5 Ways to Keep Grass Clippings Out of the Pool


Grass clipping can enter into your pool from people or they can make their way in during yard work, either way, they are a nuisance. Grass clippings are so difficult to clean from your pool, but they are even more difficult to keep out. What are the ways to keep them out?

To keep grass clippings out of the pool, consider installing either a foot bath or an outdoor shower near the entrance of your pool. If you’d like to approach the problem with landscaping, you can install a hardscape, plant protective shrubs, or use a bagging mower during landscaping. 

The biggest problem with grass clippings is that they are tiny and they are difficult to remove quickly. Even more, they tend to be a recurring problem because your yard must be mowed regardless of how it may affect your pool. This does not always have to be the case though. Continue reading to find out the 5 ways to keep swimmers from tracking grass clippings in your pool and also how to keep grass clippings out during yard work. 

1. Install a Foot Bath 

Installing a foot bath is one of the simplest, most inexpensive, and fastest solutions to keeping grass clipping from getting into your pool. The idea behind this is that swimmers will walk to the pool with grass on their feet, but just before dipping into the water, they will first dip their feet into a small foot bath. This will remove any grass clippings from their feet and there will be no need for the constant use of water like if you were to use a hose every time. 

A foot bath does not have to be something fancy. It can be as simple as a large plastic tub or can even be a small plastic pool that sits right by the actual pool. If you want something more permanent, a cement tray could be installed to hold water if you are looking for a bath that is a bit less expensive. Just remember that the water will have to be changed out so you do not want something that is too large. 

If you were to get a tub that was too big, it would be very difficult to dump without any assistance when filled with water. Purchase something that is small and can be easily dumped out when the grass clippings have become too dense. If you have something permanent and unmoveable, simply fill the bath until the water runs clean and hose down the sides to remove any grass clippings. 

Truly, there are few things as life-giving as looking out into your backyard and seeing the people you love the most having the time of their lives in your pool. The sun is beaming down, the best music is playing, and everyone is living in a tiny segment of utopia. 

However, there are few things that can interrupt this scene faster than the presence of grass clippings. They may be small, but they can overwhelm your pool water in an instant. Installing a foot bath into your pool is one simple, cost-efficient, and effective way to keep grass clippings out of the pool.

2. Install an Outdoor Shower 

When thinking about an outdoor shower, people tend to think along the lines of luxury. This may be exactly what you want, but it certainly is not the only option for those of you that want something a bit more simplistic. An outdoor shower can be as simple as a nozzle and a head attached to the deck of your pool or it can be a beautiful space that can be visited right before you start on the walkway to the pool. The options here are endless for any budget. 

Whatever route you choose, installing an outdoor shower can be a great solution to keeping grass clippings out of your pool. If swimmers find themselves with grass on their feet, they would simply hop into the shower, rinse their feet free of grass clippings, and hop into the pool. 

The key to this option though is to make sure that the shower is either installed right next to the pool or that the shower has a grass-free walkway from the shower leading to the pool. If you were to install the shower in an area far away from the pool that required walking through the grass to get to the pool’s entrance, the purpose of the outdoor shower would be defeated. Find an appropriate distance for your shower and grass clippings will start to disappear.

Again, grass clippings tend to compile in the middle of the pool at its surface and also settle to the bottom of the pool if your pool is experiencing a lot of use. Because of these factors, the filter tends to miss large amounts of grass clippings, and you are left with water that is sprinkled with bits of your yard. 

These grass clippings do not just appear, though. Although you may have the most sincere love for the people who are using your pool, many times, they are the main culprits for tracking glass clippings into the pool. 

Although it may seem like an impossible feat, installing an outdoor shower can help to keep swimmers from tracking glass clippings into the pool. Installing an outdoor shower is versatile, can meet any budget, and is effective when installed correctly.

3. Install a Hardscape

Next to swimmers tracking grass into your pool, yard work comes in a close second to being a huge problem when it comes to grass clippings constantly being in your pool water, preventing a perfectly clear look. If you have a yard that requires mowing, there is no way to keep grass clippings from flying around in the air. It is the inevitable result of using a lawnmower and it is a problem that has plagued pool owners for decades. Yet, installing a hardscape is a tangible solution to this problem. 

There many different avenues you could take when it comes to installing a hardscape, therefore, a general discussion is a tad more appropriate. A hardscape is simply a material that is hard, durable, long-lasting, and does not require any type of regular care like a lawn would.

If you find you are having trouble with grass clippings entering your pool during yard work, consider getting rid of the grass altogether. This can be done by adding concrete around a wide area of your pool or the entirety of your backyard or could even mean laying down stone around the edges. 

Hardscapes can be costly, but they are a highly effective and permanent solution to reducing yard work and ensuring that grass clippings stay out of your pool. 

4. Plant Protective Shrubs 

If a hardscape doesn’t appeal to you but you still want a barrier between your yard and your pool to protect it from grass clippings, consider planting shrubs around the pool. For example, boxwoods are smaller, but are very dense and would work as a natural wall when grass clippings are flung in the vicinity of your pool. Keep in mind, shrubs and bushes can take a few years to grow if you purchase them when they are young. 

Even with mowing being something that is completely unavoidable, there are a few solutions that will help to minimize the amount of grass clippings that end up in your pool during yard work, as well as a few options that offer a more permanent fix. 

Planting protective shrubs is another more permanent solution that can help to keep the grass clippings out of your pool for the long haul. Plus, adding protective shrubs can help to beautify your yard and create an enhanced curb appeal.

5. Use a Bagging Mower 

Regardless of how the grass clippings are entering your pool (be it from swimmers or from yard work), there is a solution that will work best for you that will keep grass clippings from entering your pool during the heat of the summer when you are ready to dive in. Using a bagging mower can be idealistic for your backyard and can suit you for the short-term and long-term benefits.

If you really want to put your grass clipping problems to bed, look into mowing your yard with a bagging mower. Bagging mowers take in the grass clipping and keep them out of your yard, out of your pool, and off of the feet of swimmers entering into it. These can come in the form of push mowers, or baggers can be attached to riding lawnmowers. They do have to be emptied, but the effort is well worth the absence of grass clippings in your pool. 

So, if you are looking for an effective, cost-efficient, and preventative solution to keeping the grass clippings out of the pool, you can start at the root of the problem and bag the grass clippings right as you mow them.

Jed Arnold

Jed spent every year from the ages of 15 - 22 as a Lifeguard (Red Cross) and ages of 17 - 22 as a Certified Pool Operator (CPO). Between working for over a dozen facilities and owning a pool, he carries over a decade of pool experience.

Recent Posts