Before You Close Your Pool for the Season, Get the pH Levels in Check Using These Common Household Items

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Caring for your pool isn’t as straightforward of a home maintenance task as aerating your lawn and planting grass seed or cleaning your oven and disinfecting your fridge water dispenser. It can be complicated and honestly, it‘s expensive. You need to make sure your chlorine, pH, and alkalinity levels are right to enjoy a crystal-clear pool throughout the swimming season, and keep algae and bacteria at bay by "shocking" your pool with a heavy dose of chlorine or non-chlorine oxidizer.

You've probably wondered if you can make your own pool chemicals at home or use common household items to maintain your pool. While you can't make your own pool shock, you can use common household products to increase the alkalinity and/or pH of your pool. Here's what you need to know to do it safely, and how and when to shock a pool.

How Often Should You Shock a Pool?

Pool shocking is recommended at the beginning and end of the pool season to help clear out algae and bring the water to a crystal clear color. Outside of that, it is a good practice to shock your pool every week to 10 days or as needed. There are some scenarios where you need to shock your pool right away, such as when there’s visible algae growth, there’s been a fecal accident, or after hosting a pool party. It's also a good idea to shock it after heavy rain.

How to Shock a Pool

The best time to add shock to your pool is at night. Sunlight can reduce the effectiveness of chlorine. Here’s how you shock your pool:

Choose your desired pool shock. Choose between a granular or liquid pool shock. Read the manufacturer’s instructions to familiarize yourself with how to handle the shock safely.
Brush and vacuum your pool. Remove any debris or algae buildup. This will help the shock work faster and more effectively.
Apply the shock to your pool. Disperse the pool shock around the deepest part of your pool.
Run your filter. Keep the filter running overnight.

How Long After Applying Shock Can You Swim?

You should wait at least 24 hours before jumping in the pool (unless you use a chlorine-free pool shock, in which case you can wait only 15 minutes). Alternatively, you can test your water and if the chlorine levels are between 1 to 4 ppm, it is safe to swim.

What Can I Use Instead of Shock for My Pool?

You cannot make your own pool shock at home. Pool shock is essentially a very saturated and high-level chlorine formula that is used to sanitize your pool, kill any algae or bacteria, and increase the free chlorine levels of your pool. In theory you could use bleach, but it won’t be as effective as pool shock, given that sodium hypochlorite, the main ingredient in bleach, is only found in bleach at a fraction of the level of what a pool shock contains.

Another option, if you don’t want to deal with liquid chlorine or dislike the odor, is to try a manufactured shock treatment alternative, such as peroxide pool sanitizer or chlorine-free pool oxidizer. However, you still need to apply it with a water sanitizer, such as chlorine or bromine tablets.

Can You Make Your Own Pool Chemicals at Home?

Although there is no easy or safe way to make your own pool shock that offers the same strength as manufactured options, there are some household items that can be used to care for your pool, including:

Baking soda to raise alkalinity and pH levels and keep your pool clear.
Borax or sodium borate to clean and eliminate slippery areas and to raise pH levels.
White vinegar to scrub away stains at the water line. (Note: It should never be used inside the pool.
Lemon juice to restore the nice shiny color of your pool‘s metal stair railings. (Note: Use on metal surfaces only.)

How to Make an Alkalinity Increaser for Your Pool

Making your own alkalinity increaser is simple: All you need is baking soda. Yes, baking soda, the ingredient that works wonders and is a must-have around the house. You don’t need any special baking soda or sodium bicarbonate for pools. Regular baking soda in a large package is perfect and cheaper than pool alkalinity increasers.

First, before you add any baking soda to your pool, you need to know what your alkalinity and pH levels are and do. The recommended levels are between 7.4 and 7.6 for pH and between 110 and 150 ppm (parts per million) for alkalinity. You can use a pool test kit to determine these numbers for your pool. If they are below the ideal number, add baking soda as follows:

Most pool chemicals are measured based on 10,000 gallons of water. Baking soda is no exception. Use 1.5 pounds of baking soda for every 10,000 gallons of water to increase your pool’s alkalinity levels by 10 ppm. Add baking soda according to your pool alkalinity levels.
Spread the baking soda all around the pool.
Run your pool’s filter for about two hours to help dissolve the formula.
Test and repeat the steps above if the alkalinity levels are still low.

A pool test kit can help you determine what chemicals your pool needs and whether you've added the right amount.

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How to Make a pH Increaser for Your Pool

To make your own pH increaser for your pool, you only need one of these things: baking soda, soda ash, or borax (sodium borate). The latter is the most effective and won’t affect your alkalinity levels.

The pH levels in your pool basically measure the acidity and the alkalinity levels and can be between 0 and 14. The optimal pH level for a healthy pool is between 7.4 and 7.6, but anything below 7.2 needs to be increased. A pool with low pH levels can irritate your eyes and cause damage to the pool’s liner. On the other hand, when the pH is high, above 7.8, it can cause your skin to get irritated, the water to get cloudy, or mineral scale buildup in your pool.

Take these steps to increase the pH of your pool:

Test your pool. Determine the pH level of your pool to assess the proper amount of pH increaser you need.
Choose your pH increaser. Baking soda can increase both pH and alkaline levels, so make sure to read the package carefully. However, if you use borax or soda ash, you can start by adding about three pounds of borax or soda ash for every 10,000 gallons of water. This will increase the pH levels by one point.
Apply the pH increaser and run your filter. Sprinkle the pH increaser all over the pool and keep your filter running for at least two hours.

If you’re dealing with the opposite problem, where the pH needs to be decreased, you can use sodium bisulfate to lower the pH.

Pros of Using Homemade Pool Chemicals

Using homemade or readily available household items, such as baking soda, soda ash, and sodium borate, has many benefits for you and your pool.

They’re cost-effective. Pool chemicals are expensive. Using home non-chemical products are more affordable and work as well as their pool-chemical counterparts.
They’re eco-friendly. Natural products, such as the ones mentioned above, don’t have chemicals that can be harmful to you or the environment.
They’re safe. Baking soda, soda ash, and sodium borate are safe alternatives you can use to maintain ideal pH and alkalinity levels in your pool. Plus, they also help keep your pool looking crystal clear.

Cons of Using Homemade Pool Chemicals

We are all about saving a buck or two here and there without jeopardizing the quality of your pool. However, there are some things you should be aware of when trying to use homemade pool chemicals.

Not everything you read on the internet is true. Never add any type of oil to your pool. You’ll regret it.
Homemade pool shock isn’t a thing you can make at home. The best and safest option is store-bought pool shock.
Homemade pool chemicals won’t kill algae and won’t work when opening the pool for the season.