Good morning pool girl,
First let me say that I am far from being an expert, but I will share with you the only thing that cleared my pool. I bought the test kit, and used it to ensure I was keeping my water at shock level even after it was beyond blue but somewhat cloudy. You must test your water often, and by often I mean I was testing several times a day. You cannot believe how quickly your chlorine level drops from shock level to zilch, and no way to know without a test kit.
I am the biggest skeptic in the world about thinking someone just wants to profit from me by selling me something. I probably wouldn't have even considered ordering the test kit if I hadn't personally known someone who bought the kit two years ago. After more than a week of posting questions on here, reading pool school, and being torn between what the pool store was telling me and the advice I was getting here, I ordered the kit. Best thing I did in the whole process other than learning the basics from reading pool school and others' posts! I firmly believe I saved more than the cost of the kit by only buying products I need at grocery store prices.
I am a divorced kindergarten teacher living on a shoe string budget, and I took my pool from the greenest, murkiest water you can imagine to crystal clear with NO help and very little encouragement from my friends, kids, or neighbors. If I can do this, be encouraged that you can too.
Order your test kit.
Stock up on bleach.
Use that cya/chlorine chart in pool school to know your shock level.
Add bleach several times a day to keep it at shock level.
You also need to be scooping from the middle of the pool often to get every last leaf and twig out.
Good luck, and try not to get discouraged.
Cheryl
Kenton, TN
22500 AG vinyl liner. 1.5 hp filter