Once summer bids goodbye, it's essential to clean your pool floats and toys before storing them away. Because if you don't look after them well, they may start looking out of shape or become faulty.
Smart ways to clean your pool floats and toys before storing them
Before you clean your inflatables, make sure there are no damages. Because if there is serious damage like a hole, for example, you will have to replace it. So once you have inspected for damages and found none, you can go ahead with cleaning. The prerequisites for cleaning are as follows:
Deflate your floaties and toys
Blow the air out of your pool floats and toys so that you can clean the folds and curves of your inflatables thoroughly. Check out our guide on how to pick a shade for your pool!
Clean the inflatables
Be gentle on your pool floats and toys. Avoid the use of bleach or harsh chemicals as much as you can.
There are three necessary steps involved in cleaning, which are:
- Drain out all the excess water from your swimming floats and toys after deflating them.
- Brush them with a gentle cleaning agent to avoid abrasions.
- Dry the float completely before storing.
In the following sections, we will discuss how to clean the inflatables and make them storage ready. You can follow the steps every time you store your inflatables after use. Also, when you take them out of storage after a year, you can follow the below methods to get your inflatables back in shape.
Cleaning your pool floats and toys correctly
Soap solution
Mix one-part dishwashing liquid with three parts warm water. Squeeze a sponge into the solution, and scour the surface of your accessories rigorously to remove the dirt. Now, clean your inflatables with water and dry them before use.
Vinegar
You may also use white vinegar to clean your floats and toys. Vinegar is a great cleansing agent apart from being a disinfectant.
Combine one-part vinegar with two parts clean water in a sprayer. Then apply it to your gear. Now, using a sponge start scrubbing the surface of your inflatables. The strong acidic nature of the vinegar will eliminate all the dirt, grime, grease, and even bacteria from your stuff. Rinse your inflatables and dry them thoroughly.
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Baking Soda
Mix one quart of warm water and one-fourth cup of baking soda in a bucket. You can either soak a sponge in the mixture and clean the surface of your inflatables or may also submerge them in the bucket if they are small. Aside from being a natural cleaning agent, baking soda also acts as a deodoriser. So have clean odour-free swim gear with baking soda.
Storing your pool floats and toys correctly
Use a laundry basket
Repurpose a laundry basket with mesh fabric or holes for storing pool toys. A round plastic basket works well for storing slightly bigger toys. For smaller ones, however, a small rectangular plastic hamper works just as well. The openings in the laundry basket facilitate easy ventilation, keeping the accessories dry.
Use transparent-lidded bins
Outfit your shelving units inside a garage or a shed with a sweater or shoe bin for storing pool gear like dive toys or disc balls.
Hang storage hooks
You may hang round pool floats on storage hooks mounted inside a garage, the wall of a shed, etc. But ensure they are away from sunlight during summer. Avoid outdoor places with freezing temperatures. The best place to keep your swim gear is a cool, vertical area.
Use a sports organiser
A standalone sports organiser can sit inside your garage or a shed. It’s an easy way to store all your pool toys and plank boards.
Use a wood pallet
Turn a wood pallet into convenient poolside storage. Apply a coat of paint to it and then mount it to a strong surface such as a backyard fence or the wall of a garden shed.
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Conclusion
As a pool owner, you must reserve sufficient space for storing your toys and floats, especially if you live in areas with harsh summers or winters. This is to make sure your accessories don’t get damaged. So after cleaning your floats and toys store them in a nice, cool, dry place until your next use. We know how harmful sun rays are. They could be as damaging to your inflatables as they are to your skin.
So make sure you don’t leave them out in the sun for days on end. Sun may also cause your inflatables to lose air. Science tells us that air expands when warm and contracts when cold. So while your inflatables may appear all right in the sun, they may have lost some pressure in the cool night air.
It is best to store these items in a basement or garage. But de-moisturising your pool equipment is a must before storing them. Family pool floats and toys are the spotlights of your swimming pool adventures. But water can cause them to undergo wear and tear. Hence, keeping them in tip-top condition can save you money and also the hassle of looking for new ones regularly.
