At this time of year, when summer is in full swing, our pools are exposed to the elements more than ever. The cover’s off, people are swimming often, the temperature is high, and stormy weather means debris and stray metal objects frequently end up in the pool. All these factors increase the risk of pool stains, and the longer you leave them, the harder they are to get rid of. It’s up to you as owner to treat them quickly and thoroughly and preserve the sparkling-clean appearance of your pool. Our team has prepared this handy guide on how to remove pool stains to help you do that!
What causes pool stains?
Firstly, let us put your mind at ease – pool stains are not a reflection on your maintenance skills! Even the most diligently-maintained pools can acquire stains.
Now we’ve established a blame-free environment, let’s talk about what causes pool stains. Pool stains occur when debris or rusting equipment causes stubborn marks to form on the pool’s walls or floor.
There are two types of pool stains: organic and metal. Each requires a different type of treatment to remove. Organic stains come from natural matter like leaves, sticks, and dirt, and happen more often when certain types of foliage and plants are close to the pool. These stains usually have a green-brown, red-blue, or blue-green-black colour.
Metal pool stains come from metal objects that are left in the pool and rust, such as pool cleaning equipment, jewellery, or even corroding metal pipes in your water system. Metal stains usually have a green-brown-red or brown-black-purple colour.
Thankfully, almost all stains can be removed if you correctly identify the cause of the stain, use the right pool stain remover and follow the right process.
How to remove pool stains
Removing organic stains
When it comes to removing stains from your pool, chlorine is king. But you’ll need to ‘shock’ your pool, i.e. dramatically increase the chlorine balance above standard level, to combat the stains. So you’ll need to buy a shock treatment. You’ll find one at any pool store, or you can order from us to have it delivered.
Start by testing and balancing the water, then use a shock treatment according to the package instructions. We recommend doing the shock treatment at night. Then, brush the pool walls and floor, run the pump overnight, and brush again. Most stains will be a distant memory when you’ve finished!
Removing metal stains
While metal stains are harder to remove than organic ones, they can be removed with the right strategy.
First, figure out what type of metal is present in your pool water. Some home test kits can test for the metals that most commonly cause stains, like manganese, iron or copper, but you’ll get the most accurate results if you take a sample into your local pool shop.
Once you know what kind of metal is responsible, choose the metal pool stain remover that targets it. Then, simply follow the package instructions.
Got pool stains to remove but no time to do it? That’s what we’re here for. Email or call us to book a service and we’ll send an experienced pool technician out to help.
