How to clean your pool

What was the last time you got your pool cleaned? Might it be that right now your pool needs good scrubbing, and you have put it off because, let's be honest, cleaning the pool is not just as fun as swimming in it?

Having a pool on your property has excellent benefits, especially if you live in a hotter climate like Australia! Pools require weekly cleaning maintenance. Most maintenance can be performed on your own while others may require a professional.

You're probably wondering right now, why do I have to bother scrubbing or washing my pool if I add to the water chlorine or other sanitising chemicals? 

Well, think about it this way. You use shampoo and soap after showering, which are washing agents. But does your bathtub/shower remain indefinitely clean? Of course not. Shampoo and soap are meant to clean the body and not tile, porcelain, or fibreglass. In due time you're going to start seeing the accumulation of icky soap scum.

What equipment will you need to clean your pool?

To clean your own pool, you will need: 

• A telescopic pole
• A leaf skimmer 
• Pool brush 
• Pool vacuum
• pH tester 
• Sanitising chlorine tablets

Telescopic Pole

Telescopic poles act as a base for all pool cleaning equipment. To the end of a telescopic pole, you can mount all sorts of things.  For a complete pool tool set you can attach skimmer nets, brushes, vacuum heads, puppets and many more . 

A telescopic pole may be stretched to different lengths, as the name implies. We suggest that an 8-foot pole that stretches to 16 feet should be invested in. That should encourage you, when appropriate, to clean the walls and the floor of the pool.

Leaf Skimmer 

This is one of the devices that you are going to use more frequently than anyone else. A skimmer net, attached to a telescopic rod, helps you to catch debris that accumulates on and below the surface of the water. You will scoop grass, leaves, small insects, twigs and hair ties. 

In selecting a skimmer net, you have two options: a flat skimmer, or a bag skimmer. We prefer a flat skimmer so the sediment you collect from the pool is easier to remove. Although a bag skimmer can carry more, its a pain to empty particularly when it's wet.  

Be sure to buy a heavy-duty skimmer net. Be sure to invest a bit more cause the cheaper ones seem to always crack. 

Pool Brush

The pool brush is again an attachment that you will stick to the end of your telescopic pole. You can use this to scrub your pool’s walls and floor, remove the dirt before it starts to stick. To choose an appropriate pool brush, you need to know the material of your pool surface.  

For unpainted concrete you will need stainless steel and nylon bristles brush. If you have a gunite floor, it's best to stick to a stainless steel bristles brush. However, if you have a painted floor, nylon bristles are the best alternative for this. 

Pool Vacuum 

You can always attach a vacuum head to your telescopic pole and start a manual vacuum cleanup. It should be enough to clean your pool almost every other day, unless it's warranted more frequently. 

Remember that it can be very labor-intensive to manually vacuum a pool, especially if, say, you are cleaning the pool after a major thunderstorm, and your pool floor looks like a forest of leaves. 

There may be moments where a manual vacuum can come in handy, but to make your life simpler, we strongly recommend you try investing in a robotic vacuum. The cost is the only drawback to a robotic vacuum. They are more costly than suction-side or pressure-side cleaners, and should something go wrong, they cost more to fix.

pH Tester

An important part of cleaning your pool is testing the pH levels. The pH levels of your pool should be between 7.2 and 7.6 to ensure your pool is safe to swim in. 

There are many strips available in the market. All you need to do is dunk it in the pool for 5-10 seconds, remove it and when it dries up it will change colour. Using the chart that’s on the instructions of the test strips will indicate the water’s pH level. On comparison with the instructions, you can add chemicals to the correct pH if required. 

Chlorine Tablets

Chlorine is the cheapest pool sanitizer on the market. Adding chlorine in the pool water helps to kill viruses and bacterias. Ideally, the chlorine concentration of your swimming pool should be at least 1 part per million (ppm), and not go above 3 ppm.

Staying within that range is the safe and smart way to balance protection against contaminants with the risks of having too much chlorine in the water, which can cause eye, nose, lung, and throat irritation.

In conclusion, it’s a general rule to clean your pool at least once a week. This will ensure a healthy place to swim for you and your family. If you don’t want to clean the pool yourself, you can always hire professional pool cleaners by clicking the button below to get free no obligation quotes from our local trusted pool cleaners at service.com.au.