Cleaning pool tiles

Town & Country Pool contractors clean pool tiles

When it comes to pool maintenance tasks you may not have thought about cleaning pool tiles. If, however, you’ve noticed a chalky build up on the tiles at the waterline, you will want to have that cleaned before the scale build up is harder to clean. The pool contractors from Town & Country Pools will pay attention to any potential scale build up when we pay a service visit, but if you notice it before we do, please let us know. We can either clean it for you, or show you how to clean the tiles.

Your pool contractor can clean the tiles and remove the scale during a regular service visit as long as it doesn’t require special equipment or the draining of the pool — which sometimes is the case. 

The build up is much like you’d see in your bathtub or shower; in your swimming pool it is the cleaning agents and chemicals that lead to the need for cleaning the pool tiles.

Cleaning pool tiles

The use of chemical-free cleaning methods will allow you to continue using the pool while the tiles are being cleaned. Non-chemical methods won’t introduce any new chemicals to the pool water or throw off the pool chemistry. Non-chemical options include:

1. Baking soda
2. Toothpaste
3. Vinegar
4. Gentle dish soap

Using these cleaning agents and a toothbrush might be all that is needed to remove the unsightly build up.  The pool building material will also play a role in the type of cleaning agents and brush used. You don’t want to use anything that is too harsh that could damage the pool.

If build up has been ignored, your contractor might have to use stronger tile cleaners or even a stronger scrubbing brush. We urge you to not do any of this until you ask us for advice; you don’t want to damage the pool.

In some cases your pool contractor may recommend draining the pool to an area below the build up as a way to thoroughly clean it — if this happens, it will, naturally be a longer process and will likely mean you won’t be able to use the pool for a few days.

Some pool owners find that if they have a salt cleaning system rather than chlorine it helps keep the chalky build away. Making a change to a salt system is, however, a big expense and if that’s not in your budget, simply keeping up with the cleaning of the tiles will be all you need to do.