Effective cleaning of your own garden pool – that’s how it works!



Cloudy water, insects and leaves on the surface – nobody wants to get into such a pool. A clean pool requires constant cleaning.

Swimming pool cleaning
© Dmitry Yakunin – Fotolia.com

Water is life. Of course this also applies to the water in your own pool. However, there should not be too much life in the pool water, because germs, viruses and bacteria are also living organisms. Besides it, further entries from the surroundings, as for instance dust, leaves, pollen or insects, are found in a swimming pool in quite short time. Without effective cleaning, the pool with crystal-clear water quickly becomes a biotope with a rather greenish colour, overflowing with life.

What can be done about it?

There are a number of different ways to keep the pool water clear and the pool itself clean. However, there is no such thing as the “miracle cure”, which is simply dumped into the pool and everything is fine. There are also no single devices that can clean the pool on their own. The pool robot also stands alone in a lost position. Rather, pool cleaning is the combination of different methods, whereby of course it depends on the volume that has to be managed. Small paddling pools can best be cleaned by wiping the children’s pool with water and a little detergent between water changes. The use of filter pumps is interesting from a capacity of around 3000 litres.

Pumps for circulation and filtration of water

Since a swimming pool lacks the inflow and outflow of natural waters that contribute to cleaning, this is imitated with a filter pump. There are pump-filter combinations for this, which work, for example, with a filter fleece in the form of a cartridge. Up to a certain volume, these systems are sufficient, but for larger quantities of water it is necessary to use pumps with a higher capacity and a more effective filter. For example, there are sand filter systems in various performance classes.

In sand filter plants, the pool water to be cleaned is pressed through a layer of quartz sand, whereby even the smallest particles remain trapped. The now again crystal clear water gets back into the pool. The rule of thumb is to completely circulate the volume of pool water twice a day during bathing. Accordingly, the pump of the sand filter system must be able to deliver the corresponding performance.

Mechanical cleaning of the pool

Pool Robots
© Igor – Fotolia.com

A pool has a large surface on which the pollution from the air first lands and, depending on the weight, at least the first time swims. These floating solids can easily be skimmed off with a skimmer. The skimmer floats in the pool and has an inlet close to the surface of the water. At the lower end it is connected to the circulation pump or has its own pump. Together with the surface water, the solids flow to the skimmer and are filtered out in it.

In spite of a skimmer, the use of a landing net will also be indispensable, for example to retrieve fallen leaves from the water or simply the toy that the children have forgotten in the pool. Adhesions to the pool walls and the floor can be removed with a brush or with the pool robot mentioned above.

Chemical / electrotechnical cleaning of the garden pool

There are different methods to reduce the germ load of the water. For example, UV filtering or the use of hydrogen peroxide or activated carbon filters. The problem here is that these funds only have a limited effect and are quite expensive. Chlorine is still the best chemical for cleaning the pool water with the greatest broadband effect. Although there is much talk about the dangers of this substance, it should be remembered that highly diluted chlorine has been used in millions of public and private pools worldwide for several decades. If used correctly, as the past shows, chlorine is the best and most effective means of disinfecting pool water.

Provision for pool cleaning

The best dirt is the one that doesn’t have to be removed. People themselves can do a lot to keep the pool water clean. For example, the use of a pool cover during the night and the bathing-free days. But showering before swimming also helps a lot to maintain water quality. This is not about the possibly neglected hygiene of the individual. Rather, it is about urea, which even the cleanest human being forms on his skin. These ureas react in the water and form new chemical compounds. That’s why it’s better to take a shower in the pool before refreshment. Even excessive amounts of sun creams do not get into the water unnecessarily. You should also consider some aspects if you want to make the pool winterproof.

At the same time, the feet should be cleaned before entering the pool by means of a footbath standing specially at the edge of the pool. The soles of bare feet account for a significant proportion of the dirt that can get into the pool, such as grass or sand. If these precautions are observed and if the pool is also regularly cleaned and disinfected, nothing should stand in the way of extended bathing pleasure.

Don Burke

I am Don Burke, one of the authors at My Garden Guide.  I am a horticulturist that cultivates, grows, and cares for plants, ranging from shrubs and fruits to flowers. I do it in my own garden and in my nursery. I show you how to take care of your garden and how to perform garden landscaping in an easy way, step by step.I am originally from Sydney and I wrote in local magazines. Later on, I have decided, more than two decades ago, to create my own blog. My area of specialization is related to orchid care, succulent care, and the study of the substrate and the soil. Therefore, you will see many articles dedicated to these disciplines. I also provide advice about how to improve the landscape design of your garden.

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