprofen: check what is already in a combination product before adding a separate tablet.
Do not give aspirin to children under the age of 16. That rule is on the NHS cold page for a reason, and it applies even if aspirin is in the household medicine cabinet. For children, paracetamol or ibuprofen in a formulation and dose suitable for their age, advised by a pharmacist or the product leaflet, is the safer route.
What about supplements? The NHS is plain on this point: there is little evidence that supplements such as vitamin C, echinacea or garlic prevent colds or help you get better more quickly. That does not mean a balanced diet is unimportant, but it does mean that a high dose supplement bought in the hope of shortening a cold has little evidence behind it. Money spent on rest, fluids and a simple painkiller, if you need one, is better spent than money spent on a supplement that promises to cure a cold.
How do I treat a cold in a child?
Children catch colds often, and their colds can last longer than adult colds. The same home basics apply: rest, fluids, and keeping them comfortable. Small children commonly lose their appetite for a few days, so do not force meals. Offer fluids often, and watch for drinking rather than eating as the main sign they are coping.
Several adult remedies do not transfer to children. Salt water gargling is not suitable for children. Hot drinks should not be given to small children. Honey should not be given to children under 12 months old. Children should not breathe in steam from a bowl of hot water, because of the scalding risk. If a child has a chesty cough, a pharmacist can advise on a vapour rub suitable for their age.
For aches and temperature in children, ask a pharmacist about a paracetamol or ibuprofen product made for children, and follow the leaflet for the child’s age and weight. Never give aspirin to a child under 16. If you are worried about your child’s cold symptoms at any point, the NHS lists that worry itself as a reason to see a GP. Parents do not need to wait for a specific threshold to seek advice if a child seems unusually unwell, is struggling to drink, or is not improving.
When should I see a GP about a cold?
Most colds do not need a GP, but the NHS gives a clear list of situations where you should seek non-urgent medical advice. See a GP if you have a high temperature for more than three days, if your cold symptoms get worse, if your temperature is very high or you feel hot, cold or shivery, or if you feel short of breath or have chest pain. See a GP if you are worried about your child’s cold symptoms, if your cold symptoms do not get better after ten days, or if you have a cough for more than three weeks.
Two groups should seek advice sooner rather than later. If you get cold symptoms and you have a long-term medical condition, for example diabetes or a heart, lung or kidney condition, see a GP. If you get cold symptoms and you have a weakened immune system, for example because you are having chemotherapy, see a GP as well. In both cases, a cold that would be straightforward for someone else can need closer watching, and early advice is better than waiting for the ten day mark.
Shortness of breath and chest pain deserve particular attention. A cold affects the nose, throat, sinuses and upper airways. New breathlessness or chest pain is not a typical cold symptom, and it should prompt medical advice rather than another day of home treatment. The same applies to a temperature that stays very high or a cold that is clearly getting worse instead of better after several days.
Do antibiotics help a cold?
No. GPs do not recommend antibiotics for colds because they will not relieve your symptoms or speed up your recovery. Antibiotics only work if you have a bacterial infection, but colds are caused by viruses. Taking an antibiotic for a cold does not shorten it, does not make the sore throat or blocked nose better, and can cause side effects and contribute to antibiotic resistance.
This is worth stating plainly, because many people still ask for antibiotics when a cold drags on. A cough that lingers for a week or two after the worst of a cold is common, and it does not on its own mean a bacterial infection has arrived. The thresholds that matter are the ones in the previous section: symptoms not better after ten days, a cough lasting more than three weeks, worsening symptoms, breathlessness, chest pain, or a very high temperature. Those are reasons to seek advice, and a clinician can then judge whether something other than a cold is going on.
How do I stop spreading a cold to other people?
Colds spread easily, because they are caused by viruses carried in coughs and sneezes. Germs from coughs and sneezes can live on hands and surfaces for 24 hours, so hand hygiene matters. Wash your hands often with warm water and soap. Use tissues to trap germs when you cough or sneeze, and bin used tissues as quickly as possible. Do not share towels or household items, like cups or children’s toys, with someone who has a cold, and try not to touch your eyes or nose in case you have come into contact with the virus.
If you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to do your normal activities, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until you feel better. That advice protects colleagues, family members and people on public transport, and it also gives you the rest that helps you recover. The flu vaccine does not prevent colds, so having had a flu jab this winter does not mean you cannot catch or spread a cold, and it does not change the home treatment advice here.
Is it a cold or the flu?
Because the two illnesses feel similar at first, it helps to know the NHS three-way test. A cold appears gradually, affects mainly your nose and throat, and makes you feel unwell but usually still able to carry on as normal. Flu appears quickly within a few hours, affects more than just your nose and throat, and leaves you exhausted and too unwell to carry on as normal. If your illness arrived within hours and floored you, it is more likely to be flu than a cold, and the treatment and vaccination advice differ. Our earlier guide explains those differences in full, and it is linked in Related reading below.
Frequently asked questions
How do I treat a cold at home?
Get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluid such as water, eat healthy food when you feel able, gargle salt water for a sore throat if you are an adult, drink a hot lemon and honey drink, and breathe in steam in a steamy bathroom to ease a blocked nose. Paracetamol or ibuprofen can ease aches or lower a temperature, and a pharmacist can advise on the best medicine for your symptoms.
How long does a cold last?
Most people start to feel better in about one to two weeks. Symptoms can last longer in young children. See a GP if your cold symptoms do not get better after ten days, or if you have a cough for more than three weeks.
What is the best medicine for a cold?
There is no medicine that cures a cold. Paracetamol or ibuprofen can ease aches or lower a temperature, decongestant nasal sprays, drops or tablets can unblock your nose, and vapour rubs can help ease chesty coughs in babies and small children. Do not use other cough and cold medicines if you are also taking paracetamol and ibuprofen tablets, as you may take more medicine than you should.
Should I take antibiotics for a cold?
No. Colds are caused by viruses, and antibiotics only work against bacterial infections. GPs do not recommend antibiotics for colds because they will not relieve your symptoms or speed up your recovery.
Can children use the same cold remedies as adults?
Not all of them. Salt water gargling is not suitable for children, hot drinks should not be given to small children, honey should not be given to children under 12 months old, children should not breathe in steam from a bowl of hot water, and aspirin should not be given to children under 16. Ask a pharmacist about products made for children.
When should I see a GP about a cold?
See a GP if you have a high temperature for more than three days, your symptoms get worse, your temperature is very high or you feel hot, cold or shivery, you feel short of breath or have chest pain, you are worried about your child’s symptoms, your symptoms do not get better after ten days, you have a cough for more than three weeks, or you have a long-term condition or a weakened immune system.
Sources
NHS: Common cold (page last reviewed 22 March 2024, media last reviewed 15 March 2026; symptoms, home treatment, pharmacist advice, GP thresholds, antibiotics, and spreading advice all follow this page).
Related reading
Is It a Cold or the Flu? The Three Differences the NHS Uses
Who Can Get a Free NHS Flu Jab This Winter? The 2026 Eligibility List Explained
Do I Need Vitamin D in November?
This article gives general information only and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are worried about your symptoms, or your child’s symptoms, contact your GP or NHS 111.
