How To Clean A Pool With Household Items
Your swimming pool is your summer sanctuary, the focal point of your backyard oasis. Cleaning your swimming pool is a part of your weekly maintenance. There are multiple different ways you can go about it. Many swimming pool owners choose to use a professional pool service in order to clean a swimming pool. Others take the responsibility upon themselves.
Whichever direction you have chosen to go, one thing is undeniable. Pool cleaning requires pool chemicals or cleaning agents. These tools can be an expensive part of your budget. You may wonder if you have to use those expensive chemicals or cleaning supplies found at your local pool retailer? While some are quite valuable, there are some chemicals found at your pool store than you can find cheaper when they are packaged for something that is totally different. Let’s take a look at how to clean a pool using household items.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate. Similarly there is the more proper sodium hydrogen carbonate that you can find to raise the alkalinity in the pool store. You can add 1.5 pounds of baking soda to 10,000 gallons of water to increase the total alkalinity by 10 ppm. However be warned that the pool version of baking soda should not be consumed, or used for baking. You can get the proper amount Arm & Hammer baking soda at most convenient stores for about $20.
Household Bleach
Household bleach also known as sodium hypochlorite can be used to clean a pool. It acts the same as a pool shock, just like that pool shock you can pick up at your local pool supply store. Fun fact! If you have hard water issues, bleach can help reduce the calcium precipitation in the water. The proper amount of bleach needed to clean a pool can be purchased for about $14.
Borax
Borax is easily found in almost every laundry aisle in convenient stores across america. Borax can be used to raise the pH levels in your swimming pool if they are too low. Simply add one half a cup per 10,000 gallons of water to increase the pH. The proper amount of borax will vary depending on the size of your pool, however it can be purchased for around $15.
Plastic Broom
Have you been looking for a better way to get up the dirt and leaves that have collected at the bottom of your swimming pool? Instead of trying to vacuum the entire pool, take a plastic broom and sweep the dirt into one area first and then vacuum it away. Saves you time and money in the long run! Keep in mind that in order for this to work properly you will need to use a broom with plastic ends that will still work under water.
Muriatic Acid
Muriatic acid can be used to lower the alkalinity of your water by as much as 10 ppm in a typical 10,000 gallon pool. It’s usually less expensive than alkalinity helpers made for swimming pools. This will typically cost you about $50.
