Use dry acid if you need it fast.

Sodium bisulfate (dry acid) is the quickest way to drop pH in a pool. No mixing, no fumes, just sprinkle it in the deep end while the pump runs. Muriatic acid works too but requires more caution—gloves, goggles, careful pouring.

The trick is knowing how much to add. Test your pH first and use a pool calculator (there are dozens free online). A typical 10,000-gallon pool with pH at 8.0 needs about 1.5 pounds of dry acid to bring it to 7.4. Retest after a few hours.

Don’t try to lower pH with chlorine or shock—that can backfire. And don’t dump in too much at once. Slow is better than overshooting and having to add baking soda later.

Future you will thank you for buying a good test kit.