Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. This means that at no cost to you, we may earn a small commission for qualifying purchases.
Wouldn’t it be nice if your pool could just clean itself? If there was some way that a pool could self-clean and not need you to buy equipment and spend your days with a vacuum and extension pole, that would be best. It would give you so much more time to relax, kick back, and use the pool.
Unfortunately, one of the only downsides of owning a pool is cleaning it. It is something that must be done. It is something that also must be done regularly because if you don’t keep up with your pool maintenance, you are going to be in a world of trouble.
What happens if a pool isn’t cleaned? How often do you need to vacuum and clean it? How hard is the process of cleaning a pool? If you are thinking of owning a pool any time soon, you should know the answers to all of these.
No matter what type of pool you own or the condition it is in, it is recommended that you vacuum it at least once a week. That might sound like a high frequency but it really is the only way for you to be able to keep your pool looking great and working great too.
If you are not on top of vacuuming your pool, there is a chance for debris and garbage to pile up and for yucky bacteria to grow.
Remember, water is one of the most common places for nasty bacterial growth to start. If you don’t keep it clean, your pool will soon become something of a swamp. And that is no place that your family or friends will want to spend their time.
Once a week is recommended for vacuuming the pool. Thankfully, if you stay on top of this schedule, the cleaning process will not take that long. Of course, you will have to make sure you maintain and upkeep your cleaning equipment, such as a vacuum and extension pole and disc skimmer. However, if that is all in good shape, the entire cleaning procedure can be done in less than thirty minutes.
It is important to keep in mind that there are certain occasions when cleaning a pool more often is necessary. For example, if it is the dead of summer and you and your family and friends are using the pool a lot, you will want to clean it more often.
More use requires more vacuuming. That makes sense; you want to clean your carpet more if it’s the rainy season because the shoes are bringing in more filth. The same is true for a pool.
But heavy use isn’t the only reason you should vacuum your pool more often. If there has been bad weather, like a particularly strong storm, you should take that into consideration and clean your pool accordingly.
If the weather is repeatedly putting your pool through the wringer, you should try to clean it as soon as the storms have passed. This might mean that you are vacuuming your pool multiple times in one week but it’s better than just sticking to the normal schedule and allowing filth to fester.
If you discover or suspect there is algae growing in your pool, you will definitely need to step up your vacuuming schedule. In fact, if you are finding that algae is making a home in your pool, you should do more than just vacuum.
You should make sure you are using only the best cleaning chemicals and they are being effective. You might want to even schedule a pool maintenance specialist to come and inspect your pool to make sure the cleaning procedure is getting the job done. The last thing you want is algae to build up in your pool.
The best rule of thumb is to keep an eye on your swimming pool. If everything is working well and looking good, vacuuming once a week is appropriate.
However, if you are experiencing nasty weather or experiencing bacterial build-up and algae, you should improve your vacuuming schedule and change the way you are doing things.
Related Article: 5 Top Pool Vacuums for Algae
While you really only need to vacuum your pool once a week, there are other cleaning procedures that you should do far more often than that. Did you know that you should be doing some cleaning processes every single day? It’s true, your pool does need daily maintenance.
Thankfully, this process will only take about five to ten minutes if you are doing it correctly and often. Just a few minutes to prevent serious trouble in your pool. That sounds pretty good, right?
The daily cleaning that you should do involves a pool net and a pool skimmer. What you will want to do is inspect your pool, see if there are any problem areas, and then use the pool net to scoop up any debris. Of course, you will also want to use your pool skimmer and let it do its work.
During this daily cleaning and inspection, make sure to look for any algae that might be building. If you notice some, you will want to immediately get your vacuum and tend to that as soon as possible. If the algae continues to grow after that, you will want to change the chemicals you use or even call upon a professional.
There are other things you should do more than once a week. For example, you need to check for leaks often and make sure that there is no water emitting from the pool.
Of course, you will be able to notice any large leaks right away but you need to look very hard for any small leaks that might be missed by a simple walk-through.
Another thing you want to do often is check and empty the pool skimmer to ensure that the pool is being cleaned properly.
If you inspect the skimmer and repeatedly notice that it isn’t picking up any filth, you might want to check yourself because the chances of nothing building in your pool after time is uncommon.
You will also want to clean your pool equipment often too. Your vacuum and hoses especially need to be kept in the finest condition possible. If you do not have equipment that is clean, you don’t have equipment that is effective either.
Cleaning pool cleaning items doesn’t take much time but it goes a long way to keeping your pool in the best shape possible. To learn how to use pool vacuum properly, click here.
If you don’t do a good job of cleaning your pool often and thoroughly, there are many bad things that can happen to anyone who jumps in. In fact, there are many bad things that can happen to the people in the pool as well as the area around the pool.
For example, if your pool is leaking and you don’t take note of it, the land around your pool will become soaked and could become ruined by water damage. But there are far bigger problems than just that.
A pool that isn’t cared for and properly cleaned can soon harbor recreational water illnesses, also known as RWIs. The symptoms of these infections are brutal and include ear infections, respiratory infections, diarrhea, rashes, inflamed eyes and lungs, and more.
This happens when the pH and chlorine levels in your pool are not properly maintained and kept in line. An RWI will become a problem for anyone who swims in a pool that isn’t clean. The moment you dive into the water, the bacteria in the pool will find its way into your ears, eyes and other parts of your body.
From there, the bacteria will take root in your system and soon you will find that you have a recreational water illness. From there, medical attention will be needed to get rid of any RWIs. If they are not checked out by a medical authority, RWIs can transform and mutate into something much, much more serious.
Thankfully, a proper cleaning and shocking of the pool will eliminate the bacteria that can lead to RWIs. In fact, nearly all germs are completely destroyed in an hour or even less with the right amount of chlorine and cleaning solutions in the pool.
Cleaning your pool is one of the most important things you have to do when you own one. If you do not stay on top of cleaning your pool, it will soon spiral out of control into a situation that can cause you some truly serious troubles. From a dirty pool, infections and damage to your home can quickly happen.
Thankfully, you can prevent so much of this by simply vacuuming your pool once a week. With the proper equipment and an eye for attention, your pool will remain in tip-top shape just after a short, weekly cleaning.
Of course, you should still monitor your pool at all times, especially looking out for things such as algae and any serious damage to the exterior of the pool. A weekly vacuuming of your pool will prevent many of the pool problems that can become a nightmare.
Recommended Articles-
Join our newsletter for the latest updates!
