Cloudy pool water is caused by tiny particles that are too small for your filter to catch. Dust, sunscreen and body oils, dead algae and hard-water minerals all hang in the water and scatter light, so the pool looks milky or dull. The fix is to correct the water balance, then help the filter catch those particles.
Quick answer: set pH to 7.2 to 7.6, clean the filter, then add Sparkle Maxx clarifier at 150 ml per 1 lakh litres, diluted in a bucket, and run the filter non-stop until the water is clear. A 50,000 litre pool needs 75 ml. For your exact pool size, use our pool dose calculator.
Why does pool water go cloudy?
- pH out of range. High pH makes chlorine weak and lets minerals come out of the water as a haze.
- Too little sanitiser. Low chlorine (or a missed Pool Maxx 35 dose) lets bacteria and early algae cloud the water.
- A dirty or under-run filter. If the filter is clogged, or the pump runs only a few hours a day, fine dirt stays in the water.
- Heavy use or rain. A busy weekend or a storm adds oils, dust and debris all at once.
- Dead algae after a shock. Shocking a green pool often leaves it cloudy for a day or two.
How to clear cloudy pool water, step by step
1. Test and balance the water
Use Pool Maxx 5-in-1 test strips. For a chlorine pool, bring pH to 7.2 to 7.6 with pH Down or pH Up, adding no more than half the dose at a time. Keep free chlorine at 1 to 3 ppm. See how much chlorine your pool needs.
2. Clean the filter
Backwash a sand or glass filter, or rinse a cartridge filter, and empty the skimmer baskets. A clarifier only works if the filter can catch what it gathers.
3. Add Sparkle Maxx clarifier
Dilute Sparkle Maxx in a bucket of pool water, at 150 ml per 1 lakh litres, and pour it around the pool with the pump running. It gathers the fine particles into bigger clumps the filter can trap.
4. Run the filter until the water is clear
Run the pump and filter 24 hours a day until the cloudiness is gone. Very cloudy water can take 2 to 3 days. The label says swimming is safe about 20 minutes after adding Sparkle Maxx. For best results, use it once a week to keep the water sparkling.
5. Still cloudy? Use a flocculant
For heavy haze that a clarifier can't shift, Clear Maxx flocculant clumps the dirt so it sinks to the floor within 12 to 24 hours. Then vacuum it to waste, not through the filter. Only use it in pools that can be vacuumed to waste. Ask our team for the dose for your pool.
Clarifier or flocculant: which do you need?
| Sparkle Maxx clarifier | Clear Maxx flocculant | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Mild to medium cloudiness, and weekly upkeep | Very cloudy water |
| How it works | Gathers particles so the filter catches them | Sinks particles to the floor for vacuuming |
| Filter | Run the filter non-stop | Vacuum to waste, not through the filter |
| Dose | 150 ml per 1 lakh litres | Ask our team |
How to keep the water clear
- Test pH and chlorine at least twice a week.
- Add Sparkle Maxx once a week.
- Run the filter every day and backwash when the pressure rises.
- Shock after heavy use or rain.
Common questions
How long does it take to clear a cloudy pool?
Mild cloudiness often clears within a day with Sparkle Maxx and the filter running. Very cloudy water can take 2 to 3 days.
Is it safe to swim in a cloudy pool?
Cloudy water hides the bottom of the pool, so it is safer to wait until it clears. After adding Sparkle Maxx, the label says swimming is safe after about 20 minutes once the water is clear enough to see the floor.
Why is my pool still cloudy after a shock?
Shocking kills algae and bacteria, but the dead particles stay in the water. Run the filter non-stop and add Sparkle Maxx to clear them.
Get clarifier, chlorine and pH balancers together in the Starter Pool Care Kit, or see all pool care products.
