How to Clean a Green Pool Fast (Step-by-Step Guide for Australian Pools)
By Clark Rubber | 20th February, 2026
Is your pool green, cloudy, and unusable? A green pool is a common problem for Australian pool owners - but the good news is it can be fixed quickly with the right steps.
Read on for our advice on the causes behind green pools, as well as how to clean them and prevent this from happening again.
What causes a pool to turn green?
If your pool looks green, it is usually because you have a green algae spread.
Green algae is the primary cause of this issue and typically develops due to incorrect water balance, excess phosphates, poor filtration, or prolonged exposure to heat and sunlight.
When this occurs, your pool starts to get green and cloudy, the filter requires more frequent cleaning, and the walls or floor can begin to stain.
How to Clean a Green Pool: Step-by-Step
Step one: Before adding any chemicals, have your pool water professionally tested at your local Clark Rubber store.
Step two: Remove all excess leaves and debris from pool. Brush walls, floor and steps thoroughly to loosen algae so chemicals can work more effectively. For cartridge filters remove cartridge and reseal filter.
Step three: Ensure your pH level is between 7.4 and 7.6, as chlorine is most effective at killing algae within this range.
Use Filtrite pH Down or Filtrite Pool Acid to lower pH, or Filtrite pH Up if pH levels need increasing.
Run your filter on circulate for two hours - you may also need to remove cartridge filters.
Step four: Add Filtrite Extreme Algaecide at 2.5 litres per 50,000 litres of pool wate in your pool. Make sure it goes all throughout the pool, then put your filter on circulate for two hours again. Remove cartridges if necessary.
Step five: Add Filtrite Trichlor Granular Chlorine Pool Chlorine at 500gm per 25,000 litres. Premix in bucket of water until dissolved and distribute evenly throughout pool. Alternatively, add 1 litre of Filtrite Liquid Chlorine per 1,000 litres of pool water. Run filter for 24 hours on recirculate.
Step six: Your water should turn a milky or cloudy white colour, which indicates the algae has been killed and is ready to be removed through filtration and vacuuming. If this doesn’t happen repeat steps three and four. Repeat the filter circulation for 48 hours. If there is no change to the water, bring in a sample of your water to be professionally analysed.
Step seven: Vacuum the sediment from the floor of the pool, then backwash your filter or use Filtrite Cartridge Cleaner, depending on your filtration system.
Step eight: Add Filtrite Algygone at 1 litre per 50,000 litres pool water to help prevent future algae growth. Use Filtrite Phosphate Eliminator to reduce nutrient level, test water for required dose.
If the pool has not cleared within 48 hours, flocculant may be required to bind fine particles together so they can be vacuumed more easily. Use Filtrire Super Floc as per the instructions on the bottle or return water sample to a Clark Rubber store.
How to prevent a pool from turning green
Maintaining balanced pool water is the most effective way to prevent your pool from turning green.
A water test can help you determine which pool products you need to keep your pool water balanced.
You can also use a long-life algaecide from the outset to ensure algae blooms do not take hold in your pool. Talk to the experts at Clark Rubber to find out which algaecide is best suited to your pool.
For expert help cleaning a green pool, visit your nearest Clark Rubber store for a free water test or book our Onsite Pool Care service to have it handled for you.
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