When you buy a house with a pool, the first step is a pool startup: a one-time service that deep cleans the filter and pump, balances the water chemistry and gets the pool swim-ready before anyone swims in it. Regular weekly cleaning comes after that, not before. Nobody hands you a record of how the pool was kept, so the first visit is about finding out what you actually have.
Look at the water before you touch anything
Green or cloudy water, or a bottom step that feels slick instead of smooth, is algae, and algae means the pool needs a green pool cleanup before it is ready to swim in. The slick step is the one to check, because it shows up while the water still looks mostly clear. A strong chemical smell belongs on the same list: it usually means the chlorine is being used up fighting contaminants instead of keeping the water sanitized.
The five warning signs of a green pool walks through each one, including the difference between common green algae and the yellow or mustard kind, which is more stubborn and resists standard chlorine levels.
Listen to the equipment
Run the pump and listen. Air bubbles in the pump basket, a new grinding or screeching noise, weaker flow at the returns, water leaking around the housing, or a motor that keeps shutting off and restarting are all signs of a problem. Five signs your pool pump is failing explains each symptom. Those belong to pool equipment repair, not cleaning, and repair visits and estimates are free.
Also find out which filter the pool has. Sand, cartridge, or DE explains the three types. They are maintained differently, which is worth knowing before the first service.
What a pool startup covers
A pool startup covers a deep clean of the system, including the filter and pump, chemical balancing, brushing the tiles and the walls, vacuuming, and getting the pool swim-ready.
It is a one-time visit before regular service begins. Startup is for new homeowners who just inherited a pool, for vacation and seasonal properties opening up for the season, and for pools that were just renovated and need to be brought back online. The pool startup page has the full list, and the comparison tables on the home page show how it differs from the other three services.
After the startup, keep it that way
The service that keeps a started pool in shape is weekly pool cleaning. The weekly visit is the same everywhere, item for item: the water chemistry is tested and corrected, the walls and steps are brushed, the floor is vacuumed, leaves are skimmed off the surface, both baskets are emptied, the filter pressure, pump and water level are checked, and the tile at the edge is cleaned, waterline included. The filter is washed once a month, not every week. You get a photo after every visit.
Weekly is the floor in this climate, not an upgrade, and how often a pool needs cleaning in South Florida explains why. If the question is what it costs, pool cleaning cost in Fort Lauderdale covers what moves the number. Two seasonal posts cover what the pool needs at each end of the year: summer preparation and winter preparation.
If the house is in a condominium
The private pool of a house inside a condominium is covered, and the community pool of the condominium is not. Do pool services clean pools in condos draws that line and explains what changes at the gate.
Where we work, and how to ask
We cover Broward County and Boca Raton, including Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale, Parkland, Margate, Coconut Creek, Deerfield Beach, Oakland Park, Pompano Beach, Lighthouse Point, Plantation, Sunrise and Boca Raton.
A quote request is answered the same day. Pools are serviced Monday to Saturday, 7am to 7pm, and the office answers Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm, closed Sunday.
Request a free quote and tell us you just bought the house, so the first visit is a startup and not a regular cleaning.