Boiling is the best way to kill disease-causing organisms, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. The high temperature and time spent boiling are very important to effectively kill the organisms in the water. Boiling will also effectively treat water if it is still cloudy or murky.
Blue Dawn and white vinegar. I fill an empty spray bottle with about 1/2 cup of dish soap and then top it off with vinegar. (PS This also works equally well for killing weeds. Go figure.)
You can use regular household bleach to disinfect a well.
Shock chlorination is the most widely recommended means of treating bacterial contamination in home water systems.
Contaminated with germs
If you cannot use bottled water or another safe source of water while you are having your well water treated, boil your well water before drinking it. Boiling water kills germs in water. Follow boil water advisory guidelines to reduce your chance of getting sick from germs in the water.
Chlorination disinfects your well by destroying unhealthy bacteria and microorganisms and removing dissolved iron, manganese, and hydrogen sulfide. It can be managed easily at home with common household bleach and food grade white vinegar.
It is generally recommended to flush your well at least once a year.
Avoid using, mixing or storing hazardous chemicals, such as paint, fertilizer, pesticides, motor oil, gas, weed killer or other pollutants near your well. Do not dump waste near your well or near sinkholes, as this may contaminate your water supply.
Batch treatment of the well with hydrogen peroxide not only rids the well of the odors from the sulfides and bacteria causing it to disappear (including slime mass), it also leaves behind a residual of excess oxygen than helps prevent future anaerobic conditions.
Chlorination. Chlorination is a chemical process that uses chlorine to disinfect water. In this process, a small amount of chlorine is added to the well water and allowed to stand for at least 30 minutes before use. In this way, bacteria are eliminated from the well and for disinfection.
Your state government probably maintains a database of drillers' logs that have water levels recorded when a well was drilled, and hydrologic consultants often have reports that contain water level data from shallow boreholes.
Liquid chlorine in the form of household bleach and food grade white vinegar can be used to disinfect your well. When chlorine is added to water the pH level will rise. Food grade white vinegar is used to lower the water's pH level so the chlorine will work effectively.
Shock chlorination is used to remove bacterial contaminants from well water, well casings, holding tanks and the whole water supply system. A licensed well driller is trained to shock chlorinate.
Generally, cleaning your well can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. For example, a shallow well with no significant issues may only cost around $500 to $1,000 to clean.
Test your well water at least once every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids, and pH level. Contact your health department to find out what other germs or chemicals to test for based on where you live. Use a state-certified laboratory to test your water.
As a routine maintenance practice, clean your well at least once a year. If you have an iron or sulfur bacteria problem, clean more often.
Yes, boiling is the surest way to kill bacteria, viruses, and parasites in the well water. To boil the water so it will be safe, heat it to a full swirling boil. Keep the swirling boil going for at least one minute before you use the water. Store the boiled water in a clean, covered container in the fridge.
Mix 2 quarts of regular, unscented household bleach with 10 gallons of water in a large bucket in the area of the well casing. Do not use “splashless”, scented, or gel variety bleach. Turn off the electric power to the well pump (the switch is probably located at the circuit breaker box or near the pressure tank).
Hydrogen peroxide is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to eliminate this odor in your well water.
The main difference between CLR and vinegar is that CLR is stronger and better at removing mineral build ups like limescale. Vinegar is better at cleaning rust. It's also cheaper, versatile and safer than CLR.