Who said that maintaining a swimming pool is only for professionals? You can clean your swimming pool on your own, which will save you big money. Hiring professional pool cleaners to keep your pool clean could be very costly. You can always perform this responsibility on your own.

If you do not have the tools essential for maintaining your swimming pool, then visit mypool.com or you local pool supply store. The essentials are: A essential Pole, Brush, Skimmer Net, Vacuum Head, and Vacuum Hose. While all of these items can be bought on-line we would recommend your local pool store for the pole, due to its large size as It is fairly expensive to ship. The other items can easily be combined and shipped at MyPool.com. we have a large selection to choose from.

Cleaning your pool starts with skimming the leaves from the surface of the pool. By skimming the pool it will eliminate the need to manually vacuum the pool or for a pool cleaner to remove them. There are generally two types of nets one for skimming (skimmer net) and the other for removing debris on the bottom of the pool (leaf rake). I prefer the leaf rake because it has a larger opening and with a fine mesh bag it can be used for skimming and removing debris on the bottom of the pool.

The second most important thing is to brush the pool. Brushing frequently helps prevent algae growth and helps the filter remove unwanted debris by stirring up the debris. When selecting a pool brush consider the surface of your pool. Never use a stainless steel brush on a Vinyl or Fiberglas Pool. For vinyl and fiber glas pools consider an all plastic brush or a metal backed brush with rounded edges or an all plastic brush with nylon bristles. Regular brushing, perhaps as little as once a week, will help keep the pool looking great.

Vacuuming your pool is perhaps the most time consuming task when it come to maintenance of the pool. Performing steps one and two will certainly help reduce the need to vacuum the pool on a regular basis. There are two types of pool vacuums, manual and automatic. Please read automatic pool cleaners for further information. For manual vacuuming of your pool, you will need a hose and a manual vacuum. When considering a hose, measure the distance from where your hose would connect to the pool to the farthest point of the pool and add at least five feet to this measurement. The important thing to consider when selecting a vacuum is the width of the vacuum. Larger widths will require less passes of the vacuum. For most residential pools 14 inches is adequate.

An often overlooked part of pool maintenance is regular cleaning of the pool tiles. Keeping the tiles clean will help prevent leaves and other debris from sticking to the tiles. A small amount of dish detergent (1-2 drops) can help keep those tiles clean. For white deposits on the tile, a mild cleaning with an acid may be required.

Don't overlook testing your pool on regular interval as your pool water requires to be treated frequently to maintain its overall health and clarity. Dull pool water is a consequence of poor water chemistry. Run frequent water tests to recognize what's required to be improve your water chemistry.

A word about landscaping: Choose plants that do not shed. If possible, avoid plants with long leaves as most automatic pool cleaners may have difficulty in dealing with them. Remember proper skimming of the pool through the adjustment of the water level will greatly reduce the need to clean the pool. If leaves are excessive a leaf cover may be necessary.