Nothing beats a pristine pool, except maybe a pristine pool on the cheap!
1. Tennis Balls
There’s a reason public pools want you to shower because entering their water – people carry a lot of chemicals and oils on their skin. From sunscreen residues to perfumes and deodorants to the natural oils that skin produced – we’re covered in the stuff! And when you jump into a pool, those chemicals wash off and stay in the water. You might be thinking: “Ewwwww!!!” but don’t worry, there is a quick and easy fix! Tennis balls! Yes, tennis balls. The fibers soak up oils and residue that floats on top the water. So throw a couple in to float in your pool between swims.
This works great for hot tubs as well!
2. Baking Soda
Is there anything baking soda CAN’T do? It’s a wonder-product that seems to sneak onto every cleaning hack article ever written and this one is no exception!
One of the most important parts of keeping a pool clean is maintaining the correct pH level and alkalinity. Almost anything can knock a pool’s pH off balance from rainwater to debris to simply allowing human bodies in the pool.
A pool enclosure can help with some of these problems, like rainwater and debris, but at some point you’ll still need to invest in chemicals to get the pH of your pool back to what it should be. Here’s where baking soda comes in handy – instead of using sodium bicarbonate, which is very expensive, you can use baking soda!
Baking soda contains enough sodium bicarbonate that it can be traded out pound for pound and is much, much cheaper!
3. Panty Hose
Who doesn’t have a pair of old ripped tights somewhere? Ok, maybe not everyone, but you can grab a pair on the cheap at any convenience store and they are worth it when it comes to cleaning your pool! Pop a pair over your skimmer basket and you’ve instantly got yourself a supercharged filtration system!
The tiny holes of panty hose can catch hair, sand, and gunk that your skimmer was missing. A pool enclosure will keep out the larger debris such as leaves and bugs so the panty hose will get your pool squeaky (or splashy?) clean!
4. Gym Socks
One of the most common pool cleaning chemicals is cyanuric acid otherwise known as ‘stabilizer’. When adding it to your pool, though, there’s a catch: if you add stabilizer directly to your pool’s water, it will turn into a milky monstrosity. It’s a common mistake, and we’ve got a cheap hack to help your water stay clear and clean when it’s time to add stabilizer.
Gym socks! Or any sock really! Pour the stabilizer into an old (hole-free!) sock and tie off the top. Toss the sock in your pool and the chemicals will slowly leak out over a day or two and avoid shocking the water into a cloudy mess.
5. Swimsuits always!
This might not be a secret, but swim suits are called ‘swim suits’ for a reason. They are the perfect fabric for keeping pools clean and functional. When too many people wear normal clothes in your pool, the fibers and dyes will combine with the chlorine and make your water nasty and cloudy.
An enclosure helps block harmful UV rays so you won’t need to worry about wearing a shirt over your suit to avoid sunburn, so make swimsuits a strict rule!
