How to Keep Your Pool Clean in the Fall Without Losing Your Mind (or Drowning in Leaves)

As summer gracefully bows out like an elderly ballerina with bad knees, fall arrives — bringing with it crisp air, pumpkin-flavored everything, and approximately nine billion leaves. These leaves do not gently settle on the ground like nature intended. No, they seek out your swimming pool with the singular focus of a squirrel on espresso.

If you are a pool owner, congratulations! You now have a small pond of chlorinated sadness, with floating debris that resembles a compost starter kit. But fear not. With some effort, money, and the loss of your last shred of free time, you can keep your pool clean(ish) during fall.

Let’s dive in. (See what I did there?)

First: Understand the Challenge (And by “Challenge,” We Mean “Leaf Apocalypse”)

In fall, trees shed between 50% and 80% of their leaves, depending on how much they hate you personally. These leaves don’t just fall. They launch themselves into your pool like they're auditioning for Cirque du Soleil.

And sure, they may look innocent, fluttering down like tiny biodegradable angels — but each one contains phosphates, which are to algae what Red Bull is to college students during finals. If you let just one leaf stay in your pool, within 72 hours you’ll have a green swamp that smells like regret.

Step 1: Get a Pool Cover (aka “Nature's Restraining Order”)

A high-quality pool cover is like putting your pool in a hazmat suit — except less flattering. It keeps out leaves, squirrels, bugs, possibly your in-laws, and also prevents heat loss.

There are a few options:

• Solid Covers: These are basically tarps that say, “You shall not pass!” to everything.

• Mesh Covers: These let water in but block out larger stuff, kind of like a bouncer with a colander.

Whichever you choose, make sure it actually fits your pool. This seems obvious, but some people try to DIY this with a Costco shower curtain and some duct tape, and then wonder why their pool looks like a haunted soup.

A pool cover doing its best to shield a pool from autumn leaves

Step 2: Skim Like Your Life Depends on It

Even with a pool cover, some leaves will find a way in. That’s because leaves are evil and possibly sentient. So: skim daily. Use a net. Scoop. Repeat.

This may feel tedious at first, but after a few weeks, you’ll develop the toned arms of a Greek god. (Just one arm. The other will be forever sore.)

And don’t stop there! You also need to brush your pool walls and floor once a week to prevent algae. Yes, even the floor. Yes, it’s annoying. No, your neighbors will not help you. They’re too busy raking their own personal hellscape.

Step 3: Use a Leaf Vacuum (Because You Deserve Better)

When skimming isn’t cutting it — like when your pool looks like the aftermath of a leaf explosion at Home Depot — it’s time to bring out the big guns: the leaf vacuum.

This tool is like a Roomba for your pool, except it doesn’t judge you and won’t get stuck under furniture. Use it to suck up the heavy debris that settled to the bottom while you were distracted by football or pumpkin pie.

Pro tip: Read the manual. Otherwise, you'll spend three hours trying to assemble it upside-down and wondering why it's vacuuming air.

Step 4: Maintain Your Pool’s Chemical Balance (Or Risk Creating a Creature)

Leaves break down into sludge. Sludge throws off your pool chemistry. Off-balance chemistry leads to cloudy water, algae, and possibly a new species of amphibian evolving in your deep end.

So test your water weekly, or more if you’re cursed.

Here’s what you’re aiming for:

• pH: 7.2–7.8 (like the mood of someone who just had a decent coffee)

• Chlorine: 1–3 ppm (enough to kill germs, but not your hopes)

• Alkalinity: 80–120 ppm (nobody really understands this, just smile and nod)

Step 5: Call in the Pros (aka “Buy Back Your Weekend”)

Let’s be real. You have a life. You have things to do, like watching squirrels fight on your fence. So if this all sounds exhausting, hire a pool service. They will clean, balance, and judge your pool — so you don’t have to.

Yes, it costs money. But so does therapy, and this may prevent you from needing that.

Step 6: Make a Leaf Management Plan (So You Can Feel Like You’re in Control)

A leaf management plan sounds very official and adult. It mostly consists of:

• Skimming daily

• Brushing weekly

• Chemical testing bi-weekly

• Crying quietly every third Tuesday

Putting this on a whiteboard or calendar may not actually stop the leaves, but it will make you feel like the kind of person who has it all together.

Step 7: Don’t Forget to Enjoy Fall (Between Cleanings)

Yes, fall is a battle. But it’s also beautiful. So once you’ve done your daily skim, consider pouring yourself a mug of hot cider, dragging a fire pit next to your pool, and enjoying the view.

You can even throw some pumpkins around for aesthetics. Just don’t let them fall in the pool or we’re back at algae town.

Final Thoughts (and Possibly a Back Spasm)

Keeping your pool clean in fall doesn’t have to be a full-time job — though it will feel like one, especially if you also have a job. But with the right tools, some planning, and a heroic amount of denial, you can survive.

So put on your cozy sweater, grab your skimmer net, and tell those leaves:

Not today, nature. Not. Today.