Pool, hot tub, sauna: cleaning between guests

The pool is the feature that gets bookings, and the one that carries the most risk. Daily upkeep in season, strict hygiene rules for a spa, and safety obligations that fall on the owner: the subject goes far beyond cleaning. This guide draws the line between what a cleaner does between stays and what needs a professional, with the safety checks that must never be delegated.

What needs doing, and when

The pool, between stays

What a cleaner can and should do at every changeover, in fifteen to twenty minutes:

1. Skim the surfaceWith a net, removing leaves and insects before they sink. Debris that sinks becomes a stain on the bottom and a scrubbing job.
2. Empty the skimmer baskets and pump pre-filter.This is the most effective step: a full basket reduces filtration, and the water goes cloudy in two days.
3. Scrub the waterlineWhere a greasy sunscreen film builds up, using a dedicated sponge.
4. Run the pool robot or manual vacuumIf the bottom needs it.
5. Check the water levelWhich should reach halfway up the skimmers. Too low, the pump runs dry and burns out.
6. Clean the poolside areaCoping stones, outdoor shower, furniture, and tidy away floats.

Water testing is done with strips or an electronic tester, two to three times a week in peak season. This can be done by the cleaner if they are trained and the target values are written clearly in the property file. However, adjusting chemicals, managing pH and chlorine must be handled by a professional or a trained owner: overdosing irritates eyes and skin, underdosing lets the water turn green in 48 hours.

Pool safety: never delegated

In France, any in-ground or semi-in-ground pool that is not fully enclosed and is for private use must have at least one standard-compliant safety device: barrier, alarm, cover, or enclosure. The obligation is on the owner, and it fully applies to holiday lets. The current rules can be found on Service-Public.fr.

Checks to do at every changeover, and record:

• Barrier and gate: automatic closing works, lock is in good condition, nothing placed against the fence that could be used to climb over.
• Alarm: powered on, indicator light on, not disabled by the previous guest. This is the most common failure point.
• Cover or enclosure: operates correctly, no tears, fixings in place.

These checks take less than three minutes, and are nothing compared to what they prevent. Record them with a photo: in the event of an accident, the question will be whether the device was working.

The hot tub: more demanding than the pool

A spa holds little water, it's hot, agitated, and heavily used: bacteria develop much faster than in a pool. The rule for short-term lets is simple and non-negotiable.

At every departure:

• Clean the waterline, where the greasy film builds up heavily.
• Rinse the cartridge filter. A clogged filter is the main cause of cloudy water.
• Check the disinfectant, bromine or chlorine depending on the system.
• Wipe and close the thermal cover, whose weight and condition are a safety point for children.

Every four to eight weeks, or more often with heavy use: full drain, clean the shell, and refill. Spa water cannot be endlessly rescued with chemicals; after a certain number of bathers, it must be changed.

A spa with cloudy water or a musty smell should not be offered: better to close it for a stay and inform guests than to put them at risk.

The sauna

A sauna needs little, but that little matters: it's a closed, hot, humid space, and the wood absorbs sweat.

Every four changeovers:

• Wipe down the benches with clean or lightly soapy water, never perfumed detergent: the wood releases the smell on first heating, and it becomes unbearable.
• Never varnish or oil the interior wood of a sauna.
• Air with the door open after each clean until fully dry.
• Check the stove stones, which crack over time and should be replaced every one to two years.

Provide bench towels in addition to regular bath linen, and remind guests in the welcome book to sit on them: this is what protects the wood.

What to write in the property file

Three things, which must survive a change of cleaner: the target water values (pH, disinfectant), the pool technician's contact and visit frequency, and the date of the last spa drain. Without these, every new cleaner has to figure out the system from scratch, and no one knows when the last job was done.