Best Pool Cleaning Tools – The Essentials

It can be pretty daunting when you first buy a house with a pool or have a pool installed. There is little else to compare pool maintenance to as it is a totally different method of cleaning to how you clean most other things and the pool cleaning equipment.

Most new swimming pool owners ask what tools they need to clean their pools. Cleaning a pool is not rocket science, but you need essential equipment to maintain it properly.

Basic swimming pool cleaning equipment list that you will need to start with:

• Vacuum head
• Vacuum hose
• Telescopic pole
• Skimmer net
• Pool brush

I inherited a few old bits and pieces of pool cleaning equipment when I bought my current house 9 years ago in Fuerteventura and quickly realized why the previous owner left them. They were awful and/or broken, so I built a collection of new tools.

Some of the pool tools I bought were good, while others were not so good. Hopefully, the following advice on my picks for the best pool supplies will prevent you from making the same mistakes.

You will also need pool chemicals, sanitizer, shock and water testing strips, which will be covered in a separate post.

Essential pool cleaning equipment list

These are the best pool cleaning tools I have used. Clearly, I haven’t tested every swimming pool tool, although I have used some that were either useless or did not do as good a job as the swimming pool maintenance tools I use below.

1. Manual pool vacuum head

A pool vacuum head is one of the most important cleaning tools. You will use it to remove dirt from the bottom of the pool at least once a week, so it is worth buying.

I have accumulated a few different vacuum heads over the years, and each has particular uses (for example, one I have is very good for vacuuming into the 90º corners). But to start off, you can buy one good all-rounder. Fortunately, they are not too expensive, so you can buy more than one in time.

The Milliard Sea-Thru Triangle Weighted Pool and Spa Vacuum Head is a good all-rounder. It has a two-size vacuum port, so it will fit both 1½ and 1¼ inch hoses and will fit most pool poles.

Read our review of the best pool vacuum heads

2. Pool vacuum hose

A pool hose attaches to the vacuum head at one end and goes into a skimmer port at the other. It is probably pretty obvious, but you will need a hose reaching from the skimmer (or the dedicated vacuum inlet if you have one) to the point of your pool floor that is further away from it. See What length pool vacuum hose do I need?

Ideally, the hose should be a few feet longer than that distance so that it doesn’t get pulled tight, as this could potentially pull the hose out of the skimmer or from the head of the vacuum. My first hose was only just long enough. More than once, I was vacuuming at the far end and wondering why it wasn’t picking up the dirt before I looked over and saw the other end of the tube floating out of the skimmer!

One of the most popular ranges is the U.S. Pool Supply vacuum hoses. They can be bought in lengths from 25ft to 40ft and have a swivel fitting to stop the hose from becoming kinked as you vacuum. The U.S. Pool Supply 1-1/2″ x 40 Foot Professional Heavy Duty Spiral Wound Swimming Pool Vacuum Hose with Swivel Cuff will cover most pools and is available on Amazon.

3. Telescopic pool pole

You may find that you need more than one; otherwise, you will be swapping the tools from a pool brush to a skimmer net and then to a vacuum head. But you can make do with just one and put up with the switching. You will probably end up with one pole for each of these at some stage, though.

Although this may seem pretty simple, you may think you may as well buy a cheap one; think again. All telescopic poles are not equal.

I bought The first one at the lower end of the price scale. It seemed good value and worked well for a short while. Then, it became a pain as the mechanism that locks the two poles together loosened frequently. So I would push the vacuum along the bottom of the pool, and suddenly, instead of the vacuum head moving, the upper pole I was holding would slide into the bottom pole. Once or twice, this caught me unaware, and I almost toppled into the pool!

Ideally you want one that is long enough for you to easily reach the halfway point from the side of the pool without you needing to bend. So when you buy one, buy a pretty decent one. It will last many years so you will get value from it.

I now use this JED pool tools 16-foot pole, which is available on Amazon, and have had no problems with it. You can also buy a package containing a telescopic pole, skimmer net and brush at this link.

4. Pool skimmer net

You will need a pool skimmer net to remove leaves, insects and other debris that may be floating on the pool surface. They are also useful for picking up leaves that may have sunk to the bottom of the pool.

There are many different types of skimmer nets available, but my advice would be to buy one with a tapered front edge (sometimes called a leaf rake) to scoop up the debris without pushing it along the bottom. This also helps to stop disturbing fine dirt on the bottom when you do it.

If you have trees, etc, close to the pool that may drop very fine debris, such as pollen, onto the surface of your pool, then ensure you buy one with a fine mesh. Otherwise, fine debris will pass through the net and stay in the pool.

Since my trusty Stargoods Pool Skimmer Net which I used for a number of years finally broke I have been using a Sepetrel Pool Leaf Skimmer Net (on Amazon) which actually works even better. It’s soft rubber scoop lifts the leaves easily and the fine mesh net is great for getting smaller particles out of the pool water.

Also read: Best way to get leaves out of pool

5. Pool Brush

A pool brush is used primarily to brush the pool walls to remove dirt and algae before vacuuming the pool’s bottom. It is also used on the rungs of a pool ladder.

There isn’t that much to say about pool brushes, really. Most have a similar design, with the ends tapering upwards to make getting into corners a little easier.

A very popular, low-cost, basic brush is the Blue Devil Pool Wall Brush Deluxe.

A fairly new type of brush, which I confess I haven’t tried yet, has what they call a tail but what I would describe as a wing. It is claimed that this increases pressure on the brush against the pool wall by up to 10x. It is the Wall Whale Classic Swimming Pool Brush.

Other pool cleaning accessories that make life easier

Once you have the essential cleaning supplies to carry out routine cleaning, you may want to consider other equipment useful for cleaning pools. Believe me, you will accumulate more than just the essential tools in time.

Robotic pool cleaners

A robotic pool cleaner, sometimes called a robotic pool vacuum, is the holy grail of pool cleaning equipment. Many people with pools would like one but generally can’t justify the cost. I would say buy one—you won’t regret it.

If you can afford one, you will never regret buying one. They take almost all of the effort out of keeping a pool clean. You just put them in the pool, switch them on and leave them to clean the pool.

There are no trailing vacuum hoses that need plugging into the filter system. They collect debris within the cleaner, which you empty when you remove it from the pool.

In addition to cleaning the pool floor, most robotic cleaners can climb the pool walls and scrub the waterline.

They can be used in inground pools and most above-ground pools, too.

If you want to avoid the time-consuming efforts of manually cleaning your pool from the start, go ahead and buy one.

My Dolphin robotic pool cleaner is, without a doubt, the best thing I have ever bought for my pool. I wish I had bought one years ago!

The Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Automatic Robotic Pool Cleaner is the most popular mid-range robotic pool cleaner.

Read my reviews of the top Robotic Pool Cleaners.

Automatic pool cleaners

These vacuum cleaners attach to the pool hose as normal but move around the bottom of the pool floors in a random pattern, using the water flow to drive them.

I have one, and it does a pretty good job, particularly if I leave it long enough. It does tend to miss the odd patch, but that isn’t too much of a problem.

They do climb walls to some extent but not steps, and as my inground pool has two steps between the shallow and the deep end, it just cleans the deep end. It does a brilliant job of cleaning the edges between the wall and the pool bottom – better than I can do with the manual vacuum head.

If you have a single-depth pool or one with a slope, it should be able to clean your entire pool.

I have a slightly earlier version of the XtremepowerUS Automatic Suction Vacuum-generic Climb Wall Pool Cleaner, which may cope with the steps now. It comes complete with its own 30ft hose so it is quite good value.

I find it quite fascinating to actually watch the automatic pool cleaner work. When it gets to a corner or a wall, it stops and then randomly changes direction. It almost seems like it is thinking about where to go next! You can see what I mean in my video below:

Step and corner vacuum brush

I have one of these because, as I said above, my pool has two steps between the shallow and deep ends. This makes the step in the middle difficult to clean with a normal head. This little brush attaches to the vacuum pole and hose like vacuum heads and can reach awkward corners and hard-to-reach spaces.

They are very cheap so worth buying. Mine is the Aquatix Pro Pool Step & Corner Vacuum Brush, but I am sure the others work just as well.

Pool pole hangers

Ideally, you do not want to leave your vacuum poles, etc, lying on the ground where they can get dirty and damaged. It is far better to hang them up on a fence or a wall near the pool so they are always on hand.

I just bought some tool hangers from a local hardware store and screwed those to my fence but now you can buy purpose-built hangers such as the MENG ZHI 4 PCS Set Pool Pole Hangers. I must admit they do the same job but look better than mine.

Above ground pool cleaning kits

If you have an above-ground pool, you can buy kits designed to clean it. Intex, the biggest manufacturer of above-ground pools, makes the most popular of these.

The kit includes a vacuum head, net and a 94″ telescoping aluminum pole. It attaches to a garden hose and the debris is collected in a reusable debris bag. You can buy the Intex Basic Pool Maintenance Kit for Above Ground Pools on Amazon.

Pool Care Handbook and Video Course

When I bought my house with a swimming pool, I knew absolutely nothing about pool care. I just winged it for a while, making many mistakes along the way.

Fortunately, I was recommended Swim University’s Pool Care Handbook and Video Course. I bought it and it was an absolute game-changer.

It was the best money I spent that year. I learned everything from basic cleaning to advanced troubleshooting. Swim University offers a no-quibble refund policy too so what do you have to lose?

Can I clean my own pool or should I use a pool service?

Cleaning a pool is not rocket science – although a little science is involved in adding chemicals!

It is well within the capability of most homeowners to maintain a swimming pool themselves, provided you can devote a little time to learning how to do it. Most of it is just practice. It becomes second nature as time passes, and you can become quite efficient at it.

If you don’t feel confident, you could hire a professional pool cleaning service initially and watch what they do. Then, you could buy your own pool cleaning supplies and try it yourself. But frankly, that really isn’t necessary. I watched YouTube videos and asked friends with pools if I became stuck.

Hopefully this article on the best pool cleaning equipment and the others in the series will explain pool maintenance for beginners. Read how to clean dirt from the bottom of a pool to get an idea.

FAQs

Do swimming pools add value to a home?

Provided it is a nice, well-maintained pool, it adds value to a home in the right area. In Arizona, for example, it is more desirable, or even essential, to have one than in upstate New York. However, it may not add as much as it costs to install it.

Don’t worry too much if you want one and can afford one. Whether it is a good investment or not, the pleasure you and your family will get from it will be worth it.

Oddly, it can make your house harder to sell in some ways. Quite a large proportion of buyers might see a pool as an expensive luxury they can do without, so they might not be interested in your house for that reason.

Does the Fire Department fill swimming pools?

This is an odd but often-asked question. No, the fire department does not fill pools (they have better things to do). If you do not want to use a hose (or perhaps cannot due to local regulations), then you will need to employ the services of a water tanker company to bring it to you. Ensure their water is potable (fit for drinking and swimming).

I stand corrected. Someone I know in Minnesota just had her pool filled by the local volunteer fire department, so it seems that, at least in some areas, the fire department will do this.

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