Can I use household bleach to shock my pool safely?

Yes, but you need to calculate the right amount – and use plain bleach. Household bleach (sodium hypochlorite, typically 6% or 8.25%) works fine for shocking a pool. It’s the same active chemical as pool shock, just diluted. The “safe concentration” question is about dosage, not the bleach itself. Only use plain, unscented, no-additives bleach.