With winter behind us, your pool is sure to see a lot more use. Keeping your pool safe is more than protecting against drowning and preventing safety hazards. Your pool’s “health” is important to your family’s health, and vice versa. Good hygiene is important for the cleanliness of your pool. Similarly, the cleanliness of the pool is important to your well-being – if the water is contaminated, you may get sick! Here are some tips to keep both your pool and your family’s health in top condition.
1. Don’t swim if you’re sick! While it’s true that the chlorine in your pool is there for disinfecting the water, it is not a cure-all. Try keeping germs out of the pool as much as possible by practicing good hygiene. If there is an accident while swimming, make sure to clean out the water as quickly as possible.
2. Regularly test your pool water. Your pool water MUST be kept clean. People will get sick in dirty water. It is really easy to throw your water off balance, just by the forces of nature (hot weather, rain) or with excessive use. Testing the chemical balance of the water in your pool is one of the most important things you can do to make sure it’s up to par. This is important as the chemical balance keeps your water disinfected and clean, and thus – safe. Test the chlorine and pH levels at least twice a week and daily if you can.
3. Keep the surface of your water clean. Debris can easily fall into your pool. Not only will it make your pool water look ugly and messy, but the chemicals in your pool and your filtration system may also have to try to work overtime to keep the water clean – and they might not be able to compensate. It’s not just dirt, bugs, and leaves that can enter the water – keep in mind that you are probably entering the pool with sunscreen and/or other oils that will seep into the water as well. So use a hand skimmer to clean your pool’s surface, brush the walls and vacuum its floor often. Don’t neglect to keep the skimmer baskets clean as well!
4. Keep your pool filter clean. This should be part of your regular pool maintenance anyway, so don’t neglect it! If you have a sand filter, make sure to backwash and clean filter screens when necessary. If you are using a cartridge-based filter, make sure to check, clean or replace your filters when they’re dirty.
If you are unsure of the proper procedures for caring for your pool or would rather someone else keep up the maintenance – we understand! Give Blue Ribbon Pools a call!