kills the bacteria, it becomes inactive and a weekly "shock treatment" is used to burn off the used chlorine and contaminants so that they may be removed by the pool filter system.

There are a variety of chlorine types available to pool owners. Large chlorine tablets or sticks that gradually dissolve into the pool are common choices. These are added regularly to maintain the pool's chlorine levels. Granular chlorine is also available, but must be pre-dissolved in a bucket of water and added to the swimming pool almost every day.

Homeowners seeking the beneficial sanitation of chlorine without the strong smell and stinging, red eyes should consider a salt water chlorination system. This type of system uses a small amount of regular salt to achieve the pool's purification needs. A salt system will, through electrolysis, convert the salt into a pure form of chlorine that cleans the water, then automatically converts back to salt, prepared for then next cycle of sanitation. This makes it virtually unnecessary to add extra sanitizing chemicals to your pool. The concentration of salt used in this system is less than that in a human teardrop and results in a softer, less irritating swim experience.