Cleaning your swimming pool includes vacuuming, brushing, and skimming. If you do these three tasks regularly, you will keep you pool spotlessly clean. It also aids to keep stains, cloudy water, and algae from occurring in your pool as seen in the image below.
In fact, I like to compare my pool to my teeth. If you do not brush your teeth every day, you will have plaque, cavities, and the deadly gingivitis. You shouldn’t neglect your pool and thus I want to give you a step by step guide of how to clean a swimming pool.
Follow these ten steps and your concrete swimming pool will remain clean with no debris.
THINGS YOU WILL REQUIRE
- A telescopic pole
- A leaf net or a leaf skimmer
- Pool brushes
- A hose and vacuum head or an auto pool cleaner
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Here are the steps that you will need to follow:
- Take Count of the Inventory
The first step is to take inventory of your cleaning supplies and ensure that you have all the things that you require. One major item that you will require is a telescopic pole for attaching your cleaning accessories.
The other item would be a leaf skimmer – don’t confuse this with the pool’s wall skimmer. Additionally, you will require a pool brush to scrub the floor and walls and a hose and vac head if you don’t have the best robotic pool cleaner. These are the necessary items that you will need to tick before you begin the actual cleaning process.
- Brush the Floor and Walls of Your Pool
For proper cleaning of your pool, it is advisable to brush the floor and walls of your pool regularly. Pay closer attention to surfaces that have little or poor water circulation. You may use brushes of different widths that affix to the end of your telescopic pole or even a brush that comes attached to this pole.
You may also use these brushes to clean your patio or deck.
Alternatively, you may use the best robot pool cleaner to clean the surface of your pool as seen below.
- Pull Out Debris and Leaves
Use a leaf skimmer or net to pull out debris and leaves. This item is helpful for skimming the bottom of the pool to remove insects as well. You may use this net also to scoop out toys and other items your children might have lost or left in the pool.
A good leaf skimmer should look like the image below.
- Collect Debris
This step involves using a vacuum head fixed to the telescopic pole or even using an auto robot pool cleaner to collect dirt and debris. Ensure that you get the right vacuum head for your pool as they are usually designed differently – according to the base of the pool (concrete, fiberglass, or vinyl liner). Use a brush to clean any angled spots that the vacuum may miss.
Here is an example of triangular vacuum head.
- Run Your Pool’s Filter
This filter is used to collect fine dirt as well as microscopic particles to ensure that your pool is clean. Run it for about 8 to 10 hours a day.
The image below shows a pool filter.
Also, depending on the type of the filter, ensure that you clean it thoroughly. For instance, a cartridge filter should be removed and cleaned inside and out using a hose. D.E and sand filters should be backwashed regularly to eliminate any clogged debris or dirt.
- Clean the D.E
In addition to backwashing, a D.E filter needs to be cleaned at least one per year. Remove all the grids according to the manual in your owner’s manual and use a hose to hose dirt out of the elements. Fill a plastic container with water and add a ½ cup of auto dishwasher soap. Soak this filter in this mixture for about 5 hours. Then rinse off the filter and then place it back.
- Maintain the Ideal Chemical Level
The other concept of cleaning your pool involves maintaining its proper chemical levels. It’s is vital to test your pool’s water regularly for 2 main reasons: sanitizer and pH. By testing this water regularly, you will be with a passion for understanding how weather, chemical application, bather load affect your pool. Regular testing of sanitizer and pH levels will lead to crystal clear water.
- Maintain Proper pH
It is critical that the right pH is maintained in your swimming pool all the day. If the pH is below or above 7.2 to 7.6, it will reduce the effectiveness of your pool chemicals. Use either pH increaser or pH reducer to bring the pH to the recommended range. If you find it hard to maintain this pH, inspect the total alkalinity and ensure it is in the right range.
- Sanitize Your Pool
Sanitizing chlorine tablets are one of the most effective sanitizers you may use in your swimming pool. These tablets are made to dissolve steadily and slowly to provide free chlorine into the water to kill bacteria and keep the water clean.
Ensure that you use tablets that resist sun’s rays such as the above 3” Chlorine Tablets– they will last longer and be more effective. Additionally, keep these products in the floater, skimmer, or auto feeder to continue sanitizing.
- Add Shock
As debris builds up in your pool such as urine, hair spray, suntan oil, and perspiration, they may cause skin and eye irritation as well as dull water. They tie up chlorine, making it less effective in sanitizing water. If this happens, it’s time to add shock to the pool. This shock is available in different forms such as chlorine or non-chlorine forms and frees up the chlorine and oxidizes contaminants to keep your pool clean.
You should use reputable shock such as Super Shock.