Skimming the leaves and debris off of the surface of the water is a
no-brainer, but it bears repeating. For a truly pristine pool, skimming
should be done daily. In addition to skimming, you need to scrub the sides of the pool to
prevent algae build-up. Thankfully, that doesn’t need to be done quite
as often. You can get away with scrubbing once every other week. Just
look for any growths and go at them with a scrub brush to keep your
siding looking fresh and clean. Just as your kidneys are constantly working to remove impurities from
your body, your pool’s filter is responsible for removing impurities
from the water – think dirt, leaves, and even small toys. Most of the time, the pool can be cleaned by turning off the filter,
removing the filter cap located on the pool deck, lifting out the filter
basket, and removing any debris before replacing everything. It’s best
to clean out your filter basket at least once a week. Once a month you’ll also want to clean out the pipes utilized by your
filter system, which you can do by backwashing. To do so, simply set
your filter to “backwash,” remove the leaf basket and clean it out. Then
turn on your pump and let it run until the waste pipe ejects clear
water. Keeping a pool in good shape does entail a certain amount of work, but
it doesn’t need to be a burden. By incorporating these pool maintenance
tips into a regular cleaning routine, you can ensure that you’ll spend
more time sunbathing than doing chores. Which is exactly how it should
be.