On Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:29:36 -0800, Robert wrote:

If you google the phrase " bleach sodium hypochlorite " you will find
numerous links to learned sources discussing how it works, how it is
made, how to dilute it, etc.....

Think of sodium hypochlorite as table salt (NaCl) with an added oxygen
(NaClO). It is easy to see that the oxygen is easily lost, leaving salt
water. That lost oxygen is what disinfects. At any concentration.

Sodium hypochlorite slowly reacts with water to produce chlorine gas,
oxygen gas, and sodium hydroxide solution.

To stabilize sodium hypochlorite solutions, it helps to think of how it
was once manufactured. Salt water is electrolyzed to create chlorine gas
and sodium hydroxide solution. Those two products react together to
produce sodium hypochlorite.

So the stabilizing agent is sodium hydroxide. Any chlorine produced by
the dilution with water reacts with the lye to form more sodium
hypochlorite, and the equilibrium is moved far to the sodium hypochlorite
side of the reaction.

Dilute it with water, and add lye to raise the pH back up to 11.

Or, if the wife is using it in the toilet or otherwise diluting it just
before use, just use the straight pool chlorine, but cut the amount to a
quarter of what she normally uses (if you are starting with a 10%
solution).