FAQS about using Household BLEACH and BAKING SODA in Swimming Pools
Can I use Household Laundry Bleach instead of Liquid Pool Shock?
Liquid Pool shock is 12.5% sodium hypochlorite as compared to household bleach which is 3% sodium hypochlorite. Pool shock is 4 times stronger than regular household bleach. A 10,000 gallon pool will require 1 gal. of liquid pool shock vs. 4 gal of household bleach to obtain a similar amount of chlorine in the water. Additionally, household bleach has other detergent ingredients added that could adversely affect your pool water chemistry. These other ingredients may include Coca-Betaine (a high foaming surfactant used in soaps), Sodium Xylene Sulfonate (used in cleaning products), and Cetyl Betaine (another cleaning surfactant used in soaps). Detergents are known to add Phosphates (food for algae growth) to pool water.
Can I use Baking Soda to raise my pH?
Baking soda (Sodium BiCarbonate) is more similar to Pool Alkalinity Powder (Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate). Baking soda will raise the alkalinity and yield just a slight increase in pH. Using Pool pH increaser (Sodium Carbonate) will have a more measurable effect on raising pH. The right tool for raising your pool pH is Pool pH increaser.
Pool Alkalinity Powder is the preferable choice for raising alkalinity since it has a finer grain and is less likely to cloud up the water compared to the coarser granules of baking soda. If you need more than 1 lb of Alkalinity increaser use Alkalinity Powder for Swimming Pools.