Does Vodka Really Clean a Pool?
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Wondering whether to use vodka to clean your pool? Relax! Using vodka gives your pool a deep clean besides disinfecting it.
However, a simple answer by pool research experts to the question “does vodka really clean a pool?” is no! This is because vodka would cause a chemical imbalance in your pool, leading to severe issues in the future.
Read on to know whether vodka is an effective pool cleaner or not, its advantages, and the alternative pool cleaning products.
How Does Vodka Clean a Swimming Pool?
Here are the steps on how to clean a swimming pool using vodka.
Step 1: Depending on your pool size, pour enough vodka into your pool water and let it settle at the bottom for minutes.
Step 2: Use your pool brush to scrub those stubborn stains, bacteria, and algae build-up.
Step 3: Run your filtration system to ensure you rinse it properly.
Step 4: Your pool is sparkling clean and has a pleasant smell
Benefits of Cleaning Your Pool with Vodka
1. Acts as a Disinfectant
Besides being an alcoholic beverage, vodka is best known for its disinfecting features. When you use it to clean a pool, it gives it a deep clean and disinfects the water.
Bacteria build-up makes pool water contaminated and can cause skin irritation to swimmers. Pouring bottles of vodka in water cleans up and sanitizes.
2. Fresh Scent
Nothing brightens a backyard compound like a sweet scent. Vodka cleans bacteria and algae at the bottom of the pool, leaving a fresh scent. The freshness is spread throughout the pool area.
It has different flavors which you can choose to fit your taste and backyard.
3. Easy to Use
Vodka comes in a bottle making it easy to use. You only need to pour out vodka in the pool water and wait for it to mix with water before scrubbing your surfaces.
4. Sparkles Pool Surface
Wet a cloth with a mixture of vodka and water and wipe those steel surfaces around the pool. They will shine like they are new.
Disadvantages of Cleaning your pool with vodka
Although vodka gives your pool a deep clean, it has some underlying disadvantages that keep away make pool owners from choosing it.
Let’s look at the disadvantages of cleaning your pool using vodka.
1. It’s not Cost Efficient
Vodka is one of the most expensive alcoholic beverages you can find in stores. So using it for cleaning a pool will cost you a lot of money. This is because you’ll require a few bottles to balance with the water in the pool.
Again it adds water testing and balancing costs every time you clean with it. You will also require to make an immediate follow-up after cleaning to avoid creating major problems.
2. Tampers with Chemical Chemistry
Pool water comprises different chemicals that are well balanced to keep the water safe for swimmers. Vodka, on the other hand, when used to clean the pool, interferes with the chemistry. You’ll be required to test the water and balance it again after every wash.
3. Not Effective
Although vodka is used to wash pool surfaces and leave them sparkling clean, it’s not an effective pool cleaner. After pouring it into the pool, you’ll have to follow up with a brush to scrub the bottom and walls.
Again, if you don’t follow up cleaning after vodka deep clean, your pool could be attracting greater problems.
Is Vodka an Effective Pool Cleaner?
Vodka is an effective pool cleaner because it disinfects and keeps your pool surfaces sparkling clean. However, due to the high cost of purchasing one bottle of vodka, it’s not economical for cleaning a pool.
Here are other affordable and effective ways of cleaning your pool.
Affordable Way to Clean My Pool
Owning a pool is the best investment you can have after building your mansion. But it comes with challenges when you don’t know the alternative cleaning products besides vodka. Incorporate these cleaning products to ensure that it is well maintained for a luxurious feeling around your home.
1. Baking Soda
Baking soda has multipurpose uses yet is relatively affordable for cleaning your pool naturally. Mix it with water to form a non –abrasive paste that works like magic on your pool tiles and grout. You can also use it to clean a marble or concrete pool surface.
2. Bleach
Where baking soda could not eliminate stains, bleach, also known as sodium hypochlorite, does the cleaning. It contains 5.25 % of sodium hypochlorite, which is the active ingredient.
Besides cleaning, you can use bleach to raise your pool water chlorine level to the point that it can kill any bacteria and algae in the water yet be safe for swimmers. Ensure you use the original scent-free bleach.
3. White Vinegar
Vinegar is the best cleaner for calcium build-up in your household items, and it also works wonders when you use it to clean your pool waterline.
Sometimes you find that your pool water looks chalky, which is unpleasant to your eyes, although it is not an alarm for damage. Mix equal parts of vinegar and water and use a sponge to scrub away the residue. You may test your water after cleaning using white vinegar and adjust levels when necessary.
4. Borax
Borax is referred to as a laundry booster because of its effectiveness in eliminating bad smells in clothes. It is a natural cleaner and can be used around your household, including to clean your pool.
Mix it with water to form a paste which you‘ll use to scrub away sticky residue and stains around and inside the pool. Although not as inexpensive as baking soda, it is less expensive than most high-end pool cleaning products.
You can also use it to raise the pH of your pool. Add half a cup per 10,000 gallons of water though it depends on the current status of your pool pH.
5. Lemon Juice
Lemon juice contains citric acid, which is a natural universal cleaner—including pools. It removes calcium buildup, grease and softens rusted surfaces for easier rust removal.
Use lemon juice to regain the shiny look on your metal surfaces, just like when you use vinegar. Mix a cup of lemon juice with salt to make a thick syrup. Use a cloth or sponge to apply the mixture to metal or tile surfaces and gently scrub the gunk or residue away.
Increase the amount of lemon juice portion depending on the extent of grime buildup.
6. Muriatic Acid
If you own a concrete or gunite pool, one thing you should not forget is to acid wash after every five years. Muriatic acid is the best and most common pool washer, and you can also use it to lower the alkalinity of your water by 10ppm in normal pool size. The acid is less expensive compared to other alkalinity decreasers.
Note: Muriatic acid is highly corrosive on your skin and when using it to clean your pool, remember to wear protective clothing to avoid injury.
7. Isopropyl Alcohol
Also known as rubbing alcohol, isopropyl is used around the house as a cleaner and sanitizer. It is good for removing sticky grime and sparkling your stainless steel surfaces.
Mix it with water to attain an alcohol level of at least 50% before using it to clean and disinfect your pool surfaces. Due to its alcoholic scent and concentration, it keeps swimming pool bacteria and algae away. You can also rub it on wounded areas to prevent infection.
Besides cleaning your pool using the above products, there are other ways you can maintain your pool at no extra cost.
How Can I Keep My Swimming Pool Clean?
Instead of pondering on the question “does vodka really clean a pool?” you can focus on how to increase your pool longevity and good performance. You’ll need to maintain it using less expensive methods regularly.
Below are tips on how you can keep your swimming pool clean.
1. Clean your Filters Regularly
Pool cleaners have different types of filters, and they are also cleaned using different methods. When buying your pool filter, ensure you read through the cleaning manual to know the best way to do it. Again, over-cleaning will do more harm than good to your filters.
To know the right time to clean your filter, check the speed of the water flow meter and gauge pressure. If the difference ranges between 10 and 15 square inches, it’s the right time to schedule its cleaning.
Alternatively, you can wait and wash during the dry season when leaves and other debris increase in and around the pool. The cleaning process is straightforward, and you can DIY instead of incurring costs when repairing them.
2. Clean your Skimmer Basket
The simplest and most convenient way of cleaning your swimming pool is using a skimmer basket. You’ll only need to skim your pool after a day, and this will help prevent debris buildup, which causes major pool issues.
When leaves fall on the pool and are not collected, they absorb water and sink, making it hard to remove them using leaf nets or hand skimmers. To increase the pool’s efficiency, ensure you don’t skip the skimming schedule and clean your skimmer basket after every use.
Again a dirty pool lowers chlorine levels which is dangerous for swimmers. It’s, therefore, much
easier to skim your pool and ensure you clean the skimming basket compared to the maintenance service cost.
3. Track your Pool Chemical Chemistry
Pool water chemistry balance is the most important part of any performing swimming pool. Any chemicals imbalance can lead to serious injuries to the swimmers.
The most common chemical to routinely keep in check is cyanuric acid that is a known chlorine stabilizer. Anytime you chlorinate your pool, you add cyanuric acid to stabilize it and increase its performance in fighting bacteria and algae.
Therefore, you’ll need to have a water chemistry kit to help you track the level of each chemical in the pool water. This way, you can tell what and when to add the chemicals.
4. Install Pool Covers
Swimming pool covers are essential and helpful –they serve the purpose of preventing debris regardless of the type. However, automatic and solar pool covers have other uses besides preventing leaves from falling in the pool.
They help maintain and minimize water evaporation when the pool is not in use and protect the surrounding air from contact with the pool surface. This works well with the heated pools during the cold season.
5. Don’t Overheat your Swimming Pool.
Overheating your pool will mean more water evaporation. Adding water to your pool can take more time than you think, especially if you use a garden hosepipe. Again it’s expensive to keep refilling it using a water boozer.
Avoid running your pool heater throughout the day to reduce energy wastage, refilling costs, and opt for less routine heating only when the weather is too cold.
6. Attend to Leaks Soonest
A leaking pool makes the water dirty with filter sand, which is dangerous when stepped on by the swimmers. Routine checking your pool pipes and attending to possible leaks as soon as you notice them will help increase your pool performance and maintain its cleanliness.
You can do simple checks by yourself, but if you are not conversant with the pipes, contact professional swimming pool cleaners for help.
7. Less Backwashing
Backwashing uses a lot of water, and to manage it, ensure you don’t prolong it and don’t do it often. Although it’s part of pool maintenance, it can damage your filters.
8. Change and Service O-rings
Pool cleaners have O-rings that help in safeguarding them from pressure build-up and water damages. However, when the pumps get old, it’s easier and cost-effective to change them other than buying replacement parts.
O-rings play an essential part for the filters to function properly, and if they are not in good condition, they can cause leaks, leading to loss of pressure of the filter tank.
As said earlier, routine checks for leaks around your pool’s piping can help notice small issues
before they become bigger problems. Again after every cleanup, ensure you check the condition of the filter rings.
Note: Remember to lube your O-rings to increase their performance and lifespan.
9. Check Your Pressure Gauge
The pressure gauge shows the water force pushing through the filtration system in pounds per square inch. One of the tasks you add to your weekly routine is checking your swimming pool pressure gauge status.
How do you tell it has a problem? If the pressure gets higher, know that the filter is double working, and it’s a sign of dirt presence which requires the soonest cleaning.
Again, some pressure gauges show no pressure or very high pressure, which does not change even
after cleaning the swimming pool. Consider replacing your gauge as they can be faulty sometimes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Vodka Good for Cleaning Pool?
Vodka is good for cleaning pools and acts as a sanitizer for water and pool surfaces. Vodka is good for cleaning the pool because it clears away the bacteria and sanitizes it too. It’s easy to use and leaves a good scent after cleaning. It also gives your pool a deep clean within minutes.
2. Which is the Best Way to Clean Pool Using Vodka?
Fill your spray bottle with your favorite clear scent-free vodka and spray around the swimming pool deck, ladders, and stainless steel handrails. Use a clean cloth to wipe the bacteria and algae buildup away. When cleaning the pool, pour enough vodka into the water and wait for minutes before scrubbing your pool.
You can also scrub glued grim with vodka to soften and remove it.
3. Is It Worth Cleaning My Swimming Pool With Vodka?
The answer is no! Vodka is not a cheap beverage, even if you’ll use the least quality. Considering you own a standard pool, no amount of vodka can be enough to keep it clean. This is because pool cleaning requires products that do not interfere with chemicals chemistry.
Using vodka is expensive and ineffective and will cost you more when balancing the chemicals again—thus, it’s not worth it.
4. Will Alcohol Clean a Swimming Pool?
You can use rubbing alcohol to clean pool surfaces when mixed with water, although it’s known as wound antiseptic due to its disinfecting effect. It’s also used for sparkling stainless steel handrails and surfaces.
Dip a sponge or cloth in the mixture and wipe the affected pool areas and surfaces. Alcohol removes stubborn stains on tiles and ceramic floors.
5. How Often Do I Clean My Swimming Pool?
The pool cleaning schedule entirely depends on its usage. When your pool is regularly used in a week, consider cleaning it after every use, like in the hot season. When not in use, clean it weekly to remove leaves and debris, which can cause future problems to the pool filters if not taken care of.
Again, to reduce repeat cleaning, you can invest in pool covers that help trap and prevent debris from getting in the water.
6. How Often Should I Change my Swimming Pool Water?
Pool water needs to be replaced after every five to seven years. When the weather is mild, it should avoid exposing your pool surface to strong sunlight and heat. However, you can avoid draining your pool severally by sticking to your maintenance schedule, which will help control pool damaging elements.
You can hire professional pool cleaning services to avoid messing with your swimming pool when draining it.
Conclusion
Does vodka really clean a pool? As discussed above, vodka is a good pool cleaner that is easy to use and disinfects surfaces. However, it’s not cost-effective and thus not affordable compared to other cleaning products.
Since vodka is an alcohol-based beverage used to clean the pool, it interferes with the pool’s chemical chemistry; hence, it is not recommended as a pool cleaning product.
Alternatively, you can use less expensive pool maintenance techniques to maintain its cleanliness.
