Dawn soap

[Piper Mike]

Hi
Not sure if this is the right spot to post this or not. If not, I'm sorry in advance. My wife was reading tonight about the many things you can use the original Dawn dish detergent for. One of the things said to squeeze it in the middle of the pool and it will cause all the old sun screen and fine dirt that's in the pool to go together and move the the edge of the pool for easy clean up. It also said "plus it will leave the pool extra sparkling". Has anyone ever heard of this before and if you have, has anyone ever tried it?
Just wondering before I tried myself.
Mike

 

[jblizzle]

I know this was discussed a few years ago. I think the general consensus was why would you want to put soap in your pool?

 

[JamesW]

Soap is not good to add to the pool.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

The OLD formula of Dawn dish detergent was useful for many things. It was actually kept in the Emergency Room to help wash gas and motor oils off patients. BUT....its not the same anymore. Probably since they removed all the phosphates.

I say you're too late to test the idea. Sorry.

 

[jblizzle]

Wow, think with the pool store could have been telling us back in the day. Here add this Dawn soap to your pool. Oh no now your phosphates are too high in your pool. Here buy this $50 bottle of potion to get it back down

 

[Piper Mike]

Thanks. I was thinking as such. I remember my grandad years ago would buy loads of bottles of dawn (the old original) when ever he visited America as they didn't sell it in Canada.

 

[Kdaniels1229]

I know this was discussed a few years ago. I think the general consensus was why would you want to put soap in your pool?

I actually read that the pool techs in California use 1/4 cup of Dawn to a 10,000 gal. pool to kill boatman bugs. It lowers the surface tension so they can't float there to rest and breathe. My parents here in Arizona are battling this currently. Not sure if they’ll use this method or not. 1/4 cup to 10k gal. sounds harmless. Thoughts?

 

[Dirk]

My, uh, "intelligence-challenged" pool guy taught me that trick. Though it was for clearing something else. Leaves, or bubbles, or something. I can't remember now, and never tried it. It would work, as the soap alters the surface tension. But as others have pointed out, you don't want to add soap to your pool. It'd be great if people didn't bring suntan lotions and oils into a pool. But that's what cleaning a pool is for. Chlorine and your filter will take care of most of it (though you may have to remove some of the remainder from your filter periodically).

If someone is using so much goo, regularly, that it's building up in your pool somehow, then they can alter their habits, or clean your pool for you...

I don't put anything in my pool except chlorine, muriatic acid and an occasional bump of CYA. That's it, no exceptions...

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I actually read that the pool techs in California use 1/4 cup of Dawn to a 10,000 gal. pool to kill boatman bugs. It lowers the surface tension so they can't float there to rest and breathe. My parents here in Arizona are battling this currently. Not sure if they’ll use this method or not. 1/4 cup to 10k gal. sounds harmless. Thoughts?

Keep us updated if they do it and how it worked, ok?

Maddie

 

[JamesW]

Liquid solar cover products do a similar thing and are made for pools. So, that might be a better choice.

It would probably work best with no wind and the skimmers off.

Wind will blow the chemical from the surface and bunch it up at one end of the pool.

Skimmers will remove the chemical fairly quickly.

Natural Chemistry Pool Perfect (Regular, not a combo product)can sit on the surface and might provide a benefit. It's also made for pools, so it won't cause the same issues as a soap. It's also good for cleaning scum from the waterline and inside skimmers.

 

[Lunchlady]

I actually read that the pool techs in California use 1/4 cup of Dawn to a 10,000 gal. pool to kill boatman bugs. It lowers the surface tension so they can't float there to rest and breathe. My parents here in Arizona are battling this currently. Not sure if they’ll use this method or not. 1/4 cup to 10k gal. sounds harmless. Thoughts?

(I know I'm late with this response.)
¼ cup of dawn is working great to rid my pool of boatman bugs.
Pool looks great. Chemicals are perfect
Water is super clear.
Happy swimming, from California

 

[cowboycasey]

I also use Dawn for bugs in the pool, works like a charm... I need to use it 1 to 2 times a year... boatman bugs are the worst....

 

[mgtfp]

¼ cup of dawn is working great to rid my pool of boatman bugs.

Just curious: Does that create any foaming or bubbles in the pool?

 

[cowboycasey]

It will if you use too much but it will go away after a couple days... The funny part is it will help clean all the crud off a vinyl pool and the skimmer...

 

[Cephrael]

I saw a gallon of tide tossed in a fountain once. Now that was entertaining.

my grandmother’s pool guy told her a couple drops of dawn in the skimmer would help loosen the suntan lotion in her filter. Don’t think it worked though, or we didn’t put enough in. Her pool is in Florida or I’d be taking care of it regularly.