When you have been looking forward to a day by the pool, nothing spoils it like cloudy water, metal stains and calcium scale.
Those are just a few of the problems that show up when cleaning gets skipped, and they can lead to costly repairs or replacements.
The good news is that a few simple tricks help prevent common pool problems like clogged filters, stains and scale.
If you have an old toothbrush, baking soda, old tennis balls, lemon slices and an old window screen, you are already ahead of the game. Want to save money on maintenance? Start taking notes.
10 Pool Cleaning and Maintenance Hacks
1. Clean pool tile with baking soda
All you need is an old toothbrush and a paste of baking soda and water. Scrub the waterline tile once or twice a week, along with spots like light fittings and ladder steps, to keep grime and algae from building up. Any baking soda that ends up in the water just nudges alkalinity up a little.
2. Toss in old tennis balls to soak up oil
Tennis balls are good for more than the court. Their fuzzy surface absorbs oils from sunscreen, hair products and skin, so less of that film ends up floating in your pool. Toss one in the pool or skimmer basket and swap it when it gets dirty.
3. Remove metal stains with vitamin C tablets (or lemon slices)
Metal stains are every pool owner’s enemy. The fix might be in your kitchen. Rub a vitamin C tablet, wrapped in a cloth, on small iron stains along the pool’s edges. No tablets? A lemon slice can work too. For widespread staining, call a professional.
4. No skimmer? Use an old window screen
An old window screen makes a handy skimmer in a pinch. A broomstick and some wire can turn it into a simple homemade skimmer.
Spend the money you saved on something better, like a visit from our weekly pool cleaning team.
5. Get a robotic pool cleaner
A robotic pool cleaner cuts down the time and effort it takes to keep your pool clean.
Most robotic cleaners climb the walls and scrub the waterline on their own, so you spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying the pool.
6. Run the pump in two shifts
It is not exciting, but it works. Run your pump long enough each day to turn over all the water, usually around 8 hours. Splitting it into a morning and an evening run works fine and keeps water moving when the pool is used most.
7. Put old pantyhose over the skimmer basket
Skimmers catch leaves and big bugs easily, but what about hair, pollen and fine dirt?
Stretch an old pair of pantyhose, or a skimmer sock, over the skimmer basket to catch the fine particles before they reach your filter. It is especially useful during spring pollen season.
8. Remove light scale with a sponge and vinegar
A sponge dipped in white vinegar removes light calcium scale from tile in a pinch. Keeping on top of scale now saves money later, because scale also builds up inside your filter, pump and heater. For heavier buildup, see our tile and surface cleaning service.
9. Invest in an automatic pool cover
An automatic cover is one of the easiest ways to protect your pool, and it opens and closes at the push of a button, so it actually gets used.
Covering the pool when it is not in use keeps debris out, blocks sunlight that burns off chlorine, holds in heat and helps prevent algae.
Every time you press that button, you are saving yourself extra cleaning later.
10. Refresh your pool water every few years
Filters and chlorine can only do so much. Over time, dissolved solids, calcium and stabilizer build up until chemicals stop working well. When tests show those levels are too high, usually every few years, drain and refill part of the pool to bring them back down. Have a professional do it, as draining a pool the wrong way can damage it.
Along with weekly cleaning, Clear Tec Pools provides pool repairs, acid washing, tile cleaning and more. Get in touch to see how easy pool care can be.
Need help with your pool in Hoschton or nearby? Call Clear Tec Pools at 678-679-0165 or book online.