How to Get Your Pool Ready For Summer

Summer’s here and the family will soon be back spending lots of time in the swimming pool. Here we share a quick checklist, from Tanya Visser on the Home Channel, to help you get ready for some wet fun in the sun.

Sparkling water

If you’ve been battling with algae growth and murky pool water, call in the help of a pool contractor to help you to get your pool bright and sparkling once again.

Reduce water wastage

Invest in a pool cover as it reduces evaporation, conserves heat and can reduce the use of chemicals.
Allow the water level to be a little lower (your pool contractor will advise on a safe level) as splashing and playing in a pool that is filled to the top wastes a lot of water.
Check all pool plumbing equipment for leaks.
Only use fountains and waterfalls when you are entertaining, to reduce evaporation.
Backwash the pool less often and try to install a poolside tank to filter the water for use on the lawn and garden. This equipment is available on the market.

Safety first

Check your pool fencing and play equipment for weak points and have them fixed as soon as possible. Also examine the pool surrounds for loose tiles and paving blocks, as they can be dangerous to playing kids.

Think about shade

Although the young ones will want lots of sun to tan their bleak winter legs, we must remember that we live in a very hot climate, and the sun can cause severe skin damage. It’s also nice to have a little shade at the shallow end of the pool where toddlers splash while their grandmother watches. A great way to add shade is by investing in a large cantilevered umbrella or elegant shade sail, available at homeware stores.

Accessorize your pool surrounds

Buy sturdy and comfortable sun loungers, and maybe a daybed too, and definitely some side tables for cool drinks and snacks. Make up pretty scatter cushions with the lovely botanical prints that are so in fashion this year. A must-have accessory for a pool garden is a large, all-weather storage box in which to store cushions, pool noodles, balls, bats, lilos and other poolside paraphernalia – this makes packing up after a fun-filled day at the pool easy, and you will never again have to hunt down the stuff when needed.

Zoosh up your pool garden

Although you should not overplant or create a fussy garden around a pool, it is nice to have a few large containers in strategic places to add some greenery or colour. Great accent plants to plant in containers or in beds near a pool include all the latest stripe-leaved cordylines like ‘Cha-Cha’, ‘Can-Can’, ‘Electric Flash’ or ‘Electric Pink’. Phormiums like ‘Blondie’ and Duranta ‘Sheena’s Gold’ and ‘Goldmine’ will look equally elegant. For bright colour fill up a few containers with petunias and pelargoniums. visit www.tanyavisser.com. and Home Channel