Pools and hot tubs are great, and my family LOVES having both of these to use. But finding what pool (or hot tub) supplies and products work best or which ones are worth having and owning has been a lot of trial and error. So I created this list to highlight some of the products that have worked really well for us and that I feel are worth getting.
First, if you have a hot tub, and you’re like us, you may have tried a bunch of different sanitizing products to try and see which worked best. And I admit, there are several that work well, but the one we like the best and keep using the most now are the Bromine Tablets by Leisure Time.
The reason we like these so much is that they’re easy to use, they don’t cost that much and they work! I love that I don’t have to measure out anything (like when using crystals). So now we use them all the time in our Coleman Hot Tub (highly recommend that as well) and it’s as simple as can be.
Now when it comes to our pool, we have a little more of a sophisticated setup. So obviously not everything we need and use will apply to your situation. But if you have a similar setup or situation as us, then the following products will definitely apply.
For example, one of the products we use for our pool is a Hayward Turbo Cell (which is a salt chlorination cell). I’m going to be doing a separate post on the value of these, but if you’re like us and already have one, then I recommend getting a Hayward Cleaning Stand to go with it. You use this stand to clean the T-Cell with and it works really well. It makes cleaning so much easier because instead of doing something like filling a bucket up you just screw it to the stand and add the mixture for cleaning.
Ever since we started using this, it’s one of those things that has made life so much easier. I’m not a fan of cleaning tasks as it is, and having to do things to clean or maintain the pool is no exception. So when a product comes along that make all this easier, I’m all for it! And that’s definitely the case with this cleaning stand. Again, something I’d highly recommend for anyone who already has a Hayward Turbo Cell or for someone who’s planning on getting one.
Another cleaning tool for our pool that has become quite popular for us to use is the Dolphin Premier Caddy. If you already have the Dolphin Robotic Cleaner or are planning on getting one, then this is something you may find very useful to have. Basically what it does is it makes moving your robotic cleaner around a lot easier.
In fact, it makes life so much easier that I think they really should include these with the robotic cleaner. Once you use it, you’ll never want to try moving the robotic cleaner around without it. Basically how it works is you use it to wheel the robotic cleaner over to the pool and then you can just drop it in.
Now when you first get it, you may feel like the plastic seems a bit flimsy. But we haven’t had any problems with it not holding up or anything breaking, cracking etc. It’s held up just fine and during the summer time we’re using it quite a bit!
Then when it comes to a good pool salts, we’ve gone through bags and bags of different products. Here again there are several that have worked ok. But the one we like the best is by AquaSalt. We get the 40 lb bags which you may need several of if you’re setting up your pool for the first time. It’s something that you don’t want to overdo so don’t hesitate to get some professional input if you haven’t used this before.
But quality wise, we love this because it dissolves easily. Some of the other brands we’ve tried came with huge chunks that made it harder to work with. A few other brands even left sharp feeling salt rocks that would settle at the bottom of the pool which were quite uncomfortable when someone stepped on them.
This is one of the products that honestly isn’t as effective to buy online, simply because you’re dealing with shipping something that weighs quite a bit (40 lbs per bag). So you may find it’s more cost effective to shop around your local area and see what’s available. However, if you don’t have anywhere nearby where you can purchase this, or if you’re like us and you’ve tried local brands that ended being a hassle to work with and don’t mind paying more for something that works really well, then Amazon is a great option to buy these at as well.
Next, if you have an above ground pool or are planning on getting one, then a good solar pool cover can be super helpful. Some of the benefits of using one is that you’ll minimize evaporation and it will help you pool water to stay warmer (which of course saves money keeping your pool warm).
There are several different ones out there, and although we haven’t tried them all, we have tried a few. We also have friends with above ground pools and compared different ones they purchased and used. One of the problems we’ve noticed with lower quality solar pool covers is they can start to crack, or break apart after a while. Some of them are really thin, which can make them easier to spread over your pool, but if they’re too thin they just don’t hold up and last that long.
So the Intex Solar Cover is the one we’ve liked the best so far. There are several different sizes depending on how small or large your pool is. But it works really well and it’s another one of those accessories for the pool that saves you both time and money. It saves you time having to refill the pool by not having as much evaporation. And it saves you money because your cost to heat your pool will go down. We found it raised our pool temperature by about 4-5 degrees.
Another bonus from using a pool cover is that it can help to keep debris out of the pool as well. So overall, one of those pool accessories that is definitely worth it to get. Especially considering they’re not that expensive.
I’d love to hear about what type of pool you currently own or if you’re thinking of getting one, which type you’d like to have. Feel free to share a comment or question below!