Purifying Spa Water With Bleach

• Water can be purified or disinfected with 1/4 teaspoon (or eight drops) of bleach per gallon of water. An entire teaspoon will disinfect five gallons of water effectively, according to Clorox.com. This allows for clear water, without clouding the bleach, or causing skin and eye damage from too much bleach per gallon. In a spa, there should never be more than 1/4 teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water. Because the heated water disinfects itself to some degree, adding bleach is unnecessary. Because people will be spending long periods of time submerged in the water, too much bleach to the point of clouding (half a teaspoon per gallon) can be dangerous to your health. If too little bleach is added, this could allow for algae growth, especially for outdoor spas or spas located in outdoor gazebos. This also does not kill any bacteria deposited in the water during use. Bacteria comes off a person's skin and goes into the water, much like when you take a bath or shower, but if there is not an adequate amount of chlorine, the bacteria and dirt and overall grime will remain. The water will cloud, not from bleach, but from the water turning stagnant. This bacteria, which will reproduce, can be dangerous to one's health, and is a way diseases can be spread from person to person.