It goes without saying that stains in your pool are ugly. They might even discourage swimmers from using it. You’ve undoubtedly already Googled “pool stain removal” by this point. And acid washing is frequently mentioned as the most effective technique.

Consider these five kinder and less painful alternatives to acid washing before rushing outside to wash your pool.

No Drain Acid Wash

Acid washing without a drain is a preferred alternative to standard acid washing for removing stains from swimming pools. The pool doesn’t need to be drained, as the name says. In no time, you’ll be back performing your laps.

You’re basically going to make the water incredibly acidic. Once the stains have been removed by the acid, the pool’s balance needs to be restored so that swimming can resume. Easy!

This is inappropriate for above-ground pools made by Intex, Summer Waves, or Best Way, or pools with vinyl liners. For fiberglass pools, it might or might not work. You might attempt a modest test area.

Here’s what to do:

1. Prepare the pool a week in advance. Add a metal sequestrant.
2. Add twice as much sanitizer as usual at this point. Furthermore, filter and vacuum two times more than usual.
3. Fill the pool to its fullest capacity with water. After that, shut off the pool filter and pump.
4. With a pH decreaser, lower the pH level. The Total Alkalinity (TA) of the water should be 0 when tested. If not, add more muriatic acid or a pH decreaser.
5. Brush the pool walls with a steel brush each day to assist the stain removal process.
6. The surfaces will be clean after three days. You can now return the alkalinity and pH to their proper ranges.

Be cautious when handling and storing chemicals, as with any substance. Furthermore, avoid using your automatic pool cleaning or starting your pump until the pH and chlorine levels in the pool have returned to normal to avoid damaging it.

Watch the weather report as well because rain will figuratively ruin your celebration.

Diamond polishing

If acid washing sounds too harsh, the good news is that you may remove the stains and any uneven surfaces using diamond sanding or polishing. You are aware of the ones that snag your foot or bathing suits (acid washing can cause these).

Only concrete pools can use this.

This is how it goes.

The pool walls are polished using a water-powered grinder until they are as smooth as glass, removing any stains, uneven surfaces, and cracked plaster in the process.

You might be wondering if draining your pool is necessary to polish it with diamonds. If it’s just a small patch, you don’t need to drain your pool to diamond polish. The experts have Diving equipment and can work underwater. You might need to empty your pool completely or partially if it’s a sizable area.

With this option, you can return to your pool quickly and with minimum downtime.

Discovering alternatives to acid washing? Our journey into eco-conscious solutions might pique your interest. For more perspectives on this topic, explore another insightful article here.

Pool replastering

No matter how well you take care of a pool with a plaster surface, it will eventually need to be replastered, which typically happens every 5 to 10 years.

Typically, cleaning stains out of your pool shouldn’t require replastering. Replastering requires a significant time and financial commitment. Chemicals for stain removal, acid cleaning, and brushing are considerably less harsh options that cost a lot less money and take much less time.

But, if the plaster in your pool is exhibiting signs of aging (cracking, delamination), you can replaster to address both the stains and the aging plaster at the same time.

The original plaster can typically be covered if it is in good shape. However, the old plaster will need to be entirely taken off before replastering if it has two layers of plaster or is severely degraded, which will add significantly to the cost.

Replastering your pool is a big job that should be left to the experts. The DIY method will probably result in a rough, uneven finish unless you have plastering expertise. 

Brushing the Pool

It could only require a quick scrub with a brush to get a stain out of your pool. It’s best to stay on top of it, as with all cleaning. Weekly pool brushing will reduce the need for drastic stain removal techniques like acid washing.

What you should do is:

1. Use only nylon-bristled brushes for painted concrete, vinyl liners, and fiberglass pools. Steel brushes are the finest for pools made of unpainted concrete and gunite.
2. Don’t skimp; purchase large brush heads for the main pool area and smaller corner brushes for tight spaces like those around ladders and lighting.
3. Get a robust telepole for reaching into the pool’s middle unless you want to be Aquaman.
4. Don’t overlook any areas of the pool by being methodical. While it may be tempting to only brush the stains that are clearly visible, it’s crucial to clean the entire pool because something that is currently unseen may develop a stain in the future.
5. Any dirt that is brushed off will be removed by your pool’s filtration system.

The benefit of this manual labor is that you will feel satisfied and toned while lounging by your pool.

Pressure wash instead of acid wash

Use a pressure washer to remove stains as a final, much gentler option to acid washing your pool.

This technique may not be effective on deeply embedded stains, but it will work on surface stains. As it is far gentler and less expensive to execute than acid washing, it is well worth a try.

You must first drain your pool before you can pressure wash it. Only then can you begin. Incompatible with fiberglass or vinyl-lined pools, this technique. It works for pools made of exposed aggregate, concrete, gunite, aggregate, or pebbles (also known as pebblecrete).