How To Clean Your Pool After A Pool Party: 10 Crucial Steps

Having a pool is the biggest flex you can have. You can swim whenever you want or chill by the pool to your heart’s content.

One exciting perk of having a pool is throwing a pool party whenever you want. Which also happens to be the downside!

Yes, pool parties are great. People will beg you to throw one just to have fun in the pool. But, when it comes to cleaning the pool afterward, it entirely falls on you.

Worried about how to clean your pool after a pool party? Relax and follow these ten crucial steps.

1. Gather Everything You Need

When the party is over, and you must start cleaning, preparation should be your first step. Look around your house and check if you have everything you need to give your pool a thorough cleaning.

If the party has been particularly “wild,” there has to be a lot of trash and debris. So, you will need something to skim the pool.

A skimming net is fine, but it can be tiring when you have too much to pick up. Using a vacuum is less of a hassle and more efficient, but you will still need to do the work.

This is why many pool owners opt to buy a robotic pool cleaner. All you need to do is place them on the pool and turn them on; they will do the skimming. Head over to BackYard Helpers; their review can help you find the right one.

You will need sanitizers, shocking treatment, algaecide, balancing chemicals, a long brush, a testing kit (with strips), and some house cleaning necessities like plastic bags and a garden hose.

2. Remove all the Pool Toys and Accessories

What makes pool parties so enjoyable are all the fun pool accessories you own. Without the floats, the inflatable toys, and games, pool parties would have been super boring.

These colorful floats bring color and life to your pool parties, and as much as you love them, you must put them away before you can clean the pool.

Don’t get lazy and think you can clean the pool without putting away the pool accessories. They will only get in the way and cause delays. They might also ruin your pool maintenance accessories.

Your pool filtration system is crucial to your pool’s maintenance. If any smaller pool toys get stuck in there, it might mess up the entire system.

You might trip and fall on a stray pool toy, so it’s also a health hazard. Falling by or inside the pool can be pretty dangerous, and you might have to pay a hefty bill to the doctors.

3. Clean the Surrounding

Once you put all the large items away, you need to clean up the surrounding. If you still haven’t put away all the plastic cups and plates, you should do it now. They can easily end up in your pool, contaminating the water.

Sweep away the trash and debris that might have accumulated. This can include anything from dead leaves or branches to food bits and crumpled plastic cups.

Once you are done sweeping away larger items, use the hose to clean away dirt. Be careful while cleaning with water, and make sure you water down the area away from your in-ground pool.

Your guests can wash their feet with the garden hose, put on flip-flops, and enter the pool area. Add this to your party plan.

4. Scrub the Walls

If you have a pool, you should consider getting a pool brush. Use the brush to scrub off the walls. Sometimes a brush comes as an attachment to your pool telescoping pole.

Brushing the walls is a part of your pool’s regular maintenance as it ensures that there are no algae, dirt, and other build-up stuck to the walls. Any buildup contaminates your pool water.

After a pool party, that buildup can be sunscreen, bodily oil, and other grime. So, scrub the walls properly before you can skim the water.

5. Scoop Up the Trash

If you are using a skimming net to scoop up the trash from your pool, ensure its telescoping pole is long enough to reach difficult areas. Most debris should float on the surface of the pool.

If you have a vacuum, even better. You can clean up your pool faster with a vacuum. Start skimming from one side, gradually going through the entire area.

One problem with vacuums or skimming nets is ensuring that the bottom of the pool gets cleaned. Even with a vacuum, you will need to be very thorough and work hard to clean it. Lessen your hardship and get a robotic pool cleaner.

6. Maintain the Filteration System

Once the skimming is done, clean up the collecting baskets of your pool filtration system. Consider removing the filter cartilage and cleaning it to ensure that your filtration system is well maintained.

Plenty of grime, hair, and other small contamination is filtered out by the cartilage. These can easily get stuck in it, so you must clean them.

Consider soaking it in filter cartilage cleaner for a thorough cleaning, then wash it off with water. You can use a regular garden hose to water it down.

Don’t spray water on the cartilage at full speed, as it can get damaged. Spray water at an angle to clean it better without causing any damage.

One way to ensure the health of your filter cartilage is by leaving some clean tennis balls in the pool water. Tennis balls work great at soaking up sunscreen residue and other oil in the water. You can throw them in the water or leave them in the pool collection baskets.

7. Adjust the Water Level

All the cannon balls, diving, and splashing during a party can reduce your pool water level. The loss of water can harm the health of your pool. Your pool’s water level needs to stay halfway to the skimmer plate.

If your pool water level is higher than that, the debris in the pool won’t get sucked into the pool filters. The debris floating on the surface will stay there and get decomposed, continually contaminating the water.

Your pool’s water filtration system is meant to filter water. If the water level is too low and it starts sucking in air instead of water, it will bust your filtration pump. If the water level is lower than it should be, that is even worse for your pool.

Use your garden hose to add water to your pool, keeping in mind the correct water level. Turn off your hose when the water has reached halfway up the skimmer plate.

8. Use Treatments

You never know what gifts your guests have left in the pool, especially the young ones. So, you must sanitize and treat your pool water.

People generally use a regular chlorine sanitizer to adjust the free chlorine level of their pool water. It is better to shock your pool after a party since it has gone through more than just a dip from the residents.

For good pool maintenance, owners shock their pools once a week. Shock treatments use a high amount of chlorine to kill off any microbes infesting the water.

Try to use shock treatments in the evening, as sunlight can affect the strength of your treatment. After putting in shock treatment, don’t use the pool for at least eight hours.

In any case, if you suspect algae growing in your pool, consider using an algaecide. This can kill any green growths in your pool. Do this before shocking your pool.

9. Run the Filtration System

Once you have used the shock treatment, you have to run the filtration system. This will help spread and circulate the treatment all around the pool. Keep the system running all night.

Running the filtration system is crucial to the health of your swimming pool. When you circulate the water in your pool, you keep the water moving.

Remember that microbes tend to grow and thrive in stale water. If your swimming pool gets good circulation, you can prevent any growth.

Your water jets can help you keep the pool water moving. Just angle them downwards. Pointing them in the same direction will make the water spin. This will ensure the debris moves and doesn’t pile at the bottom.

10. Test the Water and Balance Chemicals

This is the last crucial step to maintaining your pool. Use your testing strip to check if your newly sanitized water is safe for use.

Your free chlorine level needs to stay between 1.0-3.0 ppm.

A high level of chlorine is not only bad for our health, but it can also damage the structure of your pool. If your free chlorine level is low, add regular sanitizer to adjust it.

The pH level must stay between 7 and 7.6. If these two points are not met, your water is not safe for swimming. Balancing chemicals can give you the right pH level.

Final Thoughts

We hope these ten crucial steps can guide your maintenance if you have been wondering how to clean your pool after a pool party.

Clean up after the party first and put away all the toys. Brush the pool walls and skim the water to remove dirt and debris. Clean the filtration system and keep it running well. Shock the water, then balance the chemicals to ensure you can use your swimming pool safely.