I'm closing my salt water pool for the first time and I had a really hard time removing the handrails last night. Salt had accumulated around the anchors in the concrete and formed a gel and in some places hardened around the rails. This made them extremely difficult to get out and left everything a mess. Is there anything I can use to clean the rails and bolts/washers that hold them in place?
Thanks

You can use a stainless steel wire brush. Those that chuck in a drill work well and come in different sizes and shapes.

Next year, try coating the anchors and part of the railing that goes into the anchors with marine grease. That will prevent them from being hard to remove next time.