In the United States, there are a staggering 10.7 million pools. Of these, 10.4 million are residential pools and 309,000 are public pools. Whether you have a swimming pool at your home or run a commercial one, there’s one sticky issue that will bother you: how to clean the bottom of a pool.
Figuring out how to remove dirt from the bottom of a pool can be tricky. It looks unsightly, but cleaning it is a difficult task: what’s the most efficient way to do it? Is it simply getting down into the drained pool and scrubbing away?
Don’t let this seemingly difficult task put you off building your own pool. We’ve got your back and are here to answer all those tricky questions.
Ready to find out how to clean a dirty pool like a pro? Then read on!
Draining Some of the Water
While draining all of the water seems like the logical first step for cleaning a pool, never do this. If you do this, the pool can pop out of the ground, like this one. This is caused by the pressure of the water table under the pool: it can be prevented by leaving some water in the pool.
Only drain off as much of the water as you need to access your pool, even if it’s flooded.
Cleaning Remaining Water
It’s recommended that you clean the remaining water while you’re here. This is an important step when learning how to clean a dirty pool, as dirty water can cause all kinds of problems.
Skim any debris off the surface of the pool using your net. Then, you’ll want to employ a pump and filter to clean the remaining water.
The pump makes sure that the water is forced through the filter. These filters usually contain sand or diatomaceous earth, which strain out even fine particles of dirt.
Cleaning the Sides of the Pool
While this article is about how to clean the bottom of a pool, it’s recommended that you clean the sides too. Grab a stiff brush and scrub away at the sides of your pool.
This will displace any particles of dirt. These can then be removed by running the water through your filter.
How to Clean the Bottom of a Pool
Now that the water and sides of the pool have been cleaned, it’s time to figure out how to remove dirt from the bottom of a pool.
Using a Pool Vacuum
To clean that troublesome dirt off the bottom of your pool, you’ll need to find yourself a pool vacuum. The water that you suck out of the pool should be forced through a filter before being put back into the pool.
Be aware that if your pool is very dirty, this may clog the filter. If this is the case, you could vacuum to waste instead of forcing the water through the filter.
Start at the shallow end and then work your way to the deep end of the pool.
Once you’ve vacuumed it once, you’ll need to grab a brush and scrub away at your pool’s floor. Then vacuum it again. Repeat this until the bottom of your pool looks clean.
Using an Automatic Pool Cleaner
If this all sounds like too much work, then consider enlisting the help of an automatic pool cleaner. These helpful little robot vacuums can do all the hard work for you, though the results may not be as pristine as if you clean the pool by hand.
Some of these work by removing debris before putting it into the pool filter. Others contain their own filters which you can then empty yourself.
There are two main varieties of automatic pool cleaners available. There are the robotic ones that we’ve mentioned that go about their business automatically and there are remote-controlled ones.
While their results may not be perfect, if you’re trying to find out how to clean dirt from the bottom of a pool easily, they’re your best bet.
Other Tips for Keeping Your Pool Clean
While we’ve covered how to clean the bottom of a pool, this isn’t the end. The bottom of the pool reflects its overall cleanliness. If you want to keep the bottom of your pool clean, you’ll need to put these tips into action.
Keeping Your Pool Water Clean
If your pool water is dirty, the bottom of your pool will be too. The best way to keep your pool clean is by keeping the water clean.
To do this, add shock and algaecide as necessary. This stops any unpleasant algae from growing in your pool.
While you should always keep your pool healthy with these chemicals, it’s important to check your pool’s chemical balance. Too little and you’ll face algal growth. Too much, and your pool may be unsafe to swim in.
Use Backwash
Keeping your pool filters in good condition is essential for keeping your pool clean. One way to do this is by using backwash.
Find the leaf filter near your pool’s filter intake. Empty and rinse the basket, then replace it. Then you’ll need to set the filter to backwash and turn your pump back on.
You’ll need to repeat this until the filter’s backwash runs clear. Once this is done, you can be sure that your filters are in good condition. This, in turn, means that your pool’s water will be kept clean.
Look after your filters and they’ll look after you.
Pool Maintenance Doesn’t Need to Be Hard
We’ve shown you how to clean the bottom of a pool. While it may sound like a lot of work, it isn’t too difficult and shouldn’t put you off building your own pool! If you need help, there are plenty of pool cleaning services available that can make your life easier.
Do you have more questions about pool maintenance or building your own pool? Then contact us, and we’ll do our very best to help you out!
