Storage
Shelf life: HOCl vs bleach
Storage studies on HOCl-type solutions and diluted bleach, compared. For how to store a batch, follow the links to the sister-site guides.
This page prices a liter of diluted household bleach and a liter of HOCl made in a countertop machine. It is a different question from made-versus-bottled HOCl, which hypochlorous.com covers in Made vs bottled HOCl cost.
All prices were checked online on November 11, 2026. Online listing prices vary by store and ZIP code and change often, so treat every figure as “at time of checking.” Tap water is left out of every figure because its cost depends on the utility.
The two per-liter figures
| Made HOCl (Eco One, 200 ppm) | Diluted household bleach (CDC household ratio) | |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 200 ppm, pH 5–6 (Eco One manual) | About 1,360–1,450 ppm available chlorine, alkaline |
| Inputs per liter | 2 g salt, 1 tsp 5% distilled vinegar, Setting 3 run twice (16 minutes in all) | About 19–20 mL of bleach, topped up with water |
| Consumables per liter, Nov 11, 2026 (machine not included) | About 1.0¢ to 2.2¢ at most | About 4.5¢ to 5.7¢ (bleach only) |
| Machine share per liter (illustration) | $0.20 at 1,000 L; $0.02 at 10,000 L (Eco One at $199.99) | None |
| Not included | Water, the machine itself, parts, tax, shipping | Water, spray bottles, tax, shipping |
The two solutions are not the same strength, so these are not like-for-like prices per unit of chlorine. Available chlorine explains why the strengths differ, and Shelf life covers how long each one holds.
Diluted household bleach: the math
The bleach. CDC says most household bleach is 5% to 9% sodium hypochlorite. One national brand’s regular 121 fl oz jug lists 7.5% sodium hypochlorite on its label, which it states yields 7.1% available chlorine.
The price. That 121 fl oz (3.578 L) jug was $8.33 on Walmart’s Instacart storefront and $9.99 on Kroger’s, both on Nov 11, 2026. That is $2.328 to $2.792 per liter of undiluted bleach. Instacart storefront prices can differ from shelf prices.
The ratio. CDC says to follow the directions on the bottle. If the bottle has none, its recipe is “5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) of bleach per gallon of room temperature water or 4 teaspoons of bleach per quart of room temperature water.” Five tablespoons (73.93 mL) and 1/3 cup (78.86 mL) are not quite the same volume, so both are shown.
| Recipe | Batch volume | Bleach cost per batch (Walmart / Kroger) | Cost per liter (Walmart / Kroger) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 tbsp + 1 gal water | 3.859 L | $0.172 / $0.206 | 4.5¢ / 5.3¢ |
| 1/3 cup + 1 gal water | 3.864 L | $0.184 / $0.220 | 4.8¢ / 5.7¢ |
| 4 tsp + 1 qt water | 0.966 L | $0.046 / $0.055 | 4.8¢ / 5.7¢ |
The strength. With a 7.1% available-chlorine bleach, the 5 tablespoon recipe comes to about 1.92% bleach by volume, or about 1,360 ppm available chlorine. The 1/3 cup and 4 teaspoon recipes come to about 2.04%, or about 1,450 ppm. Treating the dilute solution as 1 g/mL makes these approximate.
HOCl made in an Eco One: the math
The recipe. The Eco One manual’s 200 ppm batch is 1 liter of water, 2 g of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon (4.929 mL) of 5% distilled vinegar, run twice on Setting 3, for 16 minutes in all, giving pH 5–6. Only vinegar labeled 5% acidity is priced here. Kroger’s store-brand distilled white vinegar is labeled ‘Reduced with water to 5% acidity (50 grain)’, and Heinz lists its distilled white vinegar as diluted with water to 5% (50 grains) acidity. Check that the label on your jug says 5%.
Salt, 2 g. Morton plain (non-iodized) salt, 26 oz, was $1.92 at Walmart and $1.99 at Kroger (Instacart storefronts), or $2.60 and $2.70 per kg. The manual calls for kosher salt; Morton coarse kosher salt was $3.97 for 3 lb on Amazon, or $2.92 per kg. Two grams costs $0.0052 to $0.0058.
Vinegar, 1 tsp. Distilled white vinegar labeled 5% acidity was $3.99 per gallon for Kroger brand at Kroger (Instacart storefront) and $9.99 per gallon for Heinz on Instacart, or $1.054 and $2.639 per liter. One teaspoon costs $0.0052 to $0.0130.
Electricity. The Eco One’s rating label lists an input of AC 100–240 V, 2.0 A, 50/60 Hz and an output rating of 60 W (12 V × 5 A). The actual draw has not been measured, so 60 W is used as a ceiling. At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kWh (U.S. Energy Information Administration, August 2026), a 16-minute run at up to about 60 W uses up to about 0.016 kWh, which is up to about 0.3¢. Power at the wall plug can run slightly above the output rating because of adapter losses.
| Input | Cost per 1 L batch |
|---|---|
| Salt, 2 g | $0.0052 – $0.0058 |
| Vinegar, 1 tsp (5% labeled) | $0.0052 – $0.0130 |
| Electricity, 16 min at up to about 60 W | up to about $0.003 |
| Total | about $0.010 – $0.022 (1.0¢ to 2.2¢) at most |
The machine price is a separate question
The figures above leave out the machine. On Nov 11, 2026, the Eco One was $199.99 and the Hypo 7.5 was $2,199.00 on store.hocl.com. How much of that lands on each liter depends entirely on how many liters a machine makes, so the table below is an illustration of the arithmetic, not a usage or lifetime figure. It excludes tax, shipping, replacement parts, maintenance and consumables.
Illustration only: purchase price divided by liters made.
| Liters made | Eco One ($199.99) | Hypo 7.5 ($2,199.00) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $0.200 per liter | $2.20 per liter |
| 10,000 | $0.020 per liter | $0.220 per liter |
The Hypo 7.5 makes 7.5 L batches. Its per-liter consumables are not shown here, because the manual gives its salt and vinegar amounts in scoops and the scoop size is not stated.
Sources: CDC household bleach page; bleach label data (Target listing, TCIN 77787193); Instacart storefront listings for Walmart and Kroger and the Instacart Heinz vinegar listing; Amazon listing B00NMX1DRG; EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A; store.hocl.com product pages; Kroger and Heinz vinegar label pages; Eco One manual (Revision 2026-11-10c) and rating label. All checked Nov 11, 2026. Full entries on Sources.