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Published On: February 20, 2014
By: Paul Miller, Virginia
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GENERAL CATEGORY
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10 TIPS FOR CLEANING YOUR SWIMMING POOLS
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10 tips for cleaning your swimming pools
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Along with taking care of your pool water there are more aspects to cleaning your outdoor swimming pools. Following is a list of my choices for the 10 best tips for cleaning outdoor pools for summer. I rate all 10 tips as "easy". The cost for the majority of the tips is "free".
Cleaning your outdoor swimming pools for summer - #1
Do not forget to clean the exterior of an above ground pool, as a little exterior maintenance is needed to keep the pool in good condition. If your pool has grass or weeds growing near it, be very careful when you use a weed eater. Try not to scratch the metal walls as that would cause rust to form and weaken the wall. You also need to clean the coping. Where we live the dirt is red clay. Birds with red clay on their little feet will sit on the coping, leaving tiny muddy prints all along the coping. If your coping has similar stains you need to clean that with a mild soap and a soft rag. The dirt will not hurt the coping but it doesn`t look very nice.
Cost: Free
Cleaning your outdoor swimming pools for summer - #2
Another cleaning tip for above ground pool owners is the care and storage of your ladder. Sitting out on a deck or behind the garage all winter the ladder will get dirty. A good blast with the garden house will remove that dirt. You don`t want to put the steps in the pool if they are dirty. If there are any stains on the steps they most likely will fade overtime after being back n the chlorine water. Last season our steps had a few stains and after a week in the pool the stains were gone.
Cost: Free
Cleaning your outdoor swimming pools for summer - #3
Whether an above ground pool or in ground pool you need to keep the area around the pool clean. Try to keep leaves and other objects from falling in the pool. You spend a lot of money on chemicals to keep the water perfectly balanced so you want to keep as much debris out as possible.
Cost: Free
Cleaning your outdoor swimming pools for summer - #4
Suntan lotions and sprays do come off in water. They will adhere to the liner along with dust, dirt particles, algae and scum. Use a vinyl liner cleaner to wipe off the liner above water level. Follow the instructions on the bottle.
Cost: About $5 for a one quart bottle
Cleaning your outdoor swimming pools for summer - #5
Make sure to empty out your skimmer basket(s) regularly. They can get rather nasty at times so be sure to wash them with the garden hose. Clean skimmer baskets help to improve water flow and make the filter run more efficiently. Don`t forget to check the hair trap in the pump and empty as necessary.
Cost: Free
Cleaning your outdoor swimming pools for summer - #6
Vacuuming the pool is a major component of cleaning your outdoor swimming pool for summer. Vacuuming not only picks up dirt but also algae. We owned one pool that needed to be vacuumed once a month and we have owned pools that needed to be vacuumed almost daily. It depends on your area, if you have trees nearby, if you are at the top of the hill and get a lot of wind, or if your little ones track grass and dirt in.
Cost: Free
Cleaning your outdoor swimming pools for summer - #7
If you use a sand filer cleaning your filter is necessary in order to remove sediment and other contaminants from the sand. There is a product called Filter Cleaner and you can buy it from your local pool store or on line at Pool Supplies.com. Follow the instructions on the bottle as to how long the product has to sit inside the filter before your backwash. I have used this product in the past and will need to use it this season.
Cost: About $5 for a one quart bottle
Cleaning your outdoor swimming pools for summer - #8
To keep your water algae-free use a 3 month algaecide. Pour one bottle of any brand of 3 month algaecide in when you open the pool. Do not buy three bottles of a 1 month algaecide as you will spend three times the money and it won`t work as well. I know this from personal experience.
Cost: About $15 for a one quart bottle
Cleaning your outdoor swimming pools for summer - #9
Keep a supply of shock on hand. Shock is a product I use a lot. Throw in a full one pound bag to raise the chlorine level higher than normal to help control and kill some of the algae. You can buy shock at Walmart, K-Mart, some Home Depot and Lowe`s locations and at your local pool store, through catalogs or on-line. Stock up early in the season as stores tend to run low about mid-season. This is an important product to have on hand.
Cost: $3 for one pound bag
Cleaning your outdoor swimming pools for summer - #10
One the easiest ways to help keep your pool clean is by using your long handled net. Take a few minutes to skim off dead leaves, bugs, in our case frogs, and other items that you find floating on the surface. The long handled net also allows you to get up items that have fallen to the bottom of the pool. This is a quick and easy tip.
Cost: Free
If you follow the above 10 easy tips for cleaning your outdoor swimming pools for summer you will spend less time maintaining your pool and more time enjoying it. A little easy and inexpensive maintenance can avoid large repair or replacement bills down the road. The products mentioned above can be purchased at your local pool store or on-line at the websites listed below. Enjoy your pool and swim safe.
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