Hi, Linda,

Borax comes in the same size box country wide. So, a good start would be to add 1/2 of the box, wait around 24 hours and retest. Re-add based on your test results.

The Wal-mart kit ($15) is a good stop-gap kit...much better than the strips. The Taylor kit is a good kit but way too much money ($60 or more, I think) if you've ordered Ben's. His will be worth the wait.

CYA would not have lowered your pH that much. I suspect it's the inaccuracy of the strips.

The kitty liter scoop is a nice tip,,,,makes sense.