Updated June 2026
As the weather heats up, heat and stagnant water are the perfect conditions for algae and bacteria to take over and turn your pool green. Here’s How to Clean a Green Pool.
Easy Click Through Table of Contents
A clean pool is a safe pool. And the key to keeping your pool clean comes from a steady pool maintenance plan. While keeping the pool clean sits at the top of the list for boring house chores, the satisfaction of luxuriating in crystal clear waters from the privacy of your own home on a sunshiny day is well worth it. But when your pool turns green, it becomes more complicated to return to your crystal blue waters.
Jim’s Pool Care turned up to clean a pool so dirty, it had a solid layer of green over the top – complete with shrubs and a tree growing out of it. news.com.au released the article Jim’s Pool Care release shocking images of dirty pool >here.
Why is My Pool Green?
Heat and stagnant water offer perfect conditions for algae and bacteria to take over. Green pool water is caused by
- Algae overgrowth
- Low chlorine levels
- Pool water pH over 7.8
- Excess pollen in the water
- Poor water circulation and filter not working or running long enough
- High phosphate levels
- All of the above
While heat and light are just part of the problem, the root cause of a green pool is largely due to your filter not working properly and a chlorine imbalance.
✅ Keep your pool pump clean, in good condition and running consistently to keep water flow.
✅ Use chlorine to sanitise your pool and prevent algae and bacteria.
✅ Check your pool’s chlorine levels daily
How to Turn your Pool from Green to Clean
- Balance the pH and chlorine shock the water.
- Check the filtration system for any problems or malfunctions. Rectify if required.
- Brush the walls and floor to dislodge the algae into the pool water, rake up debris from the bottom of the pool floor and Make sure all skimmer baskets are clear.
- Backwash the filter.
- Return the valve to the filter and turn on the pump.
How to Keep Your Pool from Being Green
✅ Keep your pool pump clean, in good condition and running consistently to keep water flow.
✅ Use chlorine to sanitise your pool and prevent algae and bacteria.
✅ Check your pool’s chlorine levels daily
Happy Green Pool Cleaning
Pass your Pool Safety Inspection the First Time
Forget Government pool compliance checklists. Get compliant with our easy-to-follow PoolSS DIY Inspection Checklist. We’ve simplified the legal requirements so you can confidently check your pool area is safe and compliant. Keep Pool Safety simple and stress-free.
Keep pool safety simple and in your control.
Disclaimer: The PoolSS DIY Inspection Checklist is a guide only, and does not constitute acknowledgment or approval of compliance or safety. If you check “No” to any of our questions, we recommend you Book An Inspection with your Pool Safety Inspector.