When it comes to swimming pools, cleaning supplies are imperative to their maintenance. After all, who wants to swim in a pool with slimy, mold-covered sides and murky greenish water? Not only would it be unpleasant to swim in, but unclean and unbalanced pool water can also cause health problems like rashes, respiratory illnesses, ear infections, or even gastrointestinal issues, not to mention irritated eyes or skin. For this reason, anyone in charge of pool maintenance must ensure that swimming pool cleaning supplies are available and used correctly to keep a pool’s water clean and sanitary.
How to Choose the Best Swimming Pool Cleaning Supplies
Before deciding what cleaning supplies to use to keep their pool clean, those tasked with swimming pool maintenance must first look at the size and type of the swimming pool. Cleaning supplies necessary for keeping a pool healthy and clean vary according to these criteria, from various tools to chemical additives, each with specific uses. When shopping for swimming pool cleaning supplies before the start of the swimming season, it’s essential to understand what’s needed to keep the water clean and safe for swimmers.
Size & Type of Pool
Pool size and type will help determine the swimming pool cleaning supplies needed for maintaining it. For example, inground swimming pools require different chemicals, filtering systems, and vacuums than above-ground pools. Larger pools also require tools with longer reach so that deeper parts and the middle of pools with larger areas can be reached.
Supplies like sanitizing tablets, shock treatments, and testing kits can be bought in bulk to make maintenance for bigger pools more cost-effective. Another consideration is the time it takes to maintain a swimming pool. Cleaning supplies like a robotic pool vacuum may make sense for larger pools, while a handheld vacuum might be adequate for smaller swimming pools.
Categorizing Swimming Pool Cleaning Supplies & Tools
Two basic swimming pool cleaning supplies are chemical cleaners and cleaning tools. Shock treatments and test kits that measure water quality are standard chemical methods for swimming pool cleaning. Supplies like shock treatments use chlorine to remove algae, bacteria, chloramines, and other contaminants, while test kits help determine chlorine content and pH levels. Cleaning tools include brushes, skimmers, and vacuums, which remove floating debris, scrub the pool’s sides and suck up dirt from the bottom. Typically, such tools connect to a telescoping pole that extends the reach up to 15 feet (over 4.5 meters).
Tool Materials
Durable, lightweight materials are normally utilized for tools that clean a swimming pool. Cleaning supplies like telescoping poles are made from aluminum. For example, it weighs less than other metals, offers greater durability than plastic and resists corrosion well. Similarly, swimming pool brushes, skimmers and vacuums are often made from high-grade, lightweight plastics that resist pool chemicals and exposure to water, along with ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
Test kits use litmus paper to measure such things as acid and base demand, alkalinity, bromine content, calcium hardness and other water quality indicators in a swimming pool. Cleaning supplies like basic testing kits can offer basic information, with more expensive kits offering a more detailed picture of a pool’s water quality.
Simplifying Maintenance
Though the process has complexities, the swimming pool cleaning supplies and tools should simplify it. Tools should be designed to make cleaning easier, with poles light enough to adjust or maneuver without difficulty. Attachments like pool brushes or vacuums should make scrubbing pool walls or sucking up dirt more efficient.
Resistance to Chemicals & UV Radiation
Swimming pool maintenance tools should withstand high chlorine levels and other pool chemicals. Tools used for outdoor pools should also resist ultraviolet radiation, so most attachments are made from higher-grade plastics.
Swimming Pool Cleaning Supplies, Tools & How to Use Them
To clean a swimming pool, cleaning supplies and pool parts must deal with common contaminants like algae, dirt, and debris while preventing mold from forming on the pool’s walls.
These include:
- Chlorine and other chemicals to sanitize the pool’s water
- Skimmers to remove leaves, bugs and other debris from the pool’s surface
- Brushes to keep algae and dirt from building up on the pool’s walls and floor
Combining chemicals and tools will help keep a pool’s water clean and healthy. Now… let’s look at specific types of swimming pool supplies and tools and how to best use them.
Robotic Swimming Pool Cleaners
Robotic pool cleaners gather debris automatically, storing it within the cleaner, which can then be emptied when full. These hands-free cleaners are an easy way to remove debris and dirt from the floors and walls of a swimming pool. Cleaning supplies become less necessary when an automatic cleaning tool sucks up contaminants. Some even have guidance systems working in different modes, allowing users to program them to clean certain areas or operate on specific schedules.
Sanitizing With Chlorine Tablets
Commonly used in almost every swimming pool, cleaning supplies like chlorine tablets are a staple in pool maintenance. Not only do they clean the pool water, but they can also kill off algae and bacteria on the floors and walls of a swimming pool. Cleaning supplies like chlorine tablets can treat ten thousand gallons and offer effective sanitation for up to a week.
Versatility of Telescopic Poles
A telescopic pole is the Swiss Army knife of swimming pool cleaning tools, capable of holding a brush, skimmer, manual vacuum or other implements. They’re essential for daily maintenance, enabling easy spot-cleaning, though they require a bit of manual labor. Though the attachments come separately, these durable poles, normally made of aluminum, can last for many swim seasons.
Skimmer Net for Debris Removal
Fitting on a telescopic pole, skimmer nets – also called leaf rakes – enable the scooping of debris like bugs, leaves, or sticks from the water’s surface, augmenting other swimming pool cleaning. Supplies for pool cleaning, like skimmer nets, can be cheaper, lasting only a season, or more durable multi-season tools made from more rugged materials.
Picking the Best Brush for Pool Surfaces
Scrubbing the walls and floor to remove algae and dirt is an important part of swimming pool cleaning. Tools like pool brushes attach to telescopic poles, though using the right brush for the pool’s surface is essential.
Bristles work best for the following surfaces:
- Nylon bristles work best for vinyl, painted concrete or fiberglass pool walls and floors.
- Steel bristles work best for gunite and unpainted concrete pool walls and floors.
Whatever the material from which a brush is made, it must be durable enough to resist pool chemicals.
Choosing a Vacuum Head & Hose
Vacuuming is normally the last stage of swimming pool cleaning. Supplies involve a telescopic pole, along with a vacuum head for gathering debris from spaces that are difficult to get at, and a vacuum hose to remove it from the water. Though robotic pool cleaners are great time-savers, manual vacuums work well for spot-cleaning and help keep the pool immaculate.
Swimming Pool Cleaning Supplies from Halogen
As suppliers of swimming pool cleaning supplies for commercial, institutional, and residential pools and spas for more than 80 years, Halogen Supply has developed a reputation for excellent service. If you have questions about our pool and spa supplies or the best cleaning supplies for your swimming pool, contact Halogen Supply today!