This is Day 141 of the Green in 365 series!
By Sara from Your Thriving Family
The backyard pool is a summer staple. But if you have had one you know it tends to be a dirty place and refilling it can get expensive – not to mention wasteful. So here are a few tips to keep your sanity and water bill in check.
Keeping Debris Out
Help keep debris out of the water by having kids step in a plastic storage bin, dish washing tub, or something similar to wash grass and dirt off before getting in the pool.
Use a household strainer for a fish tank to skim the leaves and bugs. This is a job your kids will love to help with and will soon become a game!
Try to find a cover for the pool. If you have the hard plastic ones, it just takes a second to cover it. For round ones you can use spa covers, or if yours is larger you may just want to get a tarp (but make sure to put something to weigh it down so it doesn’t blow off!).
Our family has given up on the blow up pools. It always seems like a good idea but I can never keep them clean. It is hard to get them completely emptied out and they collapse when turned on their side. The hard ones tend to be easier to scrub out and can be stored upside in the rafters of the garage during the cold months.
Keep Bacteria Out
Help keep your water clean by adding a few drops of anti-bacterial essential oils. Tea Tree, Lavender, Oregano, Geranium and Lemon are some of the more potent oils. These will help keep the water clean and will benefit your children’s skin at the same time.
I’ve also just been adding our bath oil blend as well, might as well make use of the time they are soaking. We used oregano for the first time this summer – my son said, “yum, it smells like spaghetti!”
Do drain the pool entirely periodically, when it is dirty or at least every 3-4 days. Generally I have been completely emptying ours and refilling on the weekend. As you clean out your pool, remember to …
REUSE Your Water!
Have the kids help you water your plants. Just get a few buckets and let the kids go nuts! I’ve also been using a 5 gallon to tote water out to our garden.
You can also use hose to siphon off the water to a tree. Make sure the hose is going downhill to the tree end then crimp hose, wait a bit then let it go, water should start flowing out. Sometimes you may need to use some suction.
Happy soaking! How to you keep cool while being green?
Sara is a full-time mama to three beautiful, sweet & mischievous blessings. Wife of 8 years to a man who has an amazing heart for working with youth. She is a homemaker, gardener, chicken-raiser, doul
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