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Growing up, my best friend had a block pool in her neighborhood, which meant all the families who shared it helped close it every year. As a kid, the amount of effort it involved was totally lost on me, but as an adult, I know just how much work it actually takes.
Fortunately, because the BobVila.com team has spent all spring and summer testing an array of the most user-friendly pool maintenance tools on the market, this end-of-the-season chore doesn’t have to be a hassle. These are the best supplies for an easy pool closing.
Key Takeaways
- Effortless water testing. The Aiper HydroComm Pro simplifies pool water chemistry checks with app integration.
- Streamlined chemical care. Pool Day Simple Scoop combines multiple treatments into one easy step.
- Advanced cleaning tools. Beatbot’s robotic skimmers and cleaners automate surface and deep cleaning.
- Secure winter storage. Vevor’s heavy-duty mesh cover and Keter’s deck box protect pool accessories and structure.
Bottom line: Simplify your pool closing with innovative tools and supplies that save time and effort while ensuring a secure winterization.
Smart Water Test Kit
Photo: Walmart
Thanks to this floating monitor, you can skip the headache of squinting at test strips or dipping manual vials like you would with a standard pool test kit. Simply pop the Aiper HydroComm Pro in the water while you collect the rest of the closing supplies you need, and watch as pH, chlorine, oxidation-reduction potential, and total dissolved solids info starts rolling in. The Aiper app makes it easy to understand how to improve pool water chemistry, and once you’ve got everything balanced, it’s safe to store on a charging base with its own protective wet cap.
What our tester says: “I love that this gadget is totally set-and-forget. Just tether it to a corner, and it’ll ping your phone with all the water quality info you need.”—Paul Rankin, Product Reviews tester and writer
All-in-One Chemical Treatment
Pool Day Simple Scoop Pool Treatment
Buy at Pool DayInstead of measuring, mixing, and balancing an entire shelf’s worth of closing chemicals, this multi-tasking powder from Pool Day lets you handle the bulk of off-season water care in one step. The all-in-one formula combines a non-chlorine oxidizer, algaecide, clarifier, and stain inhibitor into a single scoop, and when you add two before closing, it’ll keep the water under your cover clear and free of algae. While you’ll still want to add chlorine, bromine, UV, ozone, or salt to complete the process, paring back a multi-bottle winterizing routine with Simple Scoop will still save you serious time.
Read our full review: Pool Day Simple Scoop Pool Treatment
Robotic Pool Skimmer
Photo: Amazon
Before you pull your cover over your pool, running a skimmer like the Beatbot iSkim will help make sure you don’t trap a layer of floating leaves or bugs to decay. As the premium pick in our robotic pool skimmers guide, this solar-powered tool makes quick work of surface cleanup, using dual guided wheels to reach walls and tight corners. The 9-liter debris basket is the largest of all the models we tested—which means far fewer pauses to empty it—and the smart obstacle avoidance feature means it won’t get stuck and stop cleaning while you focus on other tasks. Once it finishes, the unit automatically parks at the edge of the pool so you can simply lift it out and store it away.
What our tester says: “This is the robotic skimmer I use in my own pool. Performance is consistently strong, and I like the balance between solar-charging and long battery runtime.”—Paul Rankin, Product Reviews tester and writer
Robotic Pool Cleaner
Photo: Amazon
While a manual pool brush like the Wall Whale features a thoughtful design that makes cleaning much easier, there’s nothing quite like letting a robot do the work for you. Beatbot’s Sora 70, the all-in-one award winner in our best robotic pool cleaners lineup, handles the entire pool from top to bottom—skimming floating leaves from the surface, scrubbing all along the waterline, and deep cleaning the pool’s floor. Its 5-hour battery life provides plenty of runtime for it to navigate everything from shallow sun decks (it works in water as low as 8 inches deep) to sloped walls, and the 6-liter debris basket holds a serious amount of fall foliage. Like the brand’s standalone skimmer, it parks right at the water’s edge for easy retrieval once it’s done.
Read our full review: Beatbot Sora 70
Air Compressor
Bostitch 6-Gallon 150-PSI Oil-Free Compressor
Buy at AmazonBlowing out your pool’s plumbing lines before winter helps prevent trapped water from freezing, expanding, and cracking your pipes. With up to 150 PSI available, this pancake home air compressor provides more than enough air pressure to flush water out of standard skimmer and return lines so you can seal them with expansion plugs. Its oil-free design helps keep the air supply clean, and the lightweight 29-pound body has a top handle that makes it easy to move around the deck as you work. Just remember to keep the regulator set low (typically around 10 to 15 PSI) to avoid over-pressurizing your plumbing.
Toy and Supply Storage Box
Photo: Amazon
Pool floats, skimmer baskets, and removable ladders all need a home for the winter, and this massive 230-gallon deck box from Keter can hold them all. Not only is it large enough to swallow up all those awkward end-of-season accessories, it’s also made from weather-resistant resin to protect them against rain, snow, and sun. Should you elect to use it for pool toy storage, hydraulic pistons ensure no tiny fingers get smashed, and you can even add a padlock to the built-in latch to keep all your gear secure until spring.
Above-Ground Pool Cover
Photo: Amazon
If you have an above-ground pool, you likely already know that closing your pool for the winter typically means wrestling with loose tarps—which is why the integrated steel cable and pulley lock system combo on this Poolhacker option is such an upgrade. Constructed from high-density Oxford fabric, it has extended side drops that allow it to wrap low on your pool’s frame to keep out leaves, dust, and wind, as well as UV-resistant coating that absorbs a bit of solar warmth while preventing the fabric from degrading. Whether you have a small 8-foot pool or a massive 24-foot model, there’s an easy-to-install cover in Poolhacker’s lineup that’s sure to be a perfect fit.
Inground Pool Cover
Photo: Amazon
Securing an inground pool for the off-season requires serious structural support, and this heavy-duty mesh cover from Vevor is built to bear the load. Constructed from dense polypropylene fabric with double-strapped seams and triple-stitched borders, it creates a tight barrier strong enough to hold heavy winter snow and protect children or pets from accidental falls. The micro-mesh weave lets rain and snowmelt pass through to prevent water logging, yet it also blocks enough light to keep algae from taking over. It’s sold as a complete kit with brass concrete anchors, stainless steel springs, and installation tools, and it comes in an array of rectangular and custom sizes to fit virtually any pool.
Pool Cover Pump
Photo: Amazon
As the best overall pick in our best pool cover pumps guide, the Acquaer PCP025 has two useful applications. Because it’s fully submersible, you can drop it directly into your pool to lower the water level below your skimmer lines before blowing out the plumbing. Then, once you’ve locked the cover down, you can transition it to winter duty, allowing it to keep excess precipitation off your cover by automatically kicking on whenever there’s 2 or more inches and shutting off once levels are back below half an inch. It even has a removable strainer base that keeps leaves from clogging the motor, plus a 25-foot power cord that provides plenty of reach to an outdoor outlet.
What our tester says: “I just placed this unit on my pool cover and it got to work right away—no setup headaches. It’s powerful, dependable, and can handle heavy rain without breaking a sweat.”—Paul Rankin, Product Reviews tester and writer
