Can I use Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to disinfect a children’s wading pool?

It is July and heat waves are hitting all over the country! Many of us want to cool off in a backyard pool, but we also want to make sure there is no dangerous bacteria lurking in these pools that do not have any filtration system in place. Thankfully, you can use Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to treat the water in a children's wading pool.  Below is information about this from the product's EPA Master Label that should help you determine how much bleach to add for your specific situation.  You will need to know the diameter of the kiddie pool in feet, and the depth of water you fill it with in inches.

WADING POOL DISINFECTION

This product - a 6.0% sodium hypochlorite solution containing approximately 5.7% available chlorine by weight - is a convenient, economical source of chlorine for water treatment in swimming and wading pools. Also, because this product is a liquid with no insoluble particles, it is especially suitable for this use.

When chlorinating wading pools, use 1/8 cup per 100 gallons of new water. Mix required amount of Clorox^® Regular-Bleach with 2 gallons of water and scatter over surface of pool. Mix uniformly with pool water. Empty small pools daily. (Clorox^® Regular-Bleach will not harm plastic pools.)

Do not reenter pool until the chlorine residual is between 1 to 3 ppm.

The chart below is a guide to the amount of this product to add to various sized round pools.

Pool Diameter:               4 Ft               6 Ft                 8 Ft                  10 Ft                 15 Ft

Depth of Water

6 inches                  1/16 cup          1/8 cup           1/4 cup              3/8 cup              3/4 cup

1 foot                     1/8 cup           1/4 cup           1/2 cup              3/4 cup            1 5/8 cups

2 feet                      1/4 cup           1/2 cup             1 cup              1 1/2 cups         3 1/4 cups

3 feet                      3/8 cup           3/4 cup          1 1/2 cups         2 1/4 cups            5 cups

Use the following table to be sure you measure the appropriate amount of bleach:

TABLE OF LIQUID MEASURES:

3 tsp = 1 Tbsp = 1/2 Ounce = 1/16 Cup

16 Tbsp = 8 Ounces = 1 Cup = 1/2 Pint

Stabilized pools should maintain a residual of 1.0 to 1.5 ppm available chlorine. Test the pH, available chlorine residual and alkalinity of the water frequently with appropriate test kits. Frequency of water treatment will depend upon temperature and number of swimmers.