How to keep a pool area clean all summer

To keep a pool area clean, do a little every day instead of a big job every weekend. Skim the water and empty the skimmer baskets, hang wet towels, put toys in a lidded bin, and sweep the deck. Once a week, scrub sticky spots, wipe the furniture, and rinse the deck. Stop the wet feet at the back door with a towel station.

What should you do around the pool every day?

A ten-minute close-down at the end of the day keeps the pool area from turning into a weekend project.

1. Skim the surface for leaves, bugs and grass clippings.
2. Empty the skimmer baskets so the water keeps moving through the filter.
3. Toys and floats out of the water and into a lidded bin or a mesh bag hung to drain. Floats left in the sun all day wear out sooner.
4. Wet towels hung on a rack or line, spread out, not piled on a chair.
5. Cups, cans and snack wrappers picked up. They bring wasps and ants.
6. A quick sweep of the deck around the chairs and the steps.

Give each kid one job. "Toys in the bin" is a job a six-year-old can own.

How do you clean a pool deck?

Concrete, pavers, stone and composite decking all get the same basic treatment.

1. Sweep or blow it off first. Leaves and grass make a wet mess if you start with water.
2. Scrub with a stiff deck brush and a bucket of warm water with a little dish soap. Do sticky spots by the table and the grill first.
3. Rinse toward the lawn or a drain, not toward the pool. Soap and dirt in the water make the filter work harder.
4. Green or black spots in shady corners are usually algae or mildew. Use a cleaner made for your deck material and check its label for anything about runoff into a pool.

If you use a pressure washer, start on a low setting in a hidden spot. Too much pressure can etch concrete, wash out paver sand and splinter wood.

For wood or composite, check what the manufacturer recommends before using anything stronger than soap. Some cleaners can affect a composite warranty.

How do you clean pool furniture?

Sunscreen, sweat and pollen are what make pool furniture look grimy.

• Frames and straps: warm water with dish soap and a soft brush, then rinse.
• Cushions: follow the care tag. Spot-clean with mild soap, rinse well, and stand them on edge to dry so water doesn't sit inside.
• Umbrellas: brush off pollen dry, then wipe with soapy water. Close them at night and in wind.
• Glass tabletops: glass cleaner, or a mix of water and a little vinegar, and a dry microfiber cloth.

Weekly in season is enough for frames and tabletops. Cushions need a full wash a few times a summer, more if the kids use them as towels.

Where do pool toys and floats go?

• A lidded deck box or a bin with drain holes for noodles, balls and goggles
• Hooks or a mesh bag on the fence for floats, so they drain and dry
• Deflate big floats that won't be used for a while and store them out of the sun

Store anything dry before the lid goes on, or it'll smell like mildew within days.

What about the water itself?

Skimming and baskets are daily habits. Run the pump and clean or backwash the filter on the schedule your equipment's manual gives. Test the water with a test kit and adjust it by the instructions on the kit and your chemicals, or have a pool service handle it. Store pool chemicals sealed, dry, out of the sun and away from kids, and keep different chemicals apart.

How do you keep pool water out of the house?

This is where the pool becomes a house cleaning problem. Wet feet, wet swimsuits and grass clippings go straight across the kitchen floor.

• Towel station by the back door: a bin of dry towels, a hamper for wet ones and a basket for flip-flops.
• Two mats: a rough outdoor mat outside and an absorbent one inside.
• One rule: dry off before coming in.
• Swimsuits go on a hook or line outside, not on the bathroom floor.
• Wipe the floor by the door at the end of the day. Chlorine and sunscreen leave a film.

For the sand and sticky-counter side of summer, see how to clean sandy floors and sticky countertops.

One more thing: safety

A spotless pool area is still a pool. Keep the gate latched, keep a life ring and a reaching pole where you can grab them, and have an adult watching whenever kids are in or near the water.

While you're outside: the house

Summer days by the pool mean the inside takes a beating: wet floors, a busy kitchen and bathrooms everyone uses to change.

On Standard House Cleaning, RoutineCare, the floors are vacuumed and mopped, the kitchen counters, sink and stovetop are cleaned, and in the bathrooms the toilet, tub, shower, sink, mirrors and floors are done.

It can be booked one time, weekly, every other week, every 4 weeks or twice a year. See what's covered at House Cleaning, and for the rest of the season, 10 summer cleaning tasks.

FAQ

How do you clean a pool deck? Sweep or blow off leaves and dirt, then scrub with a stiff deck brush and warm water with a little dish soap, and rinse toward the lawn, not the pool. Use a cleaner made for your deck material for algae or stains, and check its label before any of it runs into the water.

How do you get sunscreen off pool furniture? Wipe frames and straps with warm water and dish soap and rinse them. For cushions, follow the care tag, spot-clean with mild soap, rinse well and stand them on edge to dry in the sun.

How do you keep pool water from getting tracked into the house? Set up a towel station by the back door with a bin of dry towels, a hamper for wet ones and a basket for flip-flops. Add a rough outdoor mat outside and an absorbent one inside, and make drying off before coming in the rule.

How often should you clean around a pool? Skim and empty the skimmer baskets daily in season, and do a quick nightly close-down of towels and toys. Sweep the deck and wipe the furniture weekly, and scrub the deck and wash the cushions a few times a season.

Book a house cleaning

Tina's Clean Team serves South Jersey and Central Jersey. Book online at tinascleanteam.com/book-now, or call or text (609) 831-4455, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.