Have you noticed stains on your pool liner? Are you worried about the build-up of bacteria and other germs in your pool?

Cleaning your pool liner is a vital part of owning a pool. It’s the best way to keep the pool fresh, clear, and looking beautiful. Without regular cleaning, you’ll find that you and your family often get sick after a swim.

The problem is that if you don’t know how to clean the liner correctly, you could end up doing a lot of damage.

That’s why we’ve put together this in-depth guide to help you every step of the way. Check it out down below!

1. Avoid Draining the Pool

If you’re new to pool cleaning, your first instinct is to drain the pool so you have better access to the pool liner. This is never a good idea if you can avoid it.

The water of your pool is keeping the liner in place. The pressure and weight force the liner to stay flat and unwrinkled while you use it.

If you start draining the pool, the liner is likely to shift and bunch up. This makes it much easier for damage to occur during the cleaning process and makes for an annoying project when it’s time to refill the pool.

Sometimes you’ll need to drain the pool to address rips or holes, but when it comes to simple cleaning, you want to leave the water in place.

2. Clear Away Debris Regularly

One of the best ways to keep your swimming pool clean and free of bacterial stains is by clearing out the debris every day.

Leaves, bugs, and other debris all contribute to adding foreign germs to your pool water. If left alone for too long, all that debris starts to build up. It creates stains and discoloration throughout the entire pool.

It’s also no fun to swim in a pool full of debris.

Instead of cleaning out the debris only on the days you go swimming, make sure to make it a priority every day your pool is open.

3. Always Brush Down

Even with this dedication, stains still occur from time to time. That’s why a soft-bristled brush is your best pool-cleaning friend.

There’s a trick to using the brush on your vinyl liner to get great results every time. Instead of brushing at the walls and flooring without any plan, you’ll want to tackle the project by starting up high on the walls and working your way down.

This makes it so that the dirt and grime fall to the bottom for the internal pool vacuum system to suck up later. If you brush in random motions, this mixes the grime into the water. It’ll float there and continue to contaminate your pool for a long time.

Maintain a downward motion with your pool brush strokes so that you keep control over the grime in your pool water.

4. Remember to Be Gentle

Regardless of how you plan to clean your pool, you want to remember to be gentle with the liner. It’s durable only if you don’t scrub at it too much.

Small scrub marks lead to large rips and tears. Even if you don’t see the results of too much scrubbing right away, those marks will get larger as you continue to use your pool.

It’s better to use many gentle strokes than to scrub at a section with a lot of force to speed up the process. 

To keep your pool clean, make sure to dedicate enough time to the project so that you give it the kind of attention it needs!

5. Use the Right Products

A good brushing is a great choice for most pool maintenance needs, but sometimes you’ll want something a little stronger. That’s when you’ll want to turn your attention to high-quality pool products.

Using the regular cleaning chemicals you keep in your house is a bad idea. Those cleaners eat into your liner and can contaminate your pool water. It’s almost impossible to get those chemicals out of your pool without draining it and then refilling it.

Always use the correct products for your pool to avoid future damage!

6. Shock the Pool

Once you’ve cleaned the liner, there’s still a chance that bacteria and other germ particles remain in the pool water. Brushing down collects most of the grime, but some of it will find its way into the rest of the pool during the cleaning process.

This is why shocking the pool is the best thing to do right after a cleaning. This destroys the remaining bacteria and ensures that any remnants won’t have the chance to contaminate the pool water again.

Doing this before cleaning won’t be as effective since collections of grime are too thick for the shocking chemicals to penetrate.

Without shocking the pool, you’ll need to do another cleaning soon after. To avoid needing to do a thorough cleaning every week, make sure to shock away all of the excess bacteria right away.

7. Keep an Eye on Water Chemistry

After all of this is done, you’ll have a beautiful pool that feels great to swim in. One of the best things to do now is to keep an eye on the chemistry of your pool water.

This gives you an idea of when another cleaning is necessary and if there’s something else wrong with the filtration system. If you notice stains coming back right away, there may be another reason for them. Knowing the chemistry of your water will point you in the direction of the problem.

The right water chemistry is important to all aspects of running a safe pool, so never neglect it!

Cleaning Your Pool Liner Makes Every Swimming Day a Joyful Success

By following these steps, you’ll lengthen the lifetime of your pool liner and keep your family safe all at the same time. Never again will you need to worry about getting sick after a fun swim. Instead, you’ll get to enjoy every single moment to the fullest.

Plus, your pool will sparkle like a gem in the sun!