Swimming Pool Tile Cleaning - Do it Yourself or Hire a Pro?

Even the cleanest swimming pools tend to have calcium, hard water, and lime deposits. Cleaning the deposits from the pool tiles can be a difficult task, however it will leave the tiles brand new looking and make your swimming look like an inviting place to swim again.

While the process may be time-consuming if you decide to do it yourself, it's not as difficult as it may seem. This article looks at the different methods of swimming pool tile cleaning.

What Are Those Stains on Your Swimming Pool Tiles?

Stains on swimming pool tiles is a white residue formed from minerals in your pool water such as magnesium, limestone, and calcium. When the pool water evaporates, the mineral deposits left on tiles lead to a white rough surface residue, as well as possible algae growth.

Do It Yourself - Household Cleansers

If you want to try to clean the tiles yourself vs. getting a professional pool cleaning service that uses specialized equipment, read on!

General household cleaning agents may or may not be effective in cleaning your pool tiles, it really depends on the thickness of the scale on the tiles.

Try using a vinegar or baking soda water mixture as a cleaning solutions. Dip a non abrasive scrub brush in this solution and try to remove the scale with that. This will work best for light scale and algae.

Do It Yourself - Pool Store Cleansers

There are some pool scrubbing brushes and blocks that are non-toxic, chemical free, and come in different materials. These pool scrubbing tools can also be reusable and can also be used when cleaning other parts of the home such as spas, toilets, and bathrooms.

An easier option than blocks and brushes to consider would be specialized tile cleaning chemicals that may also be found at pool stores.

Such chemicals are available in numerous varieties and are pretty affordable. Depending on the levels and types of buildup on your pool tiles, a knowledgeable pool store employee should be able to advise you on the strength of the product you need.

The chemicals give excellent results but very strong at the same time, thus you should ensure to take safety precautions by wearing protective clothing.

Hire a Professional Swimming Pool Repair Company

A professional swimming pool repair company will use a technique called blasting to clean your tiles.
Blasting is a great way of cleaning tiles that keeps you from having to replace them in the future. There are three types of blasting: glass bead, soda, as well as salt blasting.

Glass Bead Blasting
Glass bead blasting uses the streaming of ultra fine, rounded, glass beads to blast away tile residue.
The beads are almost the size of a needle tip and are used to get rid of calcium, grit, and oil from your pool tiles. The rounded beads will to clean your tiles without the worry of scratching their surfaces.
Bead blasting is very effective and does not affect the pH balance of your pool.

Soda Blasting
This cleaning method works in a similar way as glass bead blasting, but employs the use of baking soda that is gentler.

The method works well on a pebble, ceramic and stone pool tiles.

Since sodium bicarbonate has high alkalinity, it may affect the pH balance of your pool, especially if it is a large one.

Salt Blasting
Salt blasting uses Kieserite; a natural mineral salt that is shot onto the pool tiles at low pressure. When the salt gets into contact with the pool tiles, it bursts and causes the release of the dirt build-up leaving your tiles shining.

The process works well on ceramic and sandstone tiles. The process is considered as one of the safest swimming pool tile cleaning methods since it has a neutral pH and is also bio-degradable.
 
The Takeway

In sum, all of the above swimming pool tile cleaning methods have their pros and cons, which you should weigh before settling on one.

Remember, regular tile cleaning when residue is light can be done by most homeowners using the techniques described in the beginning of this article.
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But if your pool residue is heavy, a blasting technique done by a swimming pool repair specialist is the most effective way to go.