There’s nothing like a hot sunny day and…wait, yuck…cloudy pool water?! If your pool water has gone cloudy, fear not, because we are here to get you back to clear.

To correct cloudy pool water, you need to determine the cause. This requires some light detective work. It could be sanitizer depletion caused by too much natural debris (like sweat, sunscreen, make-up, or urine) or simply UV rays breaking up your chlorine. If your pool is green and swamp like, you probably have an algae problem. Cloudy water could mean it’s time to repair or replace your filtration equipment. It could be due to high pH levels or even temporary cloudiness from regular shocking.

In any case, have your test strips at the ready and begin the investigation. The culprit doesn’t stand a chance. If intimidation doesn’t fix the cloudy water, these next steps certainly will.

If your cloudiness isn’t too bad, try a pool flocculant.

Pool floc binds particles and organic material together, making suspended debris sink to the bottom for easy vacuuming. If that does the trick you can skip to balancing down below and back to enjoying your pool. You can also use pool water clarifier as a weekly preventive to clump debris together, making it easier for the filter to catch.  If you’ve got a bigger problem on your hands, we’ve got some more ideas for you.

Get your hands dirty with a deep clean.

Remove large debris with a heavy-duty skimmer and brush the walls with a stiff pool brush. When you’ve cleared all you can, release the vacuum. Take no prisoners. We recommend a robotic cleaner to get the job done. Check out our recommended robotic pool cleaners here.

If you suspect the culprit of your cloudy waters is algae, set the vacuum to waste. If this isn’t your first run in with algae, check out our separate guide here to keep algae out of your pool.

Shock the clouds right out of the water.

Give your pool a mega-dose of chlorine to eliminate bacteria, organic contaminants, or algae invaders. If you’re up against algae, reference that guide we just mentioned.

Clean and run your filter

Turn over your pool water by allowing your filter to run for about 8 hours. Give the filter a deep clean or replace the filter prior to running it.

Balance your chemistry.

Test your water and adjust your chemicals until the water is ready to cooperate… uh… until the water is balanced. If your pool has a “chlorine” smell, that’s a clear indication that your free chlorine levels are too low. If this is the case, it’s also a good idea to add a chlorine stabilizer to keep chlorine levels protected.

You may not be able to fix a cloudy day, but you can fix cloudy pool water! If you have any tips for keeping the skies clear, please share your expertise in the comments. Curious minds want to know.