How to clean a pool

Step 1. Remove leaves and surface debris

Using a pool skimmer net, remove all floating objects from the water, such as leaves and insects. A telescopic pole will give you the best reach to clean the entire surface.

Step 2. Brush off dirt

Time to give the walls of the pool a good scrub with a pool brush. Always scrub towards the main drain. You can also use a telescopic pole for scrubbing hard-to-reach areas. If your pool has a dead spot, make sure you brush this area every time.

Step 3. Vacuum

Submerge your pool vacuum and make sure there is no air trapped in the hose vacuum hose. Connect the other end of the hose to your pool skimmer and clean the entire bottom of the pool by moving the vacuum head very slowly along the liner.

Step 4. Clean the skimmer and pump basket

Turn off the pump clean out any debris from your skimmer and basket. If you have a cartridge filter, clean, rinse or replace it. Turn the pump back on. For sand filter, you’ll need to perform a backwash followed by a rinse cycle.

Step 5. Shock the pool

Shock your pool on a weekly basis to destroy waste products that can’t be filtered, such as rainwater and sunscreen. Start by checking the water’s pH level and balancing it with chemicals if needed. Next, mix and dissolve granular shock with water in a pail. For your safety, always add granular shock to water—not vice versa. After adding shock to the pool, wait 1 hour for non-chlorine shock and 12 hours for chlorine shock before swimming.