With the arrival of this season, the swimming pool becomes the center of attention and begins to have a much greater movement. Exactly why it is necessary to have a regular swimming pool cleaning routine. That's why we've brought you some tips to help you keep it clean and safe!

1. Be careful with the outside area

Of course, cleaning the pool itself is important, but have you ever stopped to think how important it is that the outside area is also sanitized?

Factors such as the movement of people and animals, the presence of plants and the action of the wind can collaborate to carry dirt from the outside into the pool. That's why you need to clean the outside art, the edge and the deck daily.

Always clean from the inside out, ie start at the edge and continue cleaning away from the pool. This way, you prevent dust, leaves and other elements from falling inside.

In addition, the surroundings of the water park also deserve attention. Study the movement flow of people to the pool and try to keep these environments always clean, so that they do not contribute to bringing dirt and foreign objects to the place.

2. Keep an eye on the skimmer and pre-filter to ensure pool cleanliness

The skimmer (also called strainer) is a device that sits on the side of the pool and has the function of capturing dirt on the surface of the water. Its cleaning must be done weekly, in order to guarantee the proper functioning of the device. To do this, open it and remove everything that was retained there from the collector.

The pre-filter, on the other hand, has the function of vacuuming and filtering larger dirt that has not been sucked up by the skimmer ? preventing these foreign elements from jeopardizing the pump's operation. It can be cleaned monthly or when you notice that there is excess dirt in the water. As with the skimmer, cleaning the pre-filter must be done manually.

By regularly cleaning these devices, you can guarantee perfect water circulation and that there are no foreign objects in their interior and surface.

3. Pay attention to the surface and walls

Even with the skimmer and pre-filter, something can remain in the water. Therefore, you should have a daily sifting routine to remove leaves, insects, branches or any other debris that might be there.

For cleaning the walls, you should use a pool brush with soft bristles. Thus, you remove body fat, leftover sunscreen and even bathers' sweat, which can lead to the appearance of algae, bacteria, fungi and the appearance of stains on these surfaces.

This procedure must be carried out weekly and, for it, brushes with metallic bristles or steel wool cannot be used, as this will certainly permanently damage the lining of the pool.

4. Decant and then vacuum the bottom

Decanting is a process that separates solid elements from pool water, that is, it separates dirt particles from water particles. This process is done using a pool decanter.

Apply it and wait the minimum period of 12 hours ? or the duration indicated on the product packaging. After this time, vacuuming can be done, as the debris will already be deposited at the bottom of the pool.

The work is much easier that way, but be aware: this is the most thorough step and requires a lot of care. You should do this cleaning slowly to prevent the particles you have just separated from mixing with the water again. Pay special attention to corners, where most dirt accumulates.

5. Control pH, alkalinity and chlorine

Not all dirt is visible to the eyes, so chemical treatment of water is also necessary. This includes chlorination, pH control and alkalinity control.

Alkalinity

Alkalinity is the pool's ability to neutralize acids and, consequently, keep its pH stable. All parameters influence the chemical balance and also the comfort of bathers, but special attention should be paid to alkalinity, since when kept at ideal parameters, the pH is more easily stabilized - without frequent corrections, which generates greater savings and practicality in cleaning.

To check the pool's alkalinity it is necessary to use an alkalinity test kit or a test strip. The use of the kit is more recommended, as it provides greater precision. If the values ??are outside the parameters ? which are between 80 and 120 ppm ? you will need to correct them.

pH

The acronym pH stands for "Hydrogen Potency". It is the measurement of hydrogen ions dispersed in water and this determines whether it is acidic, neutral or alkaline (basic).

The pH control is essential for its quality and also for the durability of the pool and its equipment. Some reasons for pH correction are:

if the water is too acidic, that is, at low pH, the chemicals used for treatment will show inefficient results;

if the pH is low, bathers can suffer irritation and metal parts of the equipment can be damaged due to the water corrosion process caused by its acidity;

if it is too alkaline (with a high pH), the disinfection products will be ineffective, compromising the quality of the water, which becomes cloudy ? thus initiating the process of limestone formation in pipes and equipment.

Therefore, it is extremely necessary that the pH is neutral. The ideal value is between 7.2 and 7.6.

Chlorine

Chlorine has always been essential for the treatment of the pool and for it to be kept in adequate bathing conditions. It disinfects and kills harmful micro-organisms. When dissolved in water, it also acts as a bactericide, fungicide, germicide, algicide and algaecide.

As you can see, maintaining a swimming pool requires a lot of care, maintenance work and constant cleaning, in order to guarantee the quality of the water and the health of its users.

With these tips, it will be much easier to maintain a pool cleaning routine and have impeccable water quality for swimmers! Now that you know how to take care of the water, how about thinking about safety? Check out our post on the importance of a pool fence for a safer water park.