You can watch the quick video tutorial below. Or keep reading for the complete cloudy pool water troubleshooting guide.

4 Causes of Cloudy Pool Water And How To Fix It

Poor filtration, low chlorine levels, poor water chemistry, and outside contaminants cause cloudy water. Here’s how to troubleshoot each one of these issues.

1. Poor Filtration

Filter problems are the main cause of cloudy pool water. If your filter isn’t functioning properly, then it can’t remove the tiny contaminants that cause cloudy pool water.

SOLUTION: Keep your pool’s circulation system flowing with regular cleaning, maintenance, and run times. Check for the following filtration issues:

• Your pool filter has a clog or build-up. If you haven’t cleaned your filter in a while, it’s time to backwash your sand or D.E. filter, clean your D.E. filter grids, or clean the cartridge in your filter. Check out our pool filter cleaning walkthrough for more help.
• Your skimmer basket or pump basket is full of debris. Remove any leaves, twigs, or other debris in your skimmer or pump basket. If you’re frequently finding debris in your circulation system, take a look at our pool skimmer troubleshooting guide.
• Your pool filter media needs replacing. If your filter media is worn out or damaged, it won’t be able to capture contaminants that cause cloudy water. So every 5 years, change your filter sand or replace your cartridge filters every 2-3 years. If you have a D.E. filter, add fresh diatomaceous earth powder or replace your D.E. grids.
• You’re not running your filter long enough. To fix a cloudy pool, all of your pool water must run through the filter system at least once a day. You need to run your filter system for at least 8 to 12 hours a day.
• Your pool pump or filter needs replacing. As it gets older, your pool filter system can start to fail and you may need to replace major pieces of equipment.

2. Low Chlorine Levels

Pathogens, bacteria, and cloudy water form when there’s not enough chlorine to sanitize your water. Chlorine levels can drop if there’s lots of debris like leaves in your pool.

Also, if there’s a build-up of bodily contaminants like sweat or sunscreen, or if your water is exposed to the sun’s UV rays and your chlorine is not properly stabilized.

SOLUTION: Test your free chlorine and combined chlorine levels, add shock to rebalance your chlorine levels, and add cyanuric acid to stabilize a sun-exposed pool.

• Test your free chlorine levels. “Free Chlorine” is the amount of chlorine that’s available to sanitize your pool water. If these levels are low, you don’t have enough chlorine working in your water. To test for free chlorine, use test strips, a liquid test kit, or take a sample to your local pool supply store. If you have a chlorine or salt water pool, your free chlorine and combined chlorine should read between 1 and 3 ppm (parts per million).
• Calculate your combined chlorine levels. If your free chlorine levels are lower than your total chlorine levels, you can end up with chloramines. Chloramines are the byproduct of chlorine sanitizing which can be irritating and even corrosive. Your Combined Chlorine is the difference between your Free Chlorine reading and the Total Chlorine reading. Your combined chlorine should be below 0.5 ppm.
• Shock your pool with cal-hypo shock. To quickly bump up your free chlorine levels and remove chloramines, shock your pool using calcium hypochlorite shock. Calcium hypochlorite should be the main active ingredient in your pool shock (around 60 to 80%). Shocking your pool once per week during peak pool season refreshes your sanitizer levels and prevents cloudy water. If you need more help using shock, check out our guide on how to use pool shock.
• Test and add cyanuric acid if needed. Make sure you have the proper levels of cyanuric acid or CYA in your water. This will help prevent the sun’s UV rays from breaking down your chlorine too quickly. Your CYA levels should be between 30 and 50 ppm. Be sure to read our guide on how to balance your cyanuric acid levels.

3. Poor Water Chemistry: High pH, Alkalinity, and Calcium Hardness Levels

High levels of pH, Total Alkalinity, and Calcium Hardness can form scale on your pool surfaces and inside your plumbing. This can lead to pool filtration, bacteria growth, and cloudy water. And poor water chemistry makes it more difficult for your chlorine to function well and kill contaminants.

SOLUTION: Test and balance your pH, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness levels.

• Test and balance your Total Alkalinity (TA) levels. Your alkalinity helps prevent fluctuations in your pH, so you’ll want to adjust these levels first. High alkalinity levels can cause pH and calcium scaling, which can cause cloudy water. To lower your alkalinity levels, use muriatic acid or a pH decreaser. To raise your alkalinity levels, use an alkalinity increaser or baking soda.
• Test and balance your pH levels. Improper pH levels can affect your chlorine and the other chemicals in your water. High levels of pH can cause calcium build-up and scaling which leads to cloudy pool water. Low levels of pH can cause your chlorine to become overly reactive and quickly depleted. This means it’s less effective at sanitizing, leading to a build-up of contaminants and cloudy pool water. You can lower your pH levels with a pH decreaser. You can raise your pH with a pH increaser or soda ash. If you want more help balancing your pH and total alkalinity, check out our complete guide to basic pool water chemistry.
• Test and balance your Calcium Hardness levels. High calcium hardness levels can cause calcium build-up and scale inside your pool plumbing and equipment. This creates a cloudy pool water problem that’s not easy to fix. If you have high calcium hardness levels, the only thing you can do is dilute your pool water. Partially drain your pool and refill with fresh water from a garden hose filter. Just remember that diluting your pool water will affect all of your water chemistry levels, so you’ll need to test your water again. For more help, check out our guide on how to balance your calcium hardness levels.

4. Contaminants, Like Debris or Algae

Contaminants, particles, and small debris in your pool can cause cloudy water. This is especially common during the springtime. Early-stage algae growth may also cause cloudy pool water.

SOLUTION: Treat algae in its early stages by cleaning and shocking your pool. Test, balance, and clean your water after a rainstorm or when debris or pollen accumulates in your pool.

• Treat algae. If you already have visible algae growth, you’ll need to get rid of your algae problem before you treat your cloudy pool water. Unfortunately, algaecide won’t solve the problem. It’s better as a preventative measure, not a treatment. To remove algae, you’ll need to skim, brush, and vacuum your pool. Be sure to bypass the filter by vacuuming on the waste setting. Then, you’ll want to shock your pool. If you need a step-by-step tutorial on getting rid of algae, check out our guide on how to get rid of algae in your pool.
• Test, balance, and clean your pool after a rainstorm. Storms can blow dirt and debris into your pool and the rain can dilute your pool water. That means your chlorine levels can drop, which we know can lead to cloudy water. Test and balance your water after a rainstorm and skim, brush, and vacuum the pool as needed. If you need to lower your water level, follow this guide on how to drain water from your pool after rain.

Tired of cloudy water and want to learn how to never deal with this problem again? Check out our pool maintenance video course today!

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If you’ve tackled these common problems and you want to fix cloudy pool water fast, you can use either a pool clarifier or pool flocculant (aka pool floc). However, your cloudy pool water will return if you don’t correct the underlying causes. So be sure your filter system is running smoothly, your chlorine levels are correct, your water is balanced and you’ve eliminated any algae growth.

How To Use Pool Clarifier (Clears Cloudy Water In 48-72 Hours)

Pool clarifier uses your pool filter system to clear up the cloudy water. This is the easiest method for clearing cloudy pool water, but it takes a few days depending on your pool filter system’s power. A pool clarifier works with any filter type and works best with milder cloudy water issues.

1. Skim, Brush, and Vacuum Your Pool

Remove large debris with a heavy-duty skimmer. Brush your walls well with a stiff pool brush, then vacuum manually.

Do not use an automatic pool cleaner. It won’t properly suck up finer debris. Then vacuum your pool. But if you think you’ve got an algae problem, be sure to check out our guide on how to get rid of pool algae here first.

2. Test and Balance Your Water

Test your water with test strips or a liquid test kit. Test strips are easier and quicker to use but are less accurate than a good liquid test kit. Or you can take a water sample to your local pool store. Then, adjust your pH and alkalinity as needed until your water is balanced.

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3. Shock Your Pool

To eliminate any contaminants or chloramines in your cloudy pool water, add a high dose of chlorine by shocking your pool. If the cloudy water in your pool is due to a pool algae bloom, you’ll have to double or triple shock depending on the type of algae you have. And always shock your pool at dusk or night for maximum effectiveness.

Run your filter and let the shock dissolve overnight or for at least 8 hours. Then retest your water.

4. Run Your Filter 24/7

You’ll need to continuously run your filter over the next few days to help clear up the cloudy water. Then you can return to regular filter run times once your water is clear.

Your pool will clear faster depending on the type of filter you own. D.E. Filters, for example, filter out extra fine particles and will clear up cloudy water more quickly. If you have a cartridge filter, it will take a bit longer. If you have a sand filter, it will take the longest.

5. Increase Your Pool Circulation

Your skimmer located at the surface of your pool can’t get to the debris or cloudy water at the bottom of your pool. To help all of your pool water pass through your filter, you can increase your pool’s circulation.

• Position your return jets. Point your return jet(s) down at a 45° angle and all in the same direction. This will help churn the cloudy water up from the bottom of the pool to the top where your main skimmer can get it into your filter system.
• Use your bottom drains. If you have an inground pool, make sure the main drain at the bottom is on and is pulling water from the bottom of the pool into your filter system. This will speed up filtering and clear the pool water faster.
• Turn your vacuum upside down. If you have an above ground pool with no main drain, you can hook up your manual vacuum cleaner and turn it upside down at the bottom of the pool to mimic a bottom main drain.

6. Add Pool Water Clarifier

After your pool water has circulated and your shock has dissipated, it’s time to add your clarifier. Clarifier helps bind tiny particles into bigger particles that your filter can capture. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions to make sure you’re adding the correct amount for your size pool.

Here’s our recommendation for a pool clarifier:

Our Top Pick

Pool Water Clarifier by Swim University

Clears cloudy pool water by combining particles making it easier for your filter to remove. Let your filter do all the work! This fast-acting formula improves filter efficiency for the more effective removal of dead algae and organic debris. Apply clarifier directly to the pool. Great for all pools including inground, above ground, concrete, plaster, vinyl liner, and fiberglass. It's also compatible with salt water, mineral, ozone, and non-chlorine pool water. 

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Clarifier works to clear mild cloudy pool water. Add it every other day as your filter runs until your water clears. If you have extremely cloudy water, you need to use a pool flocculant.

How To Use Pool Flocculant (Clears Cloudy Water In 24-48 Hours)

Pool flocculant, also known as Pool Floc, causes the particles to coagulate together, creating large clumps that sink to the bottom of your pool. It’s much faster and more powerful than a pool clarifier, but it takes much more work and requires a lot of manual vacuuming.

The coagulated particles cannot be removed by your filter, so you must be able to vacuum the water out of your pool while bypassing your filter media.

1. Balance Your pH

Test your water’s pH levels with test strips or a liquid test kit. Then, adjust your pH as needed, either with a pH increaser or pH decreaser.

2. Add Pool Flocculant (Floc) Your Water

Pool flocculant binds the contaminants that cause cloudy pool water. Those large clumps then sink to the bottom of your pool. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions to make sure you’re adding the correct amount of floc for your size pool.

Here’s our recommendation for a pool flocculant:

Our Top Pick

Fast Floc by Swim University

A fast-acting formula that drops cloudy water particles to the bottom of the pool so you can vacuum it out. Fast Floc will help you remove dead algae and non-living organic contaminants from your pool fast.

It's safe for all pools and filters including inground, above ground, concrete, plaster, fiberglass, vinyl liner, and more.

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3. Circulate Your Water

Circulate the pool water with your filter system for two hours. If you have a multiport valve, set it to “recirculate” to bypass your filter.

After circulating the pool chemical for two hours, shut off the filter system for the next 8-12 hours to let the particles settle to the bottom of the pool. Make sure your automatic timer doesn’t turn on in the middle of the night.

4. Vacuum Water Out Of Your Pool

You should now see a big cloud at the bottom of the pool. This means the pool flocculant collected all the particles that were making the water cloudy and sank them to the bottom. And that means it’s time to vacuum.

If you just vacuum your water through your filtration system, it’ll just blow right back in through the return jets. Instead, you have to vacuum the water out of your pool.

To do this with a multiport valve on your filter, just set it to the Waste option. This will send the pool water out of the backwash port as you vacuum. Keep a garden hose in your pool to refill your water while you vacuum.

If you don’t have a multiport valve, open the drain port on your filter and let it drain out as you vacuum.

Move the vacuum slowly along the bottom of the pool or else you’ll kick up the cloudy water. You may have to do this multiple times. Let the cloud resettle before continuing.

5. Test And Balance Your Water

Because you’ve removed water from your pool, you’ll need to rebalance your water chemistry. Test your pool water using test strips or a liquid test kit and adjust your Alkalinity and pH. Once you get those levels balanced, add your chlorine.

Now that you’ve gotten the cloudy water out of the pool, you can start running your filter system normally (8-12 hours a day or however long it takes your water to cycle through your filter at least once).

Frequently Asked Questions About Cloudy Pool Water

Looking for more help with your cloudy pool water? Here are some common questions and answers.

How long does it take for a cloudy pool to clear?

Depending on how cloudy your water is, it may take 2-3 days for your water to clear. If you’re using a clarifier, you’ll need to run your filter 24/7, keep your water chemistry balanced, and add the proper amount of water clarifier every other day until it’s clear. Pool flocculant is more powerful and can clear up your cloudy pool water in 1-2 days. But you will need to use a manual vacuum to remove all of the coagulated particles.

Should you swim in cloudy pool water?

No, you should not swim in a cloudy pool. Cloudy pool water is full of contaminants and pathogens. There’s also an increased risk of drowning since swimmers can’t see the bottom of the pool.

Why is my pool cloudy after shocking?

Adding pool shock to an otherwise perfectly clean and balanced pool can even cause temporary cloudiness. This is common and it will dissipate over time as your filter runs. This can also happen if you use a cheaper shock. Be sure to use cal-hypo shock and read the instructions for the proper dosages.

Does too much chlorine make pool water cloudy?

High doses of chlorine, like pool shock, can cause temporary cloudiness as it kills contaminants. High levels of pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness are more likely to cause cloudy water.

Will rainwater make my pool cloudy?

Rainstorms commonly cause cloudy pool water. They can wash contaminants into your pool water and the additional rainwater can throw off your pool water chemistry and lower your chlorine levels.

Will a cloudy pool clear on its own?

If your filter system is running properly and consistently, your chlorine levels are correct, your water is balanced and you’ve eliminated any algae growth, your cloudy pool can clear on its own. Otherwise, consider using a pool clarifier or pool flocculant.

Need More Pool Maintenance Help?

• Download our free Pool Care Cheat Sheet. It’s a free, easy-to-use guide to help you keep track of taking care of your pool.
• Subscribe to our Swim University YouTube Channel. We publish free video tutorials throughout the pool season.
• Check out our Pool Care Course. You’ll get 30+ step-by-step videos and a step-by-step downloadable guide with everything you need to know about pool maintenance.

The post How to Clear Cloudy Pool Water in 48 Hours or Less appeared first on Swim University®.

Or maybe you’ve noticed orangeish-pink streaks or spots around your pool’s waterline, in the corners, on light fixtures and pipe fittings, or even on the water’s surface. You’re dealing with pink slime.

Fortunately, addressing both of these problems is as easy as preventing them from happening again in the future. All it takes is an understanding of what these substances truly are.

What is White Water Mold?

Just like any other type of mold, white water mold is a type of fungus. All molds are fungi, but not all fungi are molds. For example, yeast is also a fungus, but it’s not mold, which is a good thing because without it, we wouldn’t have bread and beer. Then again, without mold, we wouldn’t have penicillin. Regardless, white water mold is not something you want in your pool.

What is That Pink Slime in a Pool?

Because of its appearance, you may have heard pink slime in a pool referred to as pink algae. But it’s not algae at all. It’s Serratia marcescens, also known as pink bacteria.

You’ve probably seen it before, in your home, most likely in your bathroom. Maybe along the bottom of your shower curtain, or around the water line in a toilet bowl. You may have heard some people say, “Oh, that’s just rust. We have hard water.”

It’s not rust. It’s an airborne bacteria that loves moist environments, especially bathrooms, because it feeds on the mineral deposits found in soap scum. It also likes fatty deposits found in soap and shampoo residue. Apparently, pink bacteria is not a picky eater.

Aside from being unsightly, it’s also dangerous. If the bacteria enters the body, usually through the eyes or nose, or via an open wound, it can cause numerous illnesses such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections, lower respiratory tract infections, to name just a few. For this reason, it’s all the more important to get rid of it when you find it in your pool, or better yet, keep it from occurring at all.

Important: Another place you may see pink bacteria in your home is in a pet’s water dish. If this happens, you must clean and sanitize the dish, and keep it clean to prevent illness. Serratia marcescens can cause or complicate urinary tract infections in dogs, and bacteremia in both dogs and cats.

What Causes White Water Mold and Pink Slime?

Just like any other type of fungus or bacteria, white water mold and pink slime are organic, naturally occurring substances.

If you find either one—or heaven forbid, both—in your pool, it’s due to two factors: your pool isn’t clean, and the water isn’t properly balanced.

Does Biguanide Cause White Water Mold?

No. This rumor persists for some reason, but no. Biguanide (which you may know under the brand name Baquacil) doesn’t cause white mold to grow in your pool.

In fact, biguanide can help get rid of it, if that’s the system you’re already using in your pool.

Whichever problem you have, the first step in getting rid of either mold or slime is going to be to clean your pool.

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How to Get Rid of White Water Mold in a Chlorine Pool

It’s important to be thorough in this process because even the smallest bit of white water mold left behind can multiply and go right back to being a big problem in no time.

1. Clean the Filter

If there’s white water mold in your pool, it’s probably in your filter too. So before you do anything else, clean the filter because you’ll need to use the filter later on to complete this process. It won’t be as effective if it’s infested with mold.

For this step, simply backwashing a sand or D.E. filter, or spraying the cartridge with a hose is enough, though you can also use filter cleaner if you want to.

2. Balance the Water

The most important level to balance is the pH. Make sure it’s between 7.4 and 7.6, with 7.5 being ideal.

3. Shock the Pool

A regular dose won’t be enough to kill the white water mold. You’ll need to triple or even quadruple shock your pool with chlorine shock. That means adding 3 or 4 pounds of calcium hypochlorite shock per 10,000 gallons of water.

If you’re not sure of your pool’s volume, you can use a pool calculator to figure it out before shocking.

Pool Volume Calculator Click on your pool shape to calculate the volume of water.

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Round

Get Pool Volume

Get Pool Volume

Important: Remember, you need to shock your pool at dusk or night, so plan this process accordingly.

Our Top Pick

Calcium Hypochlorite Pool Shock (Cal-Hypo Shock)

This fast-acting, quick-dissolving swimming pool shock from DryTec kills bacteria, controls algae, and destroys organic contaminants in pools. It comes in easy-to-use 1-pound bags.

Use the entire contents of the bag when opened. If any granules settle to the bottom of the pool use brush to disperse them. Add the right dosage of this product during evening hours while the filter pump is running.

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4. Brush the Pool

Using a stiff pool brush, thoroughly brush the pool’s bottom and walls. The goal is to brush as much of the white water mold off the surface as possible.

Check in and around the skimmer and return jets, behind ladders, and in shady spots of your pool where mold likes to lurk.

Our Top Pick

Heavy Duty Round Pool Brush

The wide pool brush has 360 degrees of strong bristles to clean hard-to-reach pool surfaces fast, including steps, ladders, slides, diving boards, and tough corners/crevices in every type of pool. This one-of-a-kind pool brush eliminates back and hip pains associated with one-sided brushes.

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5. Run the Pump

Overnight is good, but for 24 hours is even better. The idea is to get all the mold you brushed from the pool into the filter, so give it as much time as you can.

6. Brush the Pool Again

Think you got all the mold the first time around? Think again. You probably missed some, and if you leave it, everything you’re doing now will be for nothing because it’ll come right back.

So brush the sides and bottom of the pool again, and then let everything you brush up settle on the bottom.

7. Vacuum the Pool

An automatic pool cleaner won’t be enough for this job. You’ll need to manually vacuum the pool. Be sure to vacuum to waste.

Tip: Depending on how much mold and other debris you have to vacuum out of the pool, the water line may drop too low. Have a garden hose handy to refill as necessary.

8. Clean the Filter Again

This time, definitely use a filter cleaner for a sand or D.E. filter, or a chemical soak for a cartridge filter.

9. Test and Balance the Water

You can use test strips or a liquid test kit, or take a sample of pool water to your local pool store and have them test it for you. Make sure you bring the pH, alkalinity, and especially the chlorine back up to the right levels.

Note: Yes, you do need to repeat a couple of steps. That should be an indication of what a problem white water mold is, and how difficult it can be to get rid of it. Be patient and thorough, because repeating a couple of steps is better than repeating the entire process if any mold is left behind.

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Keep an Eye Out for More Mold

You’ll want to closely monitor your pool for a few days to a week after this cleaning process to make sure the white water mold doesn’t return.

During that time, run the pump as often and for as long as you can. Also, brush and vacuum the pool every other day, just to be sure.

How to Get Rid of White Water Mold in a Biguanide Pool

This process will be very similar to the one for a chlorine pool, just with different chemicals and a couple of slight adjustments.

1. Clean the Filter

If there’s white water mold in your pool, it’s probably in your filter too. So before you do anything else, clean the pool filter because you’ll need to use the filter later on to complete this process. It won’t be as effective if it’s infested with mold.

For this step, simply backwashing a sand or D.E. filter, or spraying the cartridge with a hose is enough, though you can also use filter cleaner if you want to.

2. Balance the Water

The most important level to balance is the pH. Make sure it’s between 7.4 and 7.6, with 7.5 being ideal.

3. Use an Oxidizer

Remember, biguanide sanitizer doesn’t oxidize contaminants, so you must supplement it with an oxidizer. Also, you can’t use regular shock—chlorine or non-chlorine—in a biguanide pool.

A regular dose won’t be enough to kill the white water mold. You’ll need to use a triple or even quadruple dose. That means adding 3 or 4 gallons of oxidizer per 10,000 gallons of water.

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4. Brush the Pool

Using a stiff pool brush, thoroughly brush the pool’s bottom and walls. The goal is to brush as much of the white water mold off the surface as possible.

Check in and around the skimmer and return jets, behind ladders, and in shady spots of your pool where mold likes to lurk.

5. Run the Pump

Overnight is good, but for 24 hours is even better. The idea is to get all the mold you brushed from the pool into the filter, so give it as much time as you can.

6. Brush the Pool Again

Think you got all the mold the first time around? Think again. You probably missed some, and if you leave it, everything you’re doing now will be for nothing because it’ll come right back.

So brush the sides and bottom of the pool again, and then let everything you brush up settle on the bottom.

7. Vacuum the Pool

An automatic pool cleaner won’t be enough for this job. You’ll need to manually vacuum the pool. Be sure to vacuum to waste.

Tip: Depending on how much mold and other debris you have to vacuum out of the pool, the water line may drop too low. Have a garden hose handy to refill as necessary.

8. Clean the Filter Again

This time, definitely use a filter cleaner for a sand or D.E. filter, or a chemical soak for a cartridge filter.

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01/28/2023 04:34 am GMT

9. Test and Balance the Water

You can use test strips or a liquid test kit, or take a sample of pool water to your local pool store and have them test it for you. Make sure you bring the pH, alkalinity, and especially the chlorine back up to the right levels.

10. Add Algaecide

Important: You won’t do this step until 5 to 7 days after completing the cleaning process.

We don’t normally recommend using algaecide. But a biguanide algaecide does more than fight algae. It also works with the sanitizer and oxidizer to kill and prevent white water mold.

Add 4 ounces of biguanide algaecide for every 10,000 gallons of water in your pool. You can continue to do this once a week for regular maintenance, if you like.

Baquacil Performance Algaecide

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Note: Yes, you do need to repeat a couple of steps. That should be an indication of what a problem white water mold is, and how difficult it can be to get rid of it. Be patient and thorough, because repeating a couple of steps is better than repeating the entire process if any mold is left behind.

Keep an Eye Out for More Mold

You’ll want to closely monitor your pool for a few days to a week after this cleaning process to make sure the white water mold doesn’t return.

During that time, run the pump as often and for as long as you can. Also, brush and vacuum the pool every other day, just to be sure.

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How to Get Rid of Pink Slime in a Chlorine Pool

Unfortunately, pink bacteria is resistant to most of the chemicals you use to clean and sanitize your pool, even chlorine. So the usual cleaning processes and sanitizer doses just won’t do.

1. Clean the Filter

If there’s pink bacteria in your pool, it’s probably in your filter too. So before you do anything else, clean the pool filter because you’ll need to use the filter later on to complete this process.

For this step, simply backwashing a sand or D.E. filter, or spraying the cartridge with a hose is enough, though you can also use filter cleaner if you want to.

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Pool Filter Cleaner

Spray or soak your pool filter in this powerful cleaner to make your filter perform like new!

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2. Balance the Water

The most important level to balance is the pH. Make sure it’s between 7.4 and 7.6, with 7.5 being ideal.

3. Turn off the Pump

You’ll be adding some chemicals to the water, and you don’t want them to circulate just yet.

4. Brush the Pool

Using a stiff pool brush, thoroughly brush the pool’s bottom and walls. The goal is to brush as much of the pink bacteria off the surface as possible.

Check in and around the skimmer and return jets, behind ladders, and in shady spots of your pool where bacteria likes to lurk.

5. Add Algaecide (Sort Of)

We’ve already established that pink slime is bacteria and not algae. Yet, because so many people refer to it as pink algae, some companies have created products to address the problem as it’s popularly known.

So look for an “algaecide” that specifies it’s for treating pink slim or pink bacteria. One such brand is Pink Treat.

United Chemicals Pink Pool Treat Algaecide

$25.48 ($0.80 / Ounce)

Helps control blooms of red and pink algae. Plus controls white slime, pink, and white water mold in pools treated with chlorine or bromine.

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01/27/2023 03:47 pm GMT

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the package to add the appropriate amount for your pool’s volume.

6. Shock the Pool

A regular dose won’t be enough to kill the chemical-resistant pink bacteria. You’ll need to triple or even quadruple shock your pool with chlorine shock. That means adding 3 or 4 pounds of calcium hypochlorite shock per 10,000 gallons of water.

Test the water between each application of shock. The goal is to bring the chlorine level up to 5 parts per million (ppm).

Important: Remember, you need to shock your pool at dusk or night, so plan this process accordingly.

7. Take a Break

With the pump still off, let the pool sit overnight.

8. Vacuum the Pool

An automatic pool cleaner won’t be enough for this job. You’ll need to manually vacuum the pool. Be sure to vacuum to waste.

Tip: Don’t allow the water line to drop too low. Have a garden hose handy to refill as necessary.

9. Clean the Filter Again

This time, definitely use a filter cleaner for a sand or D.E. filter, or a chemical soak for a cartridge filter.

10. Run the Pump

Keep it on as you normally would.

11. Keep the Chlorine Level High

For about a week after this treatment, keep the chlorine level at 5 ppm. You’ll need to test the water every day to ensure you’re maintaining this level.

The easiest way to test that often is with test strips or a liquid test kit.

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Test Strips for Pools and Hot Tubs

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12. Balance the Water

After a week, allow the chlorine level to drop back to normal, then balance the water as you normally do, bringing all levels to where they should be.

How to Get Rid of Pink Slime in a Biguanide Pool

This process will be very similar to the one for a chlorine pool, just with different chemicals and a couple of slight adjustments.

1. Clean the Filter

If there’s pink bacteria in your pool, it’s probably in your filter too. So before you do anything else, clean the pool filter because you’ll need to use the filter later on to complete this process.

For this step, simply backwashing a sand or D.E. filter, or spraying the cartridge with a hose is enough, though you can also use filter cleaner if you want to.

2. Balance the Water

The most important level to balance is the pH. Make sure it’s between 7.4 and 7.6, with 7.5 being ideal.

3. Turn off the Pump

You’ll be adding some chemicals to the water, and you don’t want them to circulate just yet.

4. Brush the Pool

Using a stiff pool brush, thoroughly brush the pool’s bottom and walls. The goal is to brush as much of the pink bacteria off the surface as possible.

Check in and around the skimmer and return jets, behind ladders, and in shady spots of your pool where bacteria likes to lurk.

Add Biguanide Algaecide

Remember, you cannot use regular algaecide—or the pink-specific “algaecide”—in a biguanide pool. Add 16 ounces of biguanide algaecide for every 10,000 gallons of pool water.

3. Add an Oxidizer

Remember, biguanide sanitizer doesn’t oxidize contaminants, so you must supplement it with an oxidizer. Also, you can’t use regular shock—chlorine or non-chlorine—in a biguanide pool.

A regular dose won’t be enough to kill the chemical-resistant pink bacteria. You’ll need to use a triple or even quadruple dose. That means adding 3 or 4 gallons of oxidizer per 10,000 gallons of water.

4. Raise the Sanitizer Level

The usual range for biguanide is 30 ppm to 50 ppm. To kill the pink bacteria, bring the biguanide level up to 50 ppm.

6. Take a Break

With the pump still off, let the pool sit overnight.

7. Vacuum the Pool

An automatic pool cleaner won’t be enough for this job. You’ll need to manually vacuum the pool. Be sure to vacuum to waste.

Tip: Don’t allow the water line to drop too low. Have a garden hose handy to refill as necessary.

Recheck the Sanitizer Level

Make sure the biguanide level is still at 50 ppm. If it’s fallen, add more biguanide to bring it back up.

8. Clean the Filter Again

This time, definitely use a filter cleaner for a sand or D.E. filter, or a chemical soak for a cartridge filter.

9. Run the Pump

Keep it running continuously until the water clears.

11. Balance the Water

Once the water clears, allow the biguanide level to drop back to within the normal range, then balance the water as you normally do, bringing all levels to where they should be.

Keep an Eye Out for More Bacteria

You’ll want to closely monitor your pool for a few days to a week after this cleaning process to make sure the pink bacteria doesn’t return.

During that time, run the pump as often and for as long as you can. Also, brush and vacuum the pool every other day, just to be sure.

How to Prevent White Water Mold and Pink Slime in Your Pool

Whew! After all that work, you’ll want to make sure you keep that mold and bacteria where it belongs—out of your pool!

The best ways to prevent either invasion are to keep your pool clean (and we mean clean), keep the water balanced (especially the pH and sanitizer levels), and shock regularly (or use an oxidizer for a biguanide pool).

No More Pink, White and Blue for You!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water—it is! After putting in all that hard work, you deserve to enjoy your pool. Just stick to your pool care schedule to keep that white water mold away, and don’t allow the pink slime back in your pool. A little maintenance goes a long way to keeping your pool clean, clear, and swimmable.

Happy Swimming!

The post How to Get Rid of White Water Mold and Pink Slime in a Pool appeared first on Swim University®.

If only that were the case. The truth is, you can be super vigilant about maintenance, and your pool can still end up with stains. The good news is, all you need is a good pool stain remover. The better news is, you can take steps to prevent future pool stains. The key is knowing what caused the stains in the first place.

What Causes Pool Stains?

Before you can choose and apply the correct pool stain remover, you need to determine what stained your pool. The most common pool stains generally fall into two categories:

• Organic: Leaves, berries, and other organic debris can leave stains if they’re allowed to settle and left too long on your pool’s surfaces.
• Metal: Several types of metal can accidentally be introduced into your pool. Maybe your primary water source is a well, or you have corroded copper pipes in your water system. Rusted metal accessories, parts, and equipment can also cause stains.

Once you determine what type of stain you have, you can decide which type of pool stain remover to use. The best way to figure that out is by the stain’s color.

Greenish-Brown Stains

These are most likely organic stains caused by leaves or other plant matter.

Reddish-Blue Stains

These are more than likely from brightly colored berries. If you have berry-bearing trees or bushes near the pool, they’re the most likely culprits.

Blueish-Greenish-Black Stains

These could be caused by organic matter like leaves or berries. But if there’s nothing like that around your pool, they were likely caused by copper, which can be present in well water. Or if you have copper piping anywhere in your plumbing system, they may be corroded, which can also cause stains.

Greenish-Brownish-Red Stains

This combination is an indication of iron in the water. If you fill your pool with well water, it’s highly likely that it contains iron. Or perhaps you have iron somewhere in your pool area, such as a fence. If it rusts, and the rust makes its way into your pool somehow (when it rains, for example), you can end up with stains of these colors.

Brownish-Blackish-Purple Stains

This dark color combination is caused by manganese. This naturally occurring metal is present in well water, but can also be found in municipal water supplies. The water is treated to reduce the amount of manganese, but it’s not completely removed.

Determine the Stain’s Cause

Once you’ve got a good idea of what caused the staining in your pool, you’ll need to test your theory and confirm the source of the problem.

Organic Stain Test

If you suspect an organic stain, try applying a small amount of chlorine directly to it. If it’s truly organic, it should go away easily.

Metal Stain Test

Chlorine has little to no effect on metals. This is why some pool accessories such as ladders are made of metal.

If you suspect a metal stain, apply some ascorbic acid—vitamin C—powder to the stain. If the stain is removed or at least lightened by the powder, it was caused by metal.

How to Get Rid of Pool Stains

Identifying the stains and their sources if only half the battle. Next is removing them.

How To Get Rid of Organic Pool Stains

As the identification test indicated, chlorine is the solution here. But because the amount you use for regular sanitizing isn’t enough to remove stains, you’ll need to super chlorinate the water. To do that, you’ll use pool shock.

Our Top Pick

Calcium Hypochlorite Pool Shock (Cal-Hypo Shock)

This fast-acting, quick-dissolving swimming pool shock from DryTec kills bacteria, controls algae, and destroys organic contaminants in pools. It comes in easy-to-use 1-pound bags.

Use the entire contents of the bag when opened. If any granules settle to the bottom of the pool use brush to disperse them. Add the right dosage of this product during evening hours while the filter pump is running.

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1. Test and balance the water: Use test strips or a liquid test kit to ensure the alkalinity is between 100 parts per million (ppm) and 150 ppm, which 125 ppm being ideal, and the pH is between 7.4 and 7.6, with 7.5 being ideal.
2. Shock the pool: If you’re dealing with just one small stain, a regular dose of shock should take care of the problem. But if you have multiple or large stains, to get rid of them with just one round of shocking, use a triple dose. This means adding 3 pounds of calcium hypochlorite shock for every 10,000 gallons of water.
3. Brush the pool: Use a stiff pool brush to thoroughly scrub the stains. It’s OK if you don’t remove them completely at this point.
4. Run the pump: Allow the shock to circulate throughout the pool for at least eight hours or overnight.
5. Brush the pool again: During those eight hours, or the next day, scrub the stains again.
6. Check the stains: Are they gone? Great, you’re done! Are they still visible? Repeat the process.

Important: Remember always to shock at dusk, or at night, for best results.

Note: If you’re not sure of your pool’s volume, you can use a pool calculator to figure it out.

Pool Volume Calculator Click on your pool shape to calculate the volume of water.

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Get Pool Volume

How To Get Rid of Metal Pool Stains

Metal stains can be a little more difficult to get rid of, but it’s not impossible.

1. Test the water for metals: It’s a good idea to find out what kind of metal has stained your pool. It can make a difference in the type of pool stain remover you need to get. Some home test kits will test for metals, but your best bet is to take a sample of your pool water to your local pool store and ask them to test it for you.
2. Get a metal pool stain remover: Look for one that targets the type of metal that’s stained your pool.
3. Follow the instructions: Each pool stain remover will work a little differently, so follow the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure the best results.

United Chemicals Pool Stain Treat

$27.70 ($0.87 / Ounce)

Pool stain treat is a sequestrate and a chelator that has the strength to remove stains from any kind of swimming pool. Compatible with Baquacil and Soft Swim and works 40-60 days on all pool surfaces.

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01/28/2023 02:28 am GMT

Preventing Pool Stains

Once you’ve removed those stains, you’ll want to keep them from coming back. It’ll keep your pool looking nice, and will save you the extra work of removing them.

How to Prevent Organic Pool Stains

With just a little effort, you can keep organic contaminants from making their mark on your pool—literally.

• Keep the pool water balanced at all times, especially the alkalinity, pH, and sanitizer levels.
• Keep the pool clean by using an robotic pool cleaner, or by manually vacuuming on a regular basis.
• Skim the pool surface often to keep leaves, twigs, and other organic debris from sinking to and settling on the bottom of the pool where they can stain.
• Move plants that bear fruit away from the pool area. If you plan to do some pool landscaping, make sure you plant fruit-bearing trees and shrubs well away from the pool.
• Check the pool regularly for stains. If you find any, take steps to remove them while they’re still small.

Our Top Pick

Complete Liquid Test Kit for Pools and Hot Tubs

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How to Prevent Metal Pool Stains

It’ll take a little more vigilance, but you can keep metals from making your pool look ugly.

• Test your water source for metals. If they’re present, use a hose filter when filling or refilling your pool.
• Use a metal sequestrant in your pool. This chemical binds with metal particles to keep them from settling on pool surfaces, and to make it possible for them to be removed by the pool filter.
• Maintain your pool plumbing. If any parts of it use copper pipes, check them regularly for corrosion, and replace them when necessary.
• Keep the pH level in your pool steady. This is especially important if you have copper in your water. A low pH level will make the water acidic, which will corrode copper, which will oxidize it, which will stain your pool.

Important: A metal sequestrant is not a metal pool stain remover. It can help prevent stains by making it easier for metals to be removed from the water. But once you have a metal stain, a sequestrant will not remove it.

Pool Mate Metal Out Sequestrant and Stain Inhibitor

$25.75 ($0.80 / Fl Oz)

Helps prevent staining by removing iron, calcium, manganese, copper and other metals from your pool water. Also helps protect plumbing and pool walls from rust, stain, and scale. Used for all pool openings and closings.

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01/27/2023 04:34 pm GMT

Finding a stain in your pool can be dismaying at first. But once you’re able to identify the cause and the source of the stain, you’ll be able to easily remedy it. Then it’s just a matter of preventing future stains.

Still, it’s always a good idea to keep plenty of pool shock and metal pool stain remover on hand, just in case.

Happy Swimming!

The post How to Identify and Remove Pool Stains appeared first on Swim University®.

But when all those bubbles stay on the water, don’t pop, and start to accumulate to the point where the surface is covered with them, you have a problem: pool foam. Don’t worry, though. It’s fairly easy to get rid of, and even easier to prevent.

What is Pool Foam?

At first glance, it may just seem like air bubbles in your pool. But pool foam is made up of more than just air.

Finding foam in your pool usually means there’s a high organic load in the water. In other words, more organic material than can be dissolved in the water, or eradicated by sanitizer. This causes the water to “thicken.”

Whereas air bubbles are light and don’t have a lot of surface tension, they easily pop at the lightest application of force. With pool foam, it’s sort of the opposite.

As the pool water is agitated by the return jets—or even just a breeze on the water’s surface—bubbles are created. They’re filled with air, but the surface of those bubbles is made up of that organic material buildup, so they’re not as easy to pop. Instead, they remain on the surface and become foam.

What Causes Pool Foam?

No matter how vigilant you are about cleaning your pool and keeping the water balanced, you may still occasionally end up with pool foam. This is because it comes from innocuous sources, and sometimes, even from pool chemicals themselves.

Hair Care Products

You don’t have to have a ton of gel or hairspray in your hair to introduce organic contaminants into your pool. Even just the residue left behind by your shampoo and conditioner can eventually build up enough to become a pool foam problem.

How to Fix It: Shock your pool, preferably with chlorine shock. The superchlorination will eradicate the contaminants and help bring your pool water back to its normal, clear state. You can use chlorine-free shock if you prefer, but you may not get the best results.

How to Prevent It: Rinse off before you swim, and be sure to rinse your hair well both after shampooing and before getting into the pool. If you have a lot of product in your hair like mousse, paste, or hairspray, actually washing it and then rinsing it well is even better.

Our Top Pick

In The Swim Chlorine-Free Oxidizing Pool Shock 24 x 1 Pound Bags

Powerful oxidizing agent that eliminates combined non-sanitizing chlorine (chloramines) and provides higher free chlorine levels. Helps eliminate algae growth as well as harmful bacteria. Ideal for use with chlorine or bromine sanitized applications, weekly maintenance, and will not affect other chemical levels

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Other Toiletries

Aside from your hair, think about all the other products you apply to your body every day. Deodorant, lotion, makeup, perfume or cologne will all leave organic contaminants behind in your pool water.

How to Fix It: Second verse, same as the first: Shock the pool.

How to Prevent It: Still the same old song: Shower before you get into the pool.

High Bather Load

All those toiletry products that you may leave behind in the water? Now multiply that by the number of people using your pool.

Then add other contaminants like sweat and urine. Even if no one actually pees in the pool, there’s still residue on bodies that aren’t freshly showered. And if there’s urine residue, there’s also … we’ll leave that one to your imagination.

How to Fix It: Shock the heck out of your pool.

How to Prevent It: Make it a rule that anyone who wants to use your pool must at least rinse off—but preferably shower—before they’re allowed to put even one toe in the water.

Will this make you unpopular? Maybe. But it’s that or swim in other people’s bodily fluids. Up to you.

Our Top Pick

Calcium Hypochlorite Pool Shock (Cal-Hypo Shock)

This fast-acting, quick-dissolving swimming pool shock from DryTec kills bacteria, controls algae, and destroys organic contaminants in pools. It comes in easy-to-use 1-pound bags.

Use the entire contents of the bag when opened. If any granules settle to the bottom of the pool use brush to disperse them. Add the right dosage of this product during evening hours while the filter pump is running.

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Soap or Laundry Detergent

Yup, even the substance you use to wash yourself, and which is supposed to rinse off your skin, can leave residue behind. This is especially true of those soaps and shower gels that claim to moisturize your skin. They have to leave something behind in order to do that.

Same goes for laundry detergent. How do your clothes still smell fresh after they’ve been rinsed and dried? Because there’s detergent residue on them, not to mention the coating of tallow (that’s rendered animal fat) deposited on your clothing by fabric softener and dryer sheets.

You wear the clothes. The residue gets on your body. Your body gets in the pool. The residue gets in the pool.

How to Fix It: Shock it. A theme is emerging here.

How to Prevent It: You have a couple of options. Again, there’s showering before swimming.

But you can also consider changing or eliminating some of the products you use to wash your clothes. Look for fragrance-free laundry detergent. Also consider trying “green” detergent options that have fewer ingredients, and are environmentally friendlier.

Instead of fabric softener, try using white vinegar to soften your clothes, not to mention reduce static cling and keep the inside of your washing machine clean.

Heinz Cleaning Vinegar

All-natural and diluted to a cleaning strength of 6% acidity.

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Instead of dryer sheets, try wool dryer balls, which are said to also help your clothes natural pool cleaner rather than adding even more chemicals to the water. We get it.

The thing is, when you use those household products, you must make absolutely sure you’re using them correctly, and not allowing them to leave anything behind in the water. Otherwise, you know what happens, right? Pool foam.

How to Fix It: We’re going to let you guess the answer to this one. OK, fine, we’ll tell you. Shock the pool!

How to Prevent It: Be very careful when using products not specifically made to clean your pool. Or, just go ahead and use a pool cleaning product. You can try to find one that’s environmentally friendly.

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Pool Chemical Issues

You could have a couple of things going on here. First, maybe the pool water isn’t balanced the way it should be. If things get too out of whack—especially with your sanitizer—you can end up with a case of pool foam.

Or maybe you were trying to save some money, and you bought the cheapest chemicals you could find. We don’t mean the least expensive options from the pool store. We’re talking the chemicals you can buy in bulk from big-box stores that don’t specialize in pool chemicals.

If those chemicals don’t meet the minimum standards for maintaining your pool, they can actually do more harm than good, and one way that will be apparent is when you end up with a foamy pool.

Our Top Pick

Test Strips for Pools and Hot Tubs

Tests for 7 important chemistries in seconds: Total Hardness, Total Chlorine, Total Bromine, Free Chlorine, pH, Total Alkalinity, and Cyanuric Acid.

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How to Fix It: You’ll need to balance your pool water.

1. Test the water using test strips or a liquid test kit.
2. Balance the alkalinity first. It should be between 100 parts per million (ppm) and 150 ppm, with 125 ppm being ideal.
3. Balance the pH level. It should be between 7.4 and 7.6, with 7.5 being ideal.
4. Balance the calcium hardness level. It should be:
   • between 175 ppm and 225 ppm for vinyl and fiberglass pools
   • between 200 ppm and 275 ppm for concrete and plaster pools
5. Balance the sanitizer level according to the recommendation for whatever sanitizer you use to maintain your pool chemistry.

Once the water is balanced, wait a few hours to see whether the pool foam dissipates. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to … you guessed it: Shock the pool.

How to Prevent It: Test your pool water frequently and keep it balanced.

Also, buy pool chemicals from reputable, recognized brands, or directly from a pool store or pool maintenance professional.

Our Top Pick

Complete Liquid Test Kit for Pools and Hot Tubs

A simple but effective liquid test kit for chlorine pools and hot tubs.

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Low Calcium Level

Speaking of keeping your pool water balanced, if you allow the calcium hardness level to drop too low, you can end up with a pool foam problem on your hands.

When the calcium level drops too low, the water becomes too soft, and that leads to foam production.

How to Fix It: Add a calcium hardness increaser, or simply add calcium chloride to your pool. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to add the correct amount.

How to Prevent It: Keep your water balanced, and don’t allow the calcium level to drop below the lowest recommended level.

Our Top Pick

Calcium Hardness Increaser for Pools

Adding calcium hardness to your pool water will protect and extend the life of your pool walls including vinyl, fiberglass, and concrete.

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Algaecide

Wait, how can a chemical made specifically to take care of your pool cause a problem like pool foam?! That just doesn’t seem right.

Well, here’s the thing. Pool chemicals must be used correctly, in the correct amounts, and at the correct times. Use a pool chemical incorrectly, and … there you go. Algaecide falls into this category.

How to Fix It: This is an easy fix. All you have to do is wait, and it should dissipate on its own after a few days. While you’re waiting, you can also skim the foam from the surface of the water to speed up the process.

How to Prevent It: Pool startup kits often include algaecide. This is great if you uncover your pool to find you’ve had an algae bloom over the winter.

But if you add algaecide to your pool when there’s no algae for it to kill, it doesn’t have anything to do or anywhere to go. It will thicken the water, and the slightest agitation of the water will create pool foam.

This is true of using algaecide anytime there’s no algae present in the water. It shouldn’t be used as a preventive measure. To keep algae from blooming in the first place, make sure you keep the sanitizer level where it needs to be.

Also, if you use too much algaecide—even when there is algae in the pool—it can cause foaming, and then you have two problems to address.

You also want to look for polyquat 60 algaecide as it is much less likely to produce pool foam than other algaecide types.

Our Top Pick

Pool Algaecide 60 (Copper-Free)

$40.89 ($1.28 / Fl Oz)

A copper-free algaecide to help prevent your pool from turning green.

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01/28/2023 08:22 am GMT

Finally, this is another chemical not to skimp on. Cheaper brands may be more likely to cause foaming in the pool. Stick with known brands you buy from reputable sources.

Fast Remedy for Pool Foam

So far, all the remedies require time. You can’t swim right after shocking the pool, and if you’re waiting for algaecide to dissipate, it may be days before you see a change.

What if you have a pool party planned, and you only have a few hours to get your pool in shape for guests? You have one final option: an anti-foam chemical, also called a defoamer.

BioGuard Pool Anti-Foam

$25.99 ($0.81 / Fl Oz)

Contains a water-based formula that won't mess up your water chemistry. And it doesn't leave an oily residue or cloud the pool water.

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01/27/2023 10:47 pm GMT

This will make the pool foam disappear right before your eyes, but you only want to use it in a pinch. Remember, it treats the symptom, not the cause. You’ll still need to address the underlying problem later.

Keep the Foam in Your Hefeweizen

There’s a time and place for foam, and it’s never in your pool. Beer? Yes. Bubble bath? Of course. Swimming pool? Absolutely not.

Keep up with your pool maintenance, keep the water balanced, and use the best chemicals you can buy in the proper amounts, and you should be able to avoid any pool foam mishaps.

Happy Swimming!

The post How to Get Rid of Pool Foam appeared first on Swim University®.

You’ve probably heard that chlorine is the culprit. And if that’s true, there may be no way to avoid green hair since most pools are sanitized with chlorine. But we have good news: It’s not chlorine’s fault. Well, not totally. The key to fixing green hair is to understand why it happens. And that will also help you prevent it from happening again.

Why Does Hair Turn Green From the Pool?

The answer is simple: copper.

You know how an old penny starts to turn green after years and years of being handled? Well, maybe not if you pay for everything with cards instead of cash. OK, here’s a better example.

You know the Statue of Liberty is green, right? Well, it wasn’t always. The statue actually has a copper exterior. When it was new, it was coppery and shiny. But after years of exposure to sea water and the elements, the copper oxidized and gained its famous green patina.

The same thing happens when copper is present in pool water. It oxidizes, and can turn certain things—the walls, the floor, your hair—green.

How Does Copper End Up in Pool Water?

It usually happens in one of three ways, or some combination thereof.

Your Water Source

If the water you use to fill your pool has a high copper content, you’ll also have copper in your pool. This happens most often with well water, but some municipal water sources can also have high mineral concentrations.

Algaecide

Copper is a well-known algae killer, so it’s often the active ingredient in algaecide. If you’re keeping your pool properly clean and sanitized, you shouldn’t have to worry about using an algaecide. But if you do, the potential for green hair is increased.

Our Top Pick

Pool Algaecide 60 (Copper-Free)

$40.89 ($1.28 / Fl Oz)

A copper-free algaecide to help prevent your pool from turning green.

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01/28/2023 08:22 am GMT

Mineral Sanitizers

Chlorine isn’t the only sanitizer that can cause your hair to turn green from the pool. One of the active ingredients in a pool mineral sanitizer is copper, precisely for its algicidal properties.

Have any or all of these factors going on in your pool, and … hello green hair!

But How Does it Turn Hair Green?!

When the metal is exposed to the water and chlorine, it oxidizes. This is why you may sometimes end up with pool stains of a greenish color.

That oxidized metal then binds to the proteins in hair strands. So really, all hair can end up with oxidized copper in it. It’s just that it won’t show in darker hair colors. Because blond hair is so light, the green of the oxidized metal is visible.

Will Blond Hair Turn Green in a Saltwater Pool?

Yes. Salt water pools still use chlorine to sanitize the water, it’s just made from salt by a chlorine generator instead of being added manually as tablets or a powder.

If there’s copper in the water, and the chlorine created by the salt oxidizes it, your hair may turn green from the pool, just like it would in a regular chlorine pool.

How to Keep Your Hair from Turning Green Hair in the Pool

To keep the oxidized copper out of your hair, you’ll need to keep the copper out of the pool.

• Test your water source. Use test strips or a water testing kit to determine whether your water source contains copper. You can also take a water sample to your local pool store and have them test it for you.
• Use a hose filter. If there is copper in your water source, use a hose filter when filling your pool to keep as many minerals out as possible.
• Use a metal sequestrant. This water additive doesn’t remove metal from the water. It simply binds with the metal and prevents it from oxidizing. If you use a mineral sanitizer, you may want to skip the sequestrant. It may reduce the effectiveness of the copper component of the sanitizer. Check the manufacturers’ instructions for both the sequestrant and the sanitizer.
• Use a copper-free algaecide. If your pool develops an algae infestation, and you decide to use an algaecide during the treatment process, use one that doesn’t have copper as its active ingredient.

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But what if you swim in someone else’s pool? Or a public pool? You don’t have any control over the water or chemicals there, so you’ll need to protect your hair.

• Wear a swim cap. OK, so they may not be the most attractive things in the world, but it’s the easiest and most effective way to protect your hair from turning green in the pool. It will also protect your hair from harsh pool chemicals.
• Use a leave-in conditioner. Applying this to your hair before you go swimming will coat your hair shaft, and make it more difficult for the copper to attach itself to your hair.
• Use apple cider vinegar. Rinsing your hair with this before you swim seals the hair cuticle, which can also make it more difficult for copper to attach itself and turn your hair green.
• Wash your hair immediately. As soon as you get out of the pool, wash your hair. Don’t let it dry first.
• Use swimmer’s shampoo. Take washing your hair an extra step by using a shampoo with a chelating agent in it.
• Use a hot oil treatment. After shampooing, before you go swimming, apply hot oil to your hair. It will seal the hair cuticle, protecting it from metals, and from drying chlorine.

How to Fix Green Hair

If your hair has already turned green from the pool, don’t worry. You don’t have to cut it or wait for it to grow out. You can try a few remedies.

• Use that swimmer’s shampoo. This is better as a preventive treatment, but if you weren’t able to wash your hair right after swimming, using a chelating shampoo on green hair may take some of the tint out.
• Use lemon juice. Citric acid is often used to clean copper pots and kitchen utensils. It gets rid of oxidation, and makes them shine again. Rinsing your hair with lemon juice may do the same thing for it.
• Use apple cider vinegar. Acetic acid is also used to clean copper, and it’s found in vinegar. Give your hair a good rinse with it, and you may see some, if not all of that green come out.
• Use ketchup. No, really. It’s not a joke. Ketchup contains both vinegar and acetic acid, so it’s a double whammy on that oxidized copper in your hair. But you can’t exactly rinse with it. Instead:
  1. Apply it as you would conditioner, working it through every strand of your hair.
  2. Cover your hair with a shower cap.
  3. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
  4. Thoroughly wash your hair. Then wash it again to make sure all the ketchup—and the copper—is gone.
  5. Apply conditioner.
  6. Rinse thoroughly.
  7. Caution: You may develop an intense craving for french fries during this procedure. We recommend a healthy dose of fries to alleviate this.
• Use tomato juice. It works on the same principle as ketchup, but is a little weaker, so you may need to do it more than once.
• Use baking soda. Don’t have any lemon juice or ketchup on hand? Mix ¼ to ½ a cup of baking soda with water to make a thick paste. Apply it to your hair, and massage it through every strand. Rinse it out, then wash and condition your hair. Baking soda isn’t as strong as acids, so you may need to do it more than once.
• Use aspirin. Not Tylenol (acetaminophen). Not Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen). And not Aleve (naproxen sodium). Just plain ol’ aspirin (Bayer).
  1. Crush six to eight tablets in a bowl. Better yet, in a mortar and pestle, if you have one.
  2. Add enough warm water to rinse your hair—less for short, more for long—and allow the aspirin powder to dissolve fully, stirring if necessary.
  3. Apply it to your wet hair, and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. Rinse, shampoo and condition as you normally would.

It’s Not Easy Having Green Hair

If all else fails, and your hair’s still a sickly green color, you always do have the last resort of cutting your hair and letting healthy blond hair grow back in its place. But with all of these precautions and home remedies, we’re thinking you won’t have to go that far.

Just remember to stock up on swimmer’s shampoo, lemon juice and ketchup at the beginning of the summer, and you’ll be fine.

Happy Swimming!

The post Why Blond Hair Turns Green in the Pool and How to Fix It appeared first on Swim University®.