Does bleach have a limited shelf life? I keep some for emergency water purification, but since I don't use it for laundry or anything else, I'm not rotating it. Will it lose it's potantcy over time, and if so, how long?

Bleach will start to break down in liquid form.
I cant give any more details, but I learnt that bit from someone who makes cleaners for different industries. We were discussing the inflated prices of washing products in shops and their advertising and marketing.

Use powdered bleach and keep it dry for a longer shelf life.

I have been the not-so-proud owner of 3 swimming pools (I have always said I'd never do it again). Dry chlorine loses efficacy over time. I have tried to save money by buying big drums, and it did not work out.

There is a difference between 'stabilized' product and raw, but not much.

Yes, bleach loses its acidity over time depending of temperature of storage. I've heard it's about 1 to 2 years. You can measure the acidity with an acid tester found in drogstores.

Frankie

Bleach is alkaline. Mine is a few years old. I'll try to get around to buying some more and comparing how strong they smell.
My iodine pills are a few years old too. I should get new ones, or one of those MIOX gizmos.

Followup: I bought a fresh bottle of bleach and smelled both the old and new. The new one does smell a bit stronger, though maybe because the old bottle is only about 1/4 full so the liquid is further away from the bottle opening. Anyway, both still smell like chlorine, so the old bottle has -some- strength left. If I get some of those swimming pool test strips, I'll see if I can test it.

Okay, I asked Clorox about it and here's the reply :

"Thank you for contacting us about Clorox Bleach - Regular Scent. We always appreciate hearing from our consumers.

Clorox Bleach - Regular Scent has a recommended shelf life of one year. However, disinfecting properties tend to deteriorate after the first 3 months. Clorox Bleach - Regular Scent will degrade at temperatures above 70 degrees F.

To determine the when your product was made there should be a production code stamped in black on the bottle. An Example would be A85117. This would be read as follows:

Plant Code: A8

Year: 5 = 2005

Julian Date: 117 which represents the 117th day of the year. This would be April 26th.

The PH level of Clorox Bleach - Regular Scent is 11.4.

Again, thank you for contacting us."

Frankie

Here's another use for bleach:

Yep. Uhh huh. Ok. Why did you pick that one? Curious minds want to know. She looks a little raw around the roots, but are you sure?

I've seen better pictures of her, but it's the first decent one I could find on Google image search.

And I'm sure she bleaches- she admits it, and has even done hair color commercials. I consider her the bleach blonde poster girl.