Last Updated on April 26, 2017
If you have a swimming pool and are concerned about the environmental impact of traditional cleaning and disinfecting methods, you are not alone. Fortunately, there are several things that you can do in order to keep your pool clean that do not have a detrimental effect on you and other living creatures. By incorporating them into your regular maintenance, you should be able to keep your pool safely clean.
It is common for oils to accumulate on the surface water of pools. Whether it is natural body oils that have come from people swimming in it or those from suntan oils and lotions, you need to safely remove these from your water. An easy solution is to use one or more tennis balls in your swimming pool. These will naturally attract makeup and other oils that are floating around the top of your pool. The number you will need depends upon how often your pool is used, the amount of oils on the people swimming in it and the size of your pool. Inspect them regularly and remove when needed.
As an alternative to chlorine, use hydrogen peroxide for sanitizing purposes. Use one cup of a 35 percent pool and spa hydrogen peroxide solution for every one hundred gallons of pool water. This solution is not the same as the peroxide that you find in the health and beauty section of your local retailer, which is only three percent. While you can purchase food grade hydrogen peroxide at a 35 percent volume, it degrades more rapidly than that sold specifically for pools and spa water.
Additionally, you can purchase testing strips to ascertain the volume of hydrogen peroxide in your water. A concentration of 50 to 100 ppm is ideal. However, if you are attempting to tackle a high level of contaminants in your first use, you can go as high as 1000 ppm in the beginning. Make certain that you store any leftovers in a cool, dark place until needed. Beware that if you have any rubber components in your swimming pool that the hydrogen peroxide will cause degradation.
In order to maintain the pH balance of your swimming pool water naturally, use baking soda and borax. You can test the pH and use the appropriate natural product for balancing the levels. Use baking soda to lower it, at the rate of 1 1/2 pounds per 10,000 gallons. Alternatively, if your pool needs to become more acidic, add 1/2 cup of borax for the same amount of water. You will need to retest in both cases to ensure that you have met the target range. Both of these items are available through major retail outlets in the laundry care section.
Filtering your water for debris is time-consuming. Increase the speed of your sand filter by adding diatomaceous earth to it, or purchase a diatomaceous earth filter for it. These all natural particles will help to pick up microscopic debris quickly. Additionally, these fossilized remains of diatoms are also effective for eliminating microscopic pests that may be lurking in your water.
These natural means to keep your swimming pool clean are less harmful for the environment and easy to implement into your regular pool maintenance. You will discover they are as effective as traditional pool cleaning chemicals and tools, without the risks of chemical exposure for yourself and your pool guests.
