The luxury of an outdoor pool is now far more attainable than it used to be, with a wide range of styles and sizes that are suitable for almost any home! An outdoor pool can bring so much joy, as it gives you the perfect way to play with family, socialise with friends, relax and keep fit through those summer months in your garden. However, along with the joys of an outdoor pool comes the hassle of trying to clean it! If you have opted for anything larger than a small paddling pool, then it isn’t like you can just empty the water and refill it every week! So you need another option!
Luckily, there are many options for a wide variety of pool cleaners, so getting your pool looking clean and fresh is actually easier than you would think – providing you know what to buy! You are going to need a range of both manual cleaners and solutions, but even this can appear complicated if you don’t know what to buy!
This article aims to save you all that stress, by explaining the different tools and solutions that you are going to need. We have even included some of the best pool cleaning options to help you along the way!
Best Pick Pool Cleaner – Intex Auto Pool Cleaner
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Last update on 2024-04-26 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
In A Hurry?
Still trying to hand skim dirt out of your pool? Or having to drain it and refill every couple of weeks? Look no further! Here are all the essential factors that you need to consider so that you can get back to your time in the pool rather than being a slave to it! We have broken this down into two sections – manual pool cleaners and solutions – but you are going to need both!
Manual Pool Cleaners
Even with the best filter in the world, you are going to find dirt and debris accumulating in your pool and sometimes this can be worse than others depending on where it is that your pool is situated! This is why you are going to need some type of manual pool cleaner, otherwise you could be putting your pool filter under unnecessary strain and cause damage! There are actually many pool cleaning kits out there that will come with all the tools that you need to get the job done! These will save you money and time trying to collect individual tools so are well worth looking out for in our opinion. But here are some of the individual tools that you are going to need…
- Pool Sponges – First and foremost you are going to need a pool sponge! These are designed to be soft enough to avoid any damage to the liner of your pool, whilst still removing most algae and water line dirt from the sides of the pool. The only real downside is that they are going to involve you getting wet when you use them!
- Pool Brush – If you are wanting to stay clean and dry when you are cleaning your garden pool then there are going to be times when a pool brush is better than a sponge. These are best when they are attached to the end of a telescopic pole as this will allow you to reach right down to the base of the pool and into the middle without having to climb in!
- Skimming net – A definite must for cleaning your pool. Garden pool filters do amazing jobs but even they aren’t going to be able to remove ALL the dirt and debris from your pool, which is why you are going to need a skimming net. Again, we really like when these come on a telescopic pole as they will make it much easier for you to reach all parts of the pool!
- Vacuum – We will look at powered models of these in more detail later in the article, but a standard pool cleaner vacuum is basically a suctioning device that will suction up the water and either filter it and put it back in the pool or remove the water to somewhere else if you are wanting to do a partial water change.
NOTE: Remember that when you use these tools to clean the sides and base of your pool you are going to potentially disrupt the algae and dirt and send more small dirt particles into the water. This could leave you needing to add a cleaning solution or drain some of the water from your pool, but will leave your pool much cleaner in the long run!
Pool Cleaning Solutions
Once you have bought the kit that you are going to need to manually clean your pool, you are going to need to start thinking about the pool cleaning solutions that you should purchase. There are two main groups of pool cleaning solutions – general maintenance solutions and shock treatments. General maintenance solutions should be applied to the water once every few weeks (in line with the manufacturer’s instructions) to keep all the parameters and levels in the water safe. Whereas shock treatments only need to be added if you find that your water is becoming too dirty and some of the levels are off.
You are probably wondering how you are supposed to know which you are going to need – well the only real way to do this is with a water testing kit. You can just wait for the water to turn green – but this is going to leave you with a bigger problem on your hands and leave you exposed to all types of germs and bacteria! A pool testing kit will take a variety of readings including the pH levels, alkalinity, the disinfectant levels and the general water quality. All of these levels work together to create the perfect environment for you to relax in, safe in the knowledge that your water is clean! Just make sure to check exactly what the testing kit measures, how accurate the readings are going to be and how you take the readings!
Best Budget Pool Cleaner – Blu Line Vacuum Cleaner
- simple to use jet vacuum cleaner complete with pole
- connects to your garden hose to create a venturi vacuum
- easy to clean and remove bag
- strong 120cm pole
- full instructions supplied
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
General Pool Cleaning Solutions
If you are looking for a general pool cleaner to maintain the correct levels of the water in your pool then look out for cleaners that are largely made from chlorine or salts. These can just be added to your water every couple of weeks to kill off any microorganisms and bacteria that are collecting in the water. They are the best way to keep a level of general cleanliness in your water and will help to avoid any larger problems starting! These will come either in liquid form, granules or tablets – we found that whilst liquids are obviously going to be the quickest to disperse in the water the solid options are going to dissolve more slowly providing a more thorough clean of all the water!
If you are allergic to chlorine then don’t panic, there are cleaners that use just salts, or bromine instead of the chlorine to clean the water. Just make sure to check all of the ingredients.
“Shock Treatment” Solutions
There are going to be occasions when you may find yourself needing a shock treatment for your outdoor pool rather than just a standard cleaner. It may be that you have particularly hard water in your area, or could be that you have fallen behind with the general maintenance of the pool. Whatever the reason – if you have had a scary reading on your water test or have pool water that’s more “pond” than “pool” then these are going to save the day for you…
- Algae killers – Algae can form around the lining of your pool, particularly if filtration is poor. In these situations it can multiply rapidly leaving you with green water in your pool! Thes shock treatments will come with a high level of chlorine to remove the algae and the bacteria that is causing it!
- Cloudy water – There could be a number of reasons why the water in your garden pool is turning cloudy, but don’t panic because there are special cleaners that are there to sort just that. They will neutralise acid and alkaline levels in the pool to clear the colour of the water.
- pH correctors – This brings us nicely onto pH correctors. These are best used if your water still LOOKS ok but you have had a slightly off reading when you are checking your levels. There are pH boosters which will raise the pH level in the water and pH reducers which will lower the levels in the water.
- Anti-limescale Cleaners – In some areas the water is just harder than in other areas and you will probably already know if this is your area! These types of hard water are going to be more likely to damage the liner of the pool and the pool filter as they are constantly in contact with higher levels of limescale in the water. Look out for cleaners that are going to remove the limescale from the water if you want to protect the life of your pool.
- Filter cleaners – Just like you can get dishwasher tablets that are actually going to clean the mechanisms of the dishwasher, you can purchase pool cleaning solutions that have active ingredients to clean the filter and pump in your pool! These are a great way to extend the life of your pump and filter, which will reduce the amount of times these consumable parts have to be replaced!
Powered Pool Cleaners
If you are wanting to make sure your pool is extra clean, or maybe you want a clean pool but don’t want to have to put the work in to get it, then possibly a powered pool cleaner is going to be the option for you. These are obviously going to cost considerably more money but they will also massively reduce the amount of effort that you need to put into cleaning the pool.
Some models are going to be powered by electric whereas others are powered by an external pump, or even the pump that you already have in your pool. They will then work their way along the base of the pool removing any dirt and debris that has fallen to the bottom. By helping to remove larger pieces of debris they are also going to help to extend the life of your pool filter. Just make sure to check the quality of the model as some are going to clean in a totally random direction determined by the power from the pump which means that areas in your pool can easily be missed!
NOTE: If you are opting for a powered pool cleaner that connects to the pump of your pool then make sure that the pump is going to be compatible. There are actually many pumps that won’t be powerful enough or compatible so this is definitely worth checking for.
Best of the Rest
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- Easy Operation: Fast connection installation, easy operation, suitable for cleaning deep water and surface garbage.
- Fine and Dense mesh: Remove insects and particulate matter from the bottom of the pool and keep the pool water clean.
- Adjusted Pole: The pole can be adjusted to different lengths for multiple cleaning applications.
- Multiple applications: Suitable for swimming pool, pond, hot tub, fountain, or large fish tank, multiple applications.
- Durable Material: Made of high quality plastic and stainless steel material, durable and practical to use.
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
- Deluxe complete underwater vacuum cleaner-2 wheels and 3 brushes on the bottom,Make cleaning easier
- TWO CONNECTION MODES-Fits standard vacuum telescopic pole and vacuum handle
- CONNECT ATTACHMENTS-Standard garden hose (not included)
- WORK PRINCIPLE-No pump or filter is necessary,the water pressure from a garden hose enters the vacuum and creates a suction effect, which pulls dirt and debris into the fine nylon mesh collection bag,Saves water,no need to empty the pool to clean
- The cleaner perfect for above ground pool,spas,hot tubs,ponds & fountains
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to empty the water in my garden pool?
Providing your garden pool and the water in it is well maintained you shouldn’t need to replace the water – although if you are having a real problem with the levels in your water or it has been left for too long then you may find yourself needing to! Sometimes if the disinfectant levels in your water rise too high then you may need to partially empty the water in your pool but this can be avoided with proper maintenance.
How often do I need to use a pool cleaner?
As a general rule you will find that you need to use a pool cleaner every 2 to 3 weeks, but this really depends on the quality of the water, how often you are using your pool and where it is located. Check with the manufacturers guidelines to see what they recommend for individual cleaners.
How can I remove algae from my garden pool?
Algae build up can be quite common in garden pools but it is actually quite easy to remove as well! Algae can be removed from the sides of your pool using a sponge or a brush that is specifically designed for the job and you will then just need to add an algae killing solution to remove all the final bits of algae and bacteria from the water.
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