Due to the lack of bleach products on store shelves, some of our customers have asked us “Is there a difference between common store brands of bleach and swimming pool shock for disinfecting surfaces, and can they use pool shock to clean surfaces?” Answer: Yes, you can use pool shock instead of Clorox, but dilute it first.

The "chlorine" in "chlorine bleach" is actually sodium hypochlorite. Swimming pool shock contains 12.5% sodium hypochlorite (bleach) vs. 6-8.5% for Clorox (bleach). Some Clorox products go as high as 8.5%.

At a 12.5% concentrate,  liquid pool shock is approximately 2x's stronger than Clorox bleach. The recommends 5 tablespoons of regular bleach per gallon of water to properly disinfect a surface. When using liquid pool shock, dilute it at a rate of 2.5 to 3 tablespoons per gallon of water.

These are available in all of our 3 stores. For a complete list of store hours, locations, and directions,  click here.

Store Locations:

E-Z Test Pool Supplies
22 Manchester Rd
Derry, NH 03038
(603) 421-0103

E-Z Test Pool Supplies
26 Main St
Plaistow, NH 03865
(603) 382-7191

E-Z Test Pool Supplies
213 Main St
North Reading, MA 01864
(978) 664-1100