Pool’s Open! 10 Pool Care Tips and Tricks

All things considered, pool ownership is a hefty responsibility. You must deal not only with personal safety, but you must also become a student of pool chemicals and water filtration. However, pool care doesn’t need to drag you down. Read on to learn ten pool care tips and tricks that will have you splish-splashing in record time.

POOL CARE TIPS AND TRICKS 

#1 Remove calcium scale with white vinegar.

Calcium scale looks ugly in your pool. The telltale white streaks indicate an excess of calcium and aren’t particularly harmful, but who wants to swim in a pool that looks lousy?

Fortunately, you can skip the trip to the big box store and save a ton of money by using white vinegar. Apply vinegar to a sponge and scrub away until the calcium scale becomes a faded, distant memory.

#2 Make rust disappear with lime juice.

Unsightly rust marks around the rim of your pool? Don’t spend money on chemicals that could throw your pool into a state of imbalance, grab the limes and start squeezing!

Make a scrubbing paste of salt and lime juice. Rub the scrub into the rust stains and watch them disappear.

#3 Clean pool tiles with baking soda.

When your pool tiles get dingy looking, head to the kitchen and grab your box of baking soda. The fine texture is ideal for refreshing those tiles.

#4 Run your pool’s filter for eight hours—even on non-swimming days.

Many pool owners cut on the pool’s filter on mornings they expect to swim. Unfortunately, that leaves you tons of manual cleaning before you can dive in.

Having sufficient water flow ensures even distribution of both heat and chemicals. Therefore, you reduce the odds of finding your pool green on a day you are looking forward to a swim.

#5 Pump it up—at night.

Segue to the next tip. Since you need to run your pool filter for eight hours, consider running it overnight. Some utility providers offer reduced, off-peak rates at this time. If yours does, then night time is the right time to pump it up.

#6 Upgrade to a variable speed pump

Are you utilizing a single speed pump still? Then, it is probably time for an upgrade to a variable speed pump. This pump style is made to last longer than single-speed pumps. Plus, they consume less overall electricity, converting to lower energy costs for your household.

#7 Use a solar cover to reduce evaporation and retain heat.

So, you probably know that a solar cover gives you warm water and helps your pool stay warm. You might not have known, however, that a solar cover also reduces evaporation of your pool water, so your chemicals keep balanced more effectively.

Plus, it helps keep grass clippings, leaves, and other trash into the pool, minimizing the time you spend cleaning.

#8 Timing is everything.

Now that you know you need to run your filter for an eight-hour stretch, what happens when you are away? You don’t want to skip it and wind up with cloudy water. Instead, invest in a timer and have it hooked up to your pool’s breaker. It will flip the system on and off when you’re not around to tend to it.

#9 Embrace the technology.

You know how there’s a smartphone app for almost anything you can imagine? Yep, there are apps for pool care. The apps will allow you to input your pool size and capacity and help you calculate how many chemicals you need. Then, the apps set up a pool care maintenance schedule for you to follow and can even be set to send you alerts to remind you to actually do them.

#10 Drop in a tennis ball or two

Have you ever noticed how long tennis balls remain wet after they’ve been left outside in the rain? This water retention occurs because tennis balls have an outer covering of very absorbent fabric.

Your pool is full of body oils, suntan lotion, soap residue, and other oils.

So, drop several tennis balls into the pool and the skimmer basket for an effective and oil absorbent solution.

Enjoy pool ownership with these pool care tips and tricks.

Pool ownership is a lot of work. But with that work comes the luxury of being able to relax in your own oasis after a long, hot summer day. Try the pool care tips and tricks, and you’ll be diving in sooner than later.