There is much more going on here than just "household bleach". MSR SweetWater Purifier Solution is specially designed in a lab to work with filters to kill free-floating viruses. Viruses are very easily handled with chemicals, but you don't want to put too much chemical into your water if it's not needed. This solution puts just the right amount without giving off a taste or smell. It essentially purifies the water and nothing more AFTER it's been filtered (viruses cannot be filtered out using a microfilter). Because of the much higher content of sodium hypochlorite in bleach, carcinogens have a possiblity of being created (specifically trihalomethane) when mixed with the organic material in backcountry water. Because of the greatly reduced sodium hypochlorite content in the MSR Sweetwater Purifier Solution, this risk is drastically reduced. Bleach also contains Lye which can burn the skin and destroy tissue. There is no lye in the Sweetwater Purifier Solution. Common household bleach was never intended to be consumed by humans whereas the MSR SweetWater Purifier Solution is. This is a huge difference between the two. The MSR SweetWater Purifier Solution is not common household bleach by any stretch of the imagination...

mmmm, clorox, nothing clears the sinus's quite like it!

Plain Clorox for water purification: 2 drops per quart, 8 drops per gallon. Let sit for 30 minutes. Cloudy water; double dose. Water should have faint bleach smell. If not, redo. Pure Clorox is corrosive and must be handled with great care. If could really ruin your backpack and everything in it.

The only active ingredient in this product is 3.5% sodium hypochloride or in other words, weak common household bleach. Clorox is 6%. Pretty high $$$ bleach!