Can I use household bleach to shock my pool?

Yes, you can use regular household bleach instead of commercial pool shock. Bleach is sodium hypochlorite, the same active ingredient, just at a lower concentration (6-8.5% vs. 10-12%). Use about 1.5x the volume, and only plain, unscented bleach with no additives. Bleach lacks stabilizer, so you may need to add cyanuric acid separately for sun protection. It’s cheaper and works, but handle with gloves.