Have a think about the last time you gave your pool a through clean? When we say a thorough clean we mean scrubbing the tile band, cleaned your equipment and gave it some real attention. It may well be that your pool needs a good scrub now.
Whilst a regular vac and brush once a week will do the trick to keep on-top of your regular maintenance, much like your home, your swimming pool needs attention now and then to keep it looking tip-top.
With the right attitude (we all have to be in the mood to clean right?) and the right equipment you can have your pool right on track for an amazing pool season, just add sunshine!
Why Clean Your Pool?
Some of you may be wondering why you should clean your pool if you use the right chemicals and you have a filtration system which is ‘meant’ to clean all the nasties out of your pool. Although the question is valid, think of it like this:
If you have a washing up bowl full of dirty dishes, you add hot water and dish soap. You don’t stop there. You need to apply a little elbow grease to get rid of the tougher stuff. Although soaking will help, you still need to give the dishes a little scrape and scrub to get them clean.
The same concept can be thought of in a swimming pool. Adding your dish soap (or in this case Chlorine) to the water bowl (swimming pool) will only go half way to cleaning the pool.
Essential Pool Cleaning Equipment
Prior to getting your hands dirty and getting stuck in, it is good to check you have all the right equipment to get the job done.
It is also prudent to check that the equipment you have is in good shape. Brushes in particular tend to be favoured by small creatures who like to nibble, make sure all your equipment is in good condition and bring it out from that shed, so it is on hand.
Here is a list of the items you will need:
• Telescopic Pole
• Skimmer net
• Pool Brush
• Pool Vacuum Head
• Tile band cleaner
Additional items that you can bring down from the house include
• A few microfibre cloths
• Muti-purpose cleaner
• An old Tooth Brush
First thing is first
Start by doing a sweep of the pool surface for all leaves, twigs and debris. Make sure to collect as much as you can, working methodically around the pool. Once you have collected enough in your net, empty this into a compost heap or similar then carry on collecting.
If there are big deposits of leaves on the bottom of the pool you can use the net to try and scoop these up which will save you time when it comes to vacuuming the pool later.
Brush the Walls of your Pool
Next task is to brush the walls of your pool paying attention to dead spots like behind ladders or on steps. Simply attach your pool brush to the telescopic pole and get to work.
Working bit by bit around the pool brush from the coping stone down to the pool floor. You might be amazed to see how much this will start to cloud your water up when you haven’t done this for a while!
Vacuum your Pool
Next task is to attach your manual vacuum head and hose and get vac’ing! Sadly, this isn’t the most fun job in the world but slowly and methodically you should vac the floors of you pool paying attention to corners and seams where dirt can collect easily. It may help you (and your patience) to put on some music or listen to an audio book. A little tip we learnt from a customer.
Scrub the Tile Band
Using a tile band cleaning agent and following the instructions on the product scrub your tile band and remove the scum that builds up at the water level. Be sure to pay attention to the instructions as they can be different between liner pools and tiled pools.
A tip from our service engineers is to use a swimming pool float to save your knees when crouched down. If your pool is clean and the weather is nice, this process can also be done from inside the pool. Even better employ the services of your son or daughter!
By now you will have completed the pool cleaning itself. It’s now time to turn your attention to the pool filtration.
Empty your Pump Basket
After all that vacuuming there will no doubt be some debris that has be caught in the pump filter basket, turn off your pump and open the lid to reveal. To thoroughly clean the basket, use a hose and rinse off all the bits caught. If your basket has a finer filter you might want to use an old toothbrush and work the residue out. Place the basket back in the pump and attach the lid once done.
Backwash the Filter
After all the cleaning, your filter should have picked up a lot of nasties in your pool that need to be gotten rid of. Follow your standard backwash procedure and make sure all of that nasty water gets rinsed our of your filter.
Clean your Filtration Equipment and Pipework
They say cleanliness is close to godliness. With that in mind, make a point to clean off all of your equipment from dust and debris. Using a multi-purpose spray, some microfibre cloths and an old toothbrush, clean all the fins, nooks and cranies of your pool filtration and give your pipework a good wipe too. Although this may seem pointless, this really is the icing on the cake and if you look after your equipment your equipment will look after you.
Once this last task is done it’s time to relax, sit by the pool or perhaps jump in and enjoy!
