The invention concerns a method of treating the pipes of the drinking water network of an aircraft for cleaning purposes, said network comprising at least one storage tank and a plurality of pipes providing a plurality of water inlet and outlet points, notable in that it involves the following operations: —injecting water at a high temperature of between fifty and one hundred degrees Celsius into the network, for treatment purposes, —draining, —injecting cold water at a temperature no higher than thirty degrees Celsius combined with chemical treatment products comprising a chlorinated product or hydrogen peroxide, —draining, —injecting water at a high temperature of between fifty and one hundred degrees Celsius for rinsing purposes, eliminating the chemical treatment products comprising a chlorinated product or hydrogen peroxide, —draining. Applications: cleaning the drinking water network of an aircraft.