It feels so fulfilling to have a swimming pool of your own in your home; you can jump in it whenever you want during hot summer days to have a good time all by yourself, or with your loved ones. While having a swimming pool is great, you need to go through various measures while decorating it, and maintaining it properly. One of the most important elements that you use while decorating your swimming pool is tiles, as tiles are very heavily used in swimming pools to make them look captivating and intriguing. But only decorating your tiles isn’t enough, you will have to go through proper maintenance to keep those tiles to their original form.
Your pool tiles are bound to get dirty with time and start losing their glow and look. And to retain the original beauty of your pool tiles, and make your pool look as ravishing as it is, you will need to clean them properly. And you won’t be able to clean them in the conventional ways of cleaning tiles, as they are always exposed to water, unlike normal tiles. You’ll need some specialized cleaning techniques and materials to clean your pool tiles. You’ll get to know about those in this article.
DIrt Types in the Waterline
The edge where the water surface of the pool meets the pool tiles is the waterline, and the waterline can get discolored and grimy with time. Various organic materials and chemical imbalances are at play here for this to occur. On the side of the pool, calcium salt can get deposited that turns the tiles white-grey, which becomes really hard to clean. There are two types of these scaling-
Calcium Silicate
These types of scaling look like white-grey-colored scum, and these don’t react with muriatic acid. You can remove these stains by using a pumice stone and elbow grease.
Calcium Carbonate
If you see flaky white crusts on your pool tiles, they are because of calcium carbonate. However, these are easy to clean. You’ll just need to expose these stains to muriatic acid, and then use a pumice stone to remove it.
Process of Cleaning Waterline Tiles
How you will clean your pool tiles will depend on the type of scaling and stain, and how long the stain has been there. The process of cleaning the tiles might not be complicated, but that can be time-consuming. If you work in small areas, it will help you control the grime and algae growth. Now let’s have a look at the measures you can take for cleaning the waterline tiles.
Removing Organic Materials
There are various organic materials that get deposited on the surface of the tiles, and you have to remove them first. The primary and usual organic materials that can make your pool dirty are leaves, soils, grass clippings, etc. You can clean them by using vacuum cleaners, or just by hand, or a duster.
Washing the Waterline Tiles
You can clean the carbonate particles of the waterline by using a stiff brush and using it in a swift and circular motion. You can use a toothbrush in the case of small areas, and toothbrushes are safer to use too, as they don’t get the tile surface rough.
Using Cleaners for Stubborn Measures
You can use homemade cleaners such as vinegar, or toothpaste, or cleaning soda to clean the pool tiles if the stains aren’t very strong. But there are some stains that are really tough to clean such as silicate materials, you will need pumice stones to clean them. Get the stone wet and then gently use it to clean the tiles so that the tiles don’t get scratched. You can also use a commercial tile cleaner to clean the tough stains. You can get sulphuric acid-based cleaners to get rid of such stains, but you need to be useful while using these cleaners as they are harmful. And make sure to test these products on a patch of tile or consult your tile supplier before using them on your pool tiles. Also, after using these cleaners on your pool tiles, wait for a week to use the pool again.
Going for Soda Blasting Method
You can go for the soda blasting method if the other ones don’t work. You’ll need baking soda to be blasted by a nozzle on the stains to clean them. This method is a bit complicated, so professional help must be sought.
Regular Maintenance
You can reduce your struggle of cleaning your pool by regularly cleaning it, as if you don’t clean the pool for long, the stains get harder to remove. Also, try keeping the pool free of any kind of degree to avoid scaling and grime. Brushing the waterline from time to time by reducing the water level can be beneficial. Also, manage the use of chemicals you use in your pool water, such as chlorine and saltwater to reduce algae and staining. So, regular maintenance can be really helpful here.
Final Words
You need to keep your pool clean if you want to have the best experience and enjoy your time in it to the fullest. ANd going through these measures will help you to keep the pool tiles clean and new, and your pool will keep looking ravishing as a result.