Do’s And Don’ts When Cleaning Stainless Steel Pool Ladder
What is stainless steel? Stainless steel is a material that is chromium alloy steel. It is one of the most highly corrosion and rust resistant material ever. This material is very strong as well as durable with amazing lustre. However, just because it is stainless, that does not mean that it is rustproof. Stainless steel is used to make a number of products including pool ladders. There are lots of stainless steel pool ladders available in different styles, sizes and shapes.
The water in the pool is usually filled with all kinds of chemicals. Chemicals like bromine and chlorine are used for sanitisation in swimming pools. These chemicals are highly caustic to stainless steel and heat increases the corrosiveness of these chemicals. One very effective way to prevent rust from forming is to ensure regular cleaning. Cleaning also makes the pool ladder last longer. Your aim when cleaning your stainless steel pool ladder is to keep its protective chromium oxide layer intact. This will greatly help prevent corrosion to the steel.
Dos
There are a few things you can do to prevent rust on your stainless steel pool ladder. Always make sure that you rinse the ladder with fresh water and wipe with a clean cloth. This will help remove all the chemicals that have accumulated on ladder therefore keeping rust at bay. You can use a cleaner that is usually used to clean glass to clean the stainless steel.
Also remember to inspect your ladder frequently. This way you can notice any corrosion, water stains, and tarnish and remove them immediately. You can also prevent all this by rinsing the stainless steel more often to decrease the amount of chemicals that accumulate on it. Remove any rust that has formed on the pool ladder immediately to prevent serious damage like irreversible pitting. You can remove rust by using baking soda, borax, a non-abrasive cleaner and water. You can also make a paste using ammonia, water and magnesium oxide to remove stubborn stains.
Don’ts
Never use scrubbers that are too rough as they will damage the stainless steel. Avoid items like sandpaper, steel wool, chlorine cleansers, mineral acids or bleach. When adding chlorine to your pool, be sure to add it away from the area where the pool ladder is. Make sure that you add it to areas of the pool that are far from the ladder in order to reduce the concentration of these chemicals around the stainless steel pool ladder.
Cleaning Methods
Corrosion that is only on the surface of the stainless steel like water stains and discoloration are easy to remove. These can be removed by just using a metal polish. Rusting caused by lighting is removed by using stronger cleaning detergent. Areas that have heavy rusting and advanced corrosion that has led to surface pitting can be treated using strong products like naval jelly. In order to restore the surface of your stainless steel you should do what’s called mechanical polishing. Use automotive wax to remove or prevent future corrosion of the stainless steel surface.
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