Pool Cleaning Hacks that You Need to Try!

The swimming pool is the most refreshing and pleasant time to spend with the whole family. Kids like splashing, while you can do some sport.

So, there is a great idea to have a backyard swimming pool. But some owners are afraid of regular cleaning of swimming pools that will become a regular routine, in some cases more time-consuming than actual swimming.

To maintain transparent water in a swimming pool, the cleaning procedure consists of an everyday collection of debris from the water surface, regular water filtration for 5-6 hours per day, two-three times per week scrubbing of walls, floors, and a waterline, every season addition of chemicals to eliminate algae, bacteria, and other harmful organic substances.

There should be a way to automate the cleaning process and some hacks on how to do this more efficiently. This article provides you with the most helpful hacks.

Six cleaning hacks that must to be tried

Our hacks are simple to implement and very helpful in daily swimming pool maintenance. Of course, they cost money, but these investments are in your time and health.

• Use automatic cleaners

Pool’s floor, walls, and waterline needs regular scrubbing no matter how often you swim in the pool or what other methods and hacks you use for cleaning. The cheapest way is to use manual telescopic brushes, but you need to have significant muscle strength. The best hack is to replace the manual workforce with automatic pool cleaners.

 Depending on your budget, you can choose pressure-side or suction-side cleaners that should be connected to the existing filtration pump of your pool. However, if you prefer an autonomous device that can not only suck fine debris at the pool’s bottom, you should keep an eye on robotic pool cleaners. Even with a tight budget, you can choose among robotic pool cleaners under $500 that can clean above or inground pools with smart navigation without leaving messy spots. Such functionality will not cost a fortune.

• Change your sand filter to D.E. filter 

Sand filters can hardly manage fine particles in the swimming pool. D.E. filters can remove particles up to 3 microns, while sand filters can work only with particles up to 100 microns. Small particles are produced during normal functional life in the swimming pool, especially after regular chemical treatment. So, to keep the water clean, more than sand or a cartridge filter is required. 

Diatomaceous Earth in the filter is made from Pacific Ocean fossils and keeps the water sparkling. The D.E. grids in the filter and internals can be cleaned with fresh water from a garden hose to remove oil, debris, salts, minerals, and dirt. D.E. filters also require backwashing, such as sand filters, to remove accumulated debris. Unfortunately, these filters require more maintenance and higher upfront costs, but during the filter lifetime – 4-5 years – you will spend less money for better results. If you do not want to replace the sand filter fully, you can add only a cup of D.E. powder; even with this small quantity, you will see the result!

• Use baking soda

Constant usage of chemicals is not suitable for the human body, so when using other natural solutions is possible, it is a good hack. All house owners have baking soda that can be used for cleaning as well, not only for cooking. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which is believed to cure all human diseases in proper concentration. A mixture of baking soda and water is a natural, non-abrasive cleaner that can be used for cleaning products (fruits or vegetables), pipes, tubs, pots, clothes, and pool tiles. If you do not have a pool cleaner, scrubbing with a toothbrush and baking soda tiles one or two times per week (especially a waterline) is recommended. 

The side effect of baking soda usage is a pH increase and total alkalinity. The normal water alkalinity should be 100-150 ppm and pH 7.2-7.8, but because of acid rains (regular precipitations in populated areas), pH can be lower, so backing soda can help to achieve a stable result without chemicals.

• Use vinegar

Vinegar is another natural solution for pool owners with high calcium content in the water. Calcium salts may form on the waterline; even a robotic pool cleaner can’t remove them. Calcium formation has also happened because of pH imbalance, so you need to check your pH and correct it with baking soda or chemicals. Instead of hard wall scrubbing, add some diluted vinegar to a sponge and put it on the waterline. Wait for a couple of minutes, and stubborn calcium will go away. You can buy vinegar in a grocery store or any cleaning shop!

• Use tennis balls

The water’s surface can have a fine layer of oil if you are swimming in it! The oil comes from human bodies, sun creams, lotions, cosmetics, and soaps. Collecting the oil with a basket or skimmer is not possible; it is recommended to use tennis balls. Their material perfectly absorbs oil and dirt from the surface. So, just put some balls in your skimmer and the water. After a day or two, you can wash the balls in the washing machine and use them again. This solution is cheap and safe for human health.

• Use your filter

All stationary pools or big above-ground pools should have a filter with a pump. Circulation is a must for large quantities of water to prevent the formation of all harmful substances and keep the water transparent, not green. Water circulation of at least 8 hours per day also helps to distribute all chemicals evenly and reduces regular cleaning procedures of walls and floors. If you want to save some money, we recommend using the pump at night to save on electricity. The electricity costs are significantly less at night than in peak hours in the evening. You can also change your single-speed pump to variable speed to manage your electrical consumption. You can set a timer or include the pump in the home automatic system. Another solution for water circulation, less efficient but very attractive – is a fountain.

Conclusion

This article combined our cleaning hacks to make the cleaning procedure not a routine but something not so time-consuming and almost automatic. For example, if you use a robotic pool cleaner and run a filter every day for 8 hours, you only seldom need to use baking soda and tennis balls. As a result, it is easy to keep the pool clean and welcoming for swimmers.