Cleaning Swimming Pools

To clean your swimming pool, you will need the proper equipment. Here is a quick rundown of all the tools required for keeping your pool in top condition: • Pool vacuum, which will need to be used often since your automatic cleaning system will miss places in your pool. • Leaf skimmer or rake, which you might remember seeing whenever the pool attendant at a public swimming pool has to scoop out unwanted debris (I will not go into detail, as I am sure you can come up with all sorts of undesirable materials fished out of pools). • Wall and floor brush, which should be made of nylon bristles and will work on pools that have fiberglass, painted, and vinyl insides. • Tile brush, which will be a kind of handheld brush that you use on tile swimming pools and which can be used without harming the grout. • Pumice stone, required for stubborn tile stains. • Algae brush, which are made of stainless steel and can be used on swimming pools that have plaster inside (concrete pools). So, how often do you clean? Some say every week, some say every day. I suggest you give your pool a good brushing of the walls and floor with some vacuuming at least once a week. Remember that more maintenance will be necessary with more usage of the swimming pool and hotter temperatures. Keep the area around your pool free of litter and debris, as these kinds of things can be blown into your pool and can put some gross stuff in your pool. If anything falls or blows into your swimming pool, get your leaf skimmer or rake and start fishing things out. A good way to judge the safety of your pool water is by using pH level test kits twice a week. When the pH level is way off, you will need to shock the pool with some kind of chemical, whether chlorine, bromine, or persulphates. Be careful not to mix chemicals in your pool unless you have checked with a professional first, as certain chemicals will produce toxic gases. Some people like to use water clarifier in their swimming pools; it makes the algae clump together so it can better be caught by your pool filter. Whether you use clarifier with your shocking chemical or not, your pool cleaning system can benefit from a backwash. It will keep debris and algae from making its way back into your pool. Also use a sanitizer in your swimming pool. This will keep your pool water clear and clean. And do not forget to use an algaecide treatment in your pool about once a month, running the filter after you have added it to the water. Lastly, keep your strainer basket empty if you can and buy a pool cover for night so you do not find unwanted materials dropped or blown into your previously shiny, clean swimming pool. That will save you a lot of hassle.