How to Use Clorox in Your Pool

Keep your pool crystal clear with Clorox.

Chlorine for pools is expensive, and can cost anywhere from $300 to $500 a summer. To save money, you can replace the chlorine with regular Clorox bleach. Pool chlorine contains additives that stabilize the pool's water, but Clorox doesn't. Buy pool stabilizer separately, and add the stabilizer to the water when treating the pool with Clorox. Here are instructions on how to use Clorox in a pool containing 60,000 gallons of water.

Things You'll Need

• 2 gallons Clorox bleach
• Chlorine level tester strips
• Stabilizer
• Pool rake or long pole

Instructions

1. Test the pool water using a chlorine test strip. Refer to the manufacturer's instructions for the correct chlorine level for your pool. If the pool is in the high range, let it sit overnight before adding Clorox. Chlorine dissipates over time from heat and sun exposure. Usually, the level goes down before morning. Retest the water in the morning. If it's not in the low range, let it sit another day.

2. Add a gallon of bleach to the pool if your pool holds 60,000 gallons of water. Use a pool rake or long pole to stir the Clorox into the pool.

3. Dip another test strip in the pool, and test the water. If it is in the low range, add small amounts of Clorox, stir the water and test again. Getting the chlorine level right the first time is the hardest part of using Clorox as a sanitizer.

4. Add one pound of stabilizer for every 3,000 gallons of pool water. Stir the stabilizer in with the pool rake or pole.

5. Add a quarter of a gallon of Clorox at a time until the chlorine level reads correctly. Once it is in a safe level, according to the test strips, swim in the pool.

Tips & Warnings

• Check the chlorine level at least two times a day, and add Clorox as necessary. Add more pool stabilizer if your pool water loses chlorine quickly. Use the stabilizer according to manufacturer's instructions.

• Follow the safety precautions printed on the Clorox label. Do not breathe the fumes or ingest any of chemicals from the Clorox while adding it to the pool water. Do not let the undiluted Clorox splash on your skin as it can cause serious chemical burns. Do not let the Clorox splash on your clothes as it bleaches the clothes and deteriorates the material.

References

• Pool Solutions: Ultra Bleach in Swimming Pools
• Pool Solutions: Buy Your Pool Chemicals at the Grocery Store
• Clean Pool and Spa: Grocery Store Bleach/Clorox Instead of Pool Chlorine