How to Clean a Pool

A little regular maintenance and cleaning can go a long way to ensure you can enjoy your pool for years to come. Staying on top of pool upkeep can minimize costly repairs and maintenance down the line. Just like a car, it’s important to take care of your pool on a regular basis. The good news is, If you have a vinyl liner or fiberglass pool, you have the unique advantage that these pools require minimal maintenance and upkeep compared to their concrete counterparts.

When it comes to pool cleaning, we highly recommend contacting a local independent Latham Independent Builder. If you want to learn more about the process, this pool cleaning guide makes it simple with step-by-step instructions for all your frequently asked questions.

Chemicals & Tools Needed to Clean Your Pool

After your beautiful, brand-new swimming pool is installed, one of your first questions will likely be, “What do I need to clean my pool?” The checklist below highlights six essential products you’ll need to clean your vinyl liner or fiberglass pool.

Vinyl Liner and Fiberglass Pool Cleaning Products

A Magic Eraser or other cleaning sponge can come in handy when it’s time to clean your pool steps — not to mention scum lines. You’ll need a bristle brush to gently scrub algae away from the floor, walls and steps of your pool. Whether your swimming pool is vinyl liner or fiberglass, make sure to choose a brush with soft nylon bristles, which will help you avoid accidentally scratching and damaging your pool liner. Always remember to test these tools in a discrete place before using it in highly-visible areas. Learn more about cleaning your pool steps below.

Whether it’s constructed from vinyl or fiberglass, you should chemically treat or “shock” your pool when necessary to destroy chloramines, bacteria and other contaminants. Some common options for pool shock include calcium hypochlorite (cal-hypo), dichloro-s-triazinetrione (di-chlor) and potassium monopersulfate, which provides a chlorine-free alternative to conventional pool shocks.

If you need help selecting the right pool shock, contact your local Latham pool dealer. We also put together a helpful guide explaining how to shock your pool .

A vacuum is an essential piece of cleaning equipment for any pool, including vinyl and fiberglass models. You can vacuum your swimming pool manually, but a robotic vacuum cleaner allows for easier, hands-free maintenance, so that you can relax while your vacuum does the work. Other types of pool vacuums include suction vacuums, which are an economic option, and pressure vacuums, which work together with pool pumps and booster pumps.

A skimmer net allows you to scoop up and remove debris that has accumulated on the water’s surface, such as floating leaves or dead insects. Pool skimmers are usually available in flat or bag net styles, depending on your preference. While bag nets generally hold more, they can also be trickier to empty out when you’re finished. Don’t confuse the skimmer net with your pool skimmers, which are mounted around the walls of your pool where they collect debris and contaminants. A leaf rake can also help to clear debris from your pool. You can choose either tool depending on the type and amount of debris in your pool.

A telescopic pole is a multipurpose tool that acts like an arm, enabling you to clean otherwise impossible-to-reach areas of your vinyl or fiberglass pool. You can easily attach many types of pool cleaning equipment to your telescopic pole, including pool brushes, skimmer nets, and if vacuuming manually, pool vacuum heads.

How to Clean an Inground Pool: Step by Step

There’s no need to be intimidated by the thought of DIY pool maintenance. We always recommend contacting an independent Latham pool professional if you’re unsure about the process, but cleaning your pool can be broken down into eight steps.

Step One

Remove Floating Debris

Before you start to scrub or add chemicals, the first step is to remove all pool toys, accessories and floating debris, such as leaves, twigs, hair ties or insects. Simply use your telescopic pole and skimmer or leaf rake attachment to scoop up objects that are floating on the surface of the water. (We’ll take care of sunken objects later in Step 3!)

Step Two

Scrub the Pool Walls and Steps

Now that you’ve removed all floating debris, it’s time for a deeper clean. Using your telescopic pole and nylon bristle brush attachment, thoroughly buff the walls and floor of your pool, using friction to gently lift away caked-on algae and sediment. For moderately soiled areas, you may need to apply extra force — or, as we’ll get to in later steps, apply cleaning chemicals.

Step Three

Vacuum Your Pool

Remove debris by vacuuming your swimming pool, following the manufacturer’s instructions for use and assembly. Vacuuming will also help to remove objects that have sunk to the bottom of your pool, such as small pebbles or clumps of dirt.

You can choose between suction vacuums (suction-side cleaners), pressure vacuums (pressure-side cleaners), robotic (automatic) vacuums or manual vacuums. You’ll need to vacuum at least once per week, so consider factors like convenience and cost-efficiency when making your decision.

Step Four

Empty Your Pool Skimmers

Check on your pool skimmers, which are located near the waterline around the perimeter of your pool. Not to be confused with the skimmer net, the skimmers are part of your pool’s filtration system, catching debris and other loose objects. This debris can build up, break down and cause clogs, unless you periodically empty your pool skimmers.

You should clear out your skimmers at least once per week, but may need to empty them more frequently under certain conditions, such as after a pool party or a heavy thunderstorm.

Step Five

Check Your Filters

Pool filters are separate from pool skimmers and need to be maintained accordingly. While skimmers catch most of the large debris, your cartridge, sand or diatomaceous earth (DE) filters can still become blocked by smaller particles. To keep your pool filters running smoothly — and keep your water at its cleanest — be sure to periodically check them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Step Six - A

Test and Adjust Your Pool Water

Scrubbing, skimming and vacuuming will help to keep your pool looking fresh — but only if you also keep your water balanced with properly adjusted pH, chlorine and chemical levels.

You can keep your pool balanced with a few basic chemicals and pieces of equipment, such as pool test strips, calcium hardness increasers and pH adjusters like sodium carbonate. For a deeper dive into this topic, check out our step-by-step guide to testing and balancing your pool water.

Step Six - B

Alternatives for the Chlorine Shortage

You may have heard that there is currently a chlorine shortage. This specifically relates to chlorine tablets you use to sanitize your pool. With a few adjustments, you can still safely swim during the chlorine shortage.

Learn more about the chlorine-alternatives that you can use to keep your pool clean.

Step Seven

Shock Your Swimming Pool

Your pool requires periodic shock treatments. Shocking your pool will temporarily raise the levels of chlorine in the water, destroying algae, bacteria and other contaminants. You can also use non-chlorine pool shock (oxidizer) as an alternative to chlorine shocks like di-chlor, though the results may not be as powerful — especially for tough jobs.

Many pool owners actually shock their pool too much, which can cause unnecessary wear and tear. Make sure to contact a Latham professional to help you perform the process correctly.

Step Eight

Run Your Pump on a Daily Basis

In addition to these seven steps, be sure to run your pool pump on a daily basis. Running your pump helps to circulate the water, which discourages algae from growing (consider a flowing stream vs. a stagnant pond). Proper water circulation also helps to ensure that your filters and skimmers function correctly, improving the overall health and appearance of your pool.

The longer you run your pump, the healthier your water will be. While you may spend a little more on electricity to run your pump, you’ll spend less money on chemicals and less time scrubbing.

Learn More About Cleaning Your Pool

It’s challenging to answer this question because there are so many factors that impact your total pool cleaning time. To provide a few examples, these factors include the size of your pool; how heavy the staining or contamination is and whether the water needs to be balanced or shocked.

One of the best things about vinyl and fiberglass pools is that if you’re keeping them clean on a regular basis (running your pool pump and having your pool dealer check on things), they require less maintenance than other pool types. Instead of worrying about how long the process will take, it’s more productive to focus on creating a regular schedule to check your pool. The more frequently you test, balance and clean your pool, the less work you’ll have to do each time. This means less time scrubbing steps and more time practicing cannonballs.

For truly effortless cleaning, you can also consider hiring a professional. In fact, there are certain situations where we actually recommend it, such as opening your pool for spring. With this type of heavy-duty project on your hands, it’s usually a good idea to call in expert help.

Most pool dealerships will be happy to provide you with trustworthy recommendations, or even provide you with their own pool cleaning services. Either way, you get peace of mind knowing your pool is in experienced professional hands — and besides, wouldn’t you rather be sunbathing than scrubbing?

The more often you clean your pool, the less opportunity there will be for staining and contamination. That means more time enjoying your pool, and less time maintaining it.

For best results, we recommend following our step-by-step cleaning routine about once per week, but remember, you don’t need to shock your pool on a weekly basis. There may be times when you need to clean your pool more frequently, such as after a windstorm or inclement weather.

Also, remember to balance your pool’s chemistry regularly. A pool may look clean but it may not be safe to swim if the water isn’t balanced properly.

Most dealerships can provide or recommend professional pool cleaning services. Contact us to learn more about the services in your area.

You step out onto your lawn, ready for a refreshing dip in your pool — only to find that the once-turquoise water is nearly as green as your grass! Typically caused by the growth of algae, green water is common in hotter climates, where these fast-growing organisms can thrive.

Fortunately, there are easy steps you can take to fix it at home. For DIY solutions to murky or green pool water, check out our step-by-step guide on how to get rid of pool algae.

Inground Pool Cleaning Checklist

Download our free maintenance checklist to get a step-by-step breakdown for cleaning your inground swimming pool.

Download the Checklist

How to Clean Pool Steps and Keep Them Clean in Your Vinyl Liner Pool

Cleaning your pool but ignoring the stairs is like cleaning your kitchen but ignoring the dishes. If you want to be thorough — and get the greatest benefits — it’s important to give your swimming pool steps as much attention as the rest of your pool. So what does the cleaning process involve, and how does it differ for vinyl and acrylic fiberglass steps?