Although it’s important to keep the water in your pool clean throughout the entire pool season, it’s equally if not more crucial to drain your pool and clean the pool liner. To properly clean your pool liner, you’ll need a bucket, sponge, pool brush, bleach, and some hot water.
In order to clean a pool liner, you’ll first need to drain the pool. Then thoroughly scrub the liner with a water and bleach mixture. After thoroughly rinsing the cleaning solution off the liner, go ahead and refill the pool. If you’re cleaning a liner-cover, make sure it’s dry before storage.
If done properly and regularly, cleaning your pool liner will help keep it in tip-top shape. Let’s look at how you can clean your pool liner and whether you can remove stains from it so that you can keep enjoying your pool for several years to come.
How Do You Clean a Pool Liner?
If the liner of your pool is contaminated with mildew, mold, or any other pool-related grime, here’s what you can do to clean it:
Step 1: Drain Your Pool
The first thing you’ll have to do is drain your pool. Exactly how you should drain your pool depends on the pool type, but most above-ground swimming pools can be easily drained by using a pool pump.
When cleaning the liner of an above-ground pool, you’ll want to remove it after the pool is drained and all the pool accessories have been removed and put aside for safekeeping.
Find a large area to place the liner on (ideally one exposed to the sun). Make sure there isn’t anything that could tear the liner from underneath it, like rocks or branches, then spread the liner across it.
Step 2: Prepare a Cleaning Solution
To make a cleaning solution for your pool liner, mix two parts hot water with one part bleach (on Amazon) in a bucket. Then, soak a sponge in the solution.
Step 3: Scrub The Liner
Thoroughly scrub your pool liner with the bleach-soaked sponge. Make sure you remove the dirt and debris from every nook and cranny. After giving it a good scrub, take a pool brush (on Amazon), dip it into the cleaning solution, and then scrub the liner again.
It’s better to avoid using a heavy-duty pool brush, as it might damage your pool liner. Similarly, make sure you don’t use too much pressure while scrubbing the liner, or you might just end up accidentally creating holes in the liner itself.
Step 4: Wash and Dry the Pool Liner
Once you’ve sufficiently cleaned the liner with the brush and sponge, wash off the cleaning solution by spraying water over it with a hose. You can also just take a bucket full of water and then dump it all over the liner.
It’s important to thoroughly wash the pool liner, so there are no traces of bleach left behind. Then, wipe it down with a clean towel, making sure that the liner is completely clean and dry.
Step 5: Refill the Pool or Store the Liner
If you’re planning on using your pool again, go ahead and re-attach all your pool equipment. After reinstalling everything correctly, fill your pool up with water, add the necessary chemicals to balance its chemical makeup, and jump in!
However, if you have an above-ground pool and intend to store your liner, fold it up once it dries completely. It’s better to fold the pool liner in half and then roll it.
It’s also advisable to sprinkle some baby powder on it before rolling it to prevent it from sticking together. After rolling it properly, keep it in a clean, dry area with all your other pool accessories.
Can You Remove Stains From a Pool Liner?
It’s important to note that no two pool stains are the same, so you’ll have to treat each one differently for a completely clean liner. Luckily, organic stains are much easier to treat and clean than metal stains. If your pool liner is riddled with organic stains, here’s how you can remove them:
- Remove any leaves and debris from your pool and thoroughly clean the filter.
- Use a soft-bristled brush to clean the surface of your pool and loosen any dirt, algae, or grime stuck to it.
- Run a liner-friendly vacuum cleaner across the surface of your pool to get rid of any of the remaining dirt, debris, and leaves.
- Test your pool water and balance its chemical makeup accordingly.
- Use dissolved pool shock to shock your pool. Scrub the stains again after shocking to get rid of them faster.
Tips and Tricks for Cleaning Your Pool Liner
Before you pull out all the sponges, pool scrubbers, and vacuums, take a look at these tips and tricks. They’ll make the entire cleaning process much more efficient and help prevent major maintenance problems down the road.
- Clean your swimming pool at least once every week.
- Throw one or two tennis balls into the pool water. This will help absorb all the oils swimmers bring into the pool, keeping the water clean for a longer time.
- Use natural cleaners, like organic dish soap or white vinegar to remove mildew and stains.
- Brush towards the pool floor, so all the debris falls to the bottom of the pool and can easily be picked up by the vacuum.
- Invest in an automatic or robotic pool cleaner (on Amazon).
- Regularly test the chemistry of your pool water.
- Scrub the ladders, gaskets, stairs, and skimmers with a pool cleaning mitt (on Amazon).
- Get your pool professionally cleaned at least once every year.
