How to Properly Care for and Maintain Your Pool Floats to Extend Their Lifespan
There’s nothing like throwing the ultimate pool party during the hot summer. And of course, no pool party would be complete without the right pool floats to help you enjoy the water. Pool floats add an extra element of fun for children and adults, and they can lead to more games and better relaxation.
Even though high-quality premium pool floats like those sold at Above don't need to break the bank, they're still an investment. As with any investment, you want to protect what you've purchased and take care of it to allow you and your family to enjoy it for a long time. With that being said, here are some of our best tips for cleaning and taking care of your pool floats. With these tips, you can ensure your Above pool floats can continue to provide you, your friends, and your family with wonderful memories for many years to come.
Clean Your Pool Floats After Every Use
While it may seem obvious, one of the most important things to help extend your pool float's lifespan is caring for the float after every use. Swimming pools are fun and safe, but when water is left on a damp surface for long periods of time, it's natural for mold and mildew to start to grow. Regularly cleaning your pool float ensures it is well maintained and there won’t be any nasty surprises next time you remove your pool float.
Pools also often have harsh chemicals that can be corrosive when left on surfaces for long periods. While they are great for keeping your pool clean, you don’t want all those chemicals on your pool floats. Think about it: You wouldn't skip a shower after a long day at the pool. Likewise, your pool floats will need to be thoroughly cleaned and inspected after each use.
Fortunately, cleaning pool floats is a breeze if you take the right steps. Simply properly inspecting and cleaning pool floats after each and every use can go a long way to extending the life and health of your pool floats and making sure they continue to provide summer fun for many summers to come.
Deflate Your Pool Floats Before Cleaning
It's good practice to always deflate pool floats after use. This will help preserve the float's shape while also making it easier to clean.
When you inflate a pool float, it stretches and expands. That's what it's designed to do. However, leaving inflatable floats in this expanded state for long periods of time can gradually wear down their elasticity and shorten their lifespan.
Trying to wrangle an inflated pool float can be a major hassle, and cleaning the float while still inflated means you may miss some critical spots. It's also difficult to properly dry and store pool floats while they're still inflated.
Even when you plan to use pool floats multiple days in a row, it's best practice to deflate the float after each use and inflate it again each time you want to use it.
How To Clean Pool Floats
Now that we have reviewed a few tips for regular pool float maintenance, let’s review the basics of cleaning pool floats. Much like cleaning other items in your house, it's a simple matter of using a cleaning agent and a little elbow grease to remove all the grime and chlorine after each use.
Use the appropriate cleaning agent (a list is included below) and a rag to scrub the dirt and grime from the inflatable float. Rinse with fresh water from a garden hose and allow it to dry in the sun.
Avoid Harsh Chemicals
If you purchased a high-quality, premium pool float, you may have done so to avoid exposure to harsh and dangerous chemicals. These high-quality premium pool floats are made with BPA-free materials free from harsh or toxic chemicals. You'll want to continue avoiding toxins by using a natural cleaning agent to scrub your pool float.
Natural cleaning agents are also less abrasive to the materials that make up the pool floats, ensuring that your pool toys will last longer without tears or rips.
Use a Natural Cleaning Agent Solutions
There are several different cleaning solutions you can use, depending on the amount of cleaning required. For standard cleaning of an already well-maintained pool float, soap and water or a solution of vinegar and water will do. If slightly more abrasion is needed to clean pool floats that are in need of extra care, a baking soda solution is the best choice. Finally, if a pool float is in need of very serious care—if it has been neglected and has already grown mold or mildew that needs to be removed—a simple bleach solution will do the trick. Just make sure if you use a bleach solution to make extra sure to wash everything down with a garden hose and thoroughly dry the pool float before you or your family come into contact with it again.
- Soap Solution
Dish soap and warm water make up one of the best methods for scrubbing dirt, grime, and mildew from your pool toys. Use ordinary, high-quality dish soap, mixed one part soap to three parts warm water in a spray bottle to create a mild solution that will cut through dirt safely and effectively. Rinse and allow the inflatable float to dry in the sun.
- Vinegar Solution
Is there any natural miracle that competes with the cleaning power of white vinegar? Mix one part white vinegar with two parts warm water in a spray bottle for a natural and effective solution that will brighten your pool toys while leaving them clean and ready to use. Rinse with a bucket of warm water or a hose and allow it to dry fully in direct sunlight and cool air before using it again.
- Baking Soda Solution
When more abrasion is needed to scrub down a dirty or moldy pool float, simply mix a 1/4 cup of baking soda with one quart of warm water, and stir vigorously to combine. The cup of baking soda will act as a mild abrasive agent that will help get off pesky dirt stains and other bits of mildew and grime. Rinse the baking soda solution off with a garden hose or warm water from a bucket before using it again.
- Bleach and Water Solution
For the most difficult stains, start scrubbing with a bleach solution to dissolve dirt and deep clean your pool floats. It's very important to make sure you're in a well-ventilated area before you start scrubbing, as bleach can be harsh and toxic if breathed in directly. The bleach should be able to get most stains, mold, and mildew off the surface of the inflatable pool toy. Note that it's especially important to rinse the entire item with a bucket of warm water or hose and allow the toy to dry completely before coming into contact with the surface of the float again.
- Sun Dry Your Pool Floats
Drying your pool float can be a tricky thing. It's extremely important to make sure that there is no excess water on the surface of the float, lest it grow mold or mildew while in storage. Drying the float in the cool air and under the rays of the hot summer sun will ensure your toys will remain in tip-top shape.
On the other hand, it's important to not expose the toy to direct sunlight for too long. Try to take the inflatable pool float out of the sunlight once it's dry, as the rays of the sun can bleach and damage the materials the toy is made of.
Making sure your pool float is completely dry before storing it will ensure that it remains clean and in an odor-free state.
Proper Pool Float Storage
Learning to properly store your pool floats will go a long way to extending their lifespan and making sure they are ready to use when you want them. Plus, when it does come time to clean pool floats, it will be much easier if they've picked up less bacteria due to proper storage.
Cleaning your float thoroughly and keeping them completely dry is an essential step. Fold them loosely or place them in a ventilated container in a place with adequate storage space. If you use a container, make sure it is not too tight, as this can put undue pressure on the float.
It is best if you find an air-conditioned or temperature-controlled, dry and clean place with adequate storage space. This can be on a shelf in a clean and temperature-controlled garage. Avoid storing your pool float in any space where there are bacteria, in places that are damp or exposed to water, or in spaces that become very hot or very cold during the summer or winter months. It is also best to make sure you don’t leave the pool floats out in the sun for too long. This can cause discoloration, and you’re your pool floats into a patchy, faded color. By properly storing your pool float, you can ensure they will last for another season of pool fun.
Do A Deep-Clean at The End of the Season
Keeping pool toys clean all season long is relatively easy since they're frequently used and exposed to fresh water and air. However, it's usually in the off-season, when they're put away for a long period of storage, that they accumulate dangerous levels of mold, mildew, and grime.
In fact, the majority of dirt and damage to your pool float is likely to occur during the off-season when it's sitting in storage. Keeping it away from damp, dirty places and storing it properly will help. Still, if it has lingering chemicals, bacteria, or residue from its last use, it will greatly exacerbate mold and mildew that grows during the off-season. Taking proper steps to clean and store pool floats at the end of the swimming season will be a huge favor to your future self: when you open up the storage area next season and pull out your pool toys, you'll be much happier when they are clean and mildew-free.
Purchase High-Quality Pool Floats
Buying a cheap pool float made of shoddy materials and toxic chemicals is simply asking for trouble. If the pool float is made of poor-quality or cheap materials, no amount of care and cleaning is going to extend its life. Such floats are typically used for a very short time and disposed of at the end of the season.
Not only does this waste money in the long run, but it also creates a tremendous amount of waste. Poor-quality pool floats are typically made from very difficult or impossible to recycle material, meaning that once a toy has run its course, it typically ends up in a landfill or worse.
Buying a high-quality pool float doesn't need to break the bank. The premium pool floats available for purchase at companies like Above are made from BPA-free materials that avoid toxic chemicals. They are stylish and durable and, if properly cared for, can last for many seasons. Purchasing a high-quality pool toy is one of the most important steps you can take to make sure your float lasts a long time.
Know When to Throw in the Towel
Not all pool toys are salvageable. Use your best judgment. If your pool float has large holes, is covered in mildew, muck, and grime, or simply seems beyond saving, it may be time to throw in the towel and buy a new one.
While this may be unavoidable, remember that throwing away an old pool toy creates unnecessary waste that will end up in a landfill or worse. It also costs more money in the long run, as you spend money replacing cheap or neglected pool floats every season.
The good news is that, with proper care and by following the tips above, you'll be able to keep your new Above high-quality premium pool float clean and well-functioning, enjoying it in the pool with your friends and family for years to come.