How to Manually Clean an Inground Pool

leaves in the pool

Having a pool at your home means having endless relaxation whenever you want it. One problem with owning a pool is that constant maintenance and cleaning needs to be done at least once a week, if not more. Knowing how to properly clean your pool will give you a routine to do every time, and it will make it easier when deciding what to use to clean it.

Things You'll Need

• Pool skimmer
• Garbage bags
• Hose and water
• Pool brush
• Vinyl cleaner
• Rubber gloves
• Safety goggles
• Rubber boots
• 1 gallon acid
• 1 gallon water
• Metal bucket
• Metal dowel or rod
• Metal watering can
• Pumice stone

Instructions

1. Remove the debris from the top of the pool. A pool skimmer with an extension rod can be used. It is easiest to clean out all of the floating debris so most it will be gone when cleaning the pool.

2. Drain the pool completely and hose it down. Hosing the sides of the pool pushes any leftover leaves and dirt to the bottom center drain. This will make it easy to collect and put into garbage bags.

3. Apply a small amount of vinyl cleaner to the pool liner. Use the pool brush or another soft-bristled brush to gently scrub the liner and remove existing stains. If the vinyl cleaner is not strong enough, you can use an acid wash.

4. Combine the acid and water in the metal bucket. Stir it with the wooden rod; pour it into the watering can. Be sure you are wearing the rubber gloves, boots and safety goggles.

5. Sprinkle the mixture down the walls around the perimeter of the pool. Step into the pool and gently scrub the acid wash into certain areas where there are stains. Let the acid wash stand for several minutes.

6. Rinse the pool out with the hose. You will see a thick foam build up in the center of the drain. Continue to spray with the hose until all of the acid wash drains out.

7. Use the pumice stone on stained areas of the vinyl lining or even the pool's concrete to help remove additional stains.

References

• Sun Land Pools: Cleaning Pools Manually
• Pool Center: Manually Cleaning Pools