Hiring a professional pool cleaner can be very expensive, especially when you add up the amount of cleaning bills at the end of the year. This charge can easily be avoided since cleaning and maintaining a pool is a lot simpler than you may think.

1.    Clean the water surface, walls and floor. It is very easy for your pool to collect debris such as leaves, twigs and bugs. These need to be cleaned and removed as soon as possible. Not only does it reduce the efficiency of the pool pumps, but it is also an eye sore. If left, this debris will fall to the bottom of the pool and will be much harder to remove. You also need to clean the tiles of the pool with a brush to make sure there isn’t a build-up of algae or anything else. There is a number of pool vacuums for sale that are very efficient but the model that is becoming ever more popular is the automatic vacuum. This pool cleaner can be left alone to clean the whole pool either with inputted commands or just by roaming on its own. As this robotic machine cleans, it stores any dirt picked up internally so it is very simple to collect the foreign objects in your pool. Although you need to have a mains socket nearby to connect it to, it is still much cheaper than a fitted water pump.

2.    Clean out filters. Filters are there to catch any floating debris and stop it from going into the pipes connected to the pool and clogging them up.

Having pipes cleaned out is expensive so you should always make sure that the filters aren’t blocked and are working efficiently by maintaining the water level. Cleaning these out helps the water circulate efficiently.

3.    Test the water. The ideal pH for your pool to be at is between 7.2 and 7.6 if it is above or below this, you have to add an alkaline or acidic substance to bring it back to the optimal pH. The chlorine in the water also needs to be tested and every few weeks, the water needs to be shocked to bring the pools chlorine level back to normal. Chlorine shouldn’t be added all at once and it is suggested that you buy an automatic chlorine feeder to slowly release the chemical into the water at a suitable rate. If added too quickly, the chlorine will damage the pipe work in the pool and won’t be properly diluted. While you are checking all of these, you should also check the level of the water and top it up if needed.

How do I maintain the cleanliness of the pool in between cleans?
Maintaining the pools cleanliness really means maintaining the chemical balance of the water. By regularly checking things like the pH and the chlorine levels in the swimming pool, you can keep build ups to a minimum and you will have a lot less to do when it comes around to your big clean. Any debris on the top should be cleaned with a water skimmer whenever you see it and by putting a cover over the surface of the water, you stop more leaves and other falling objects from entering the water and adding contaminants.

Before and after each use, you should also get into the habit of checking the outer area of the pool and making sure you sweep up any excess water or leaves.