Inflatable pool floats are generally made of PVC or polyvinyl chloride. PVC is one of the most commonly used synthetic plastics in the world. It may surprise people how PVC can be made into floats. That’s probably because the first thing that people think about when they hear PVC is the one used in pipes. That’s the rigid kind of PVC though. The one used in inflatables are softened by plasticizers.

As of 2015, PVC is the fifth most heavily produced synthetic plastic in the world. That year, 38 million tons of PVC was produced. That is for both forms of PVC. The rigid type is solid yet brittle. When mixed with a plasticizer, the PVC becomes flexible. The plasticizer used to soften the PVC is known as phthalate, which is not a very good material for both people and the environment. Various health organizations have not identified the specific adverse effects of phthalates in people’s health. The same health organizations are closely monitoring this chemical for future legislations.

It’s the children who are at largely at risk of being exposed to phthalates because aside from inflatables, a lot of toys and hygienic products contain the chemical. Babies also have the tendency to put their hands on their mouth and these hands may have touched phthalates beforehand. When it comes to inflatable pool floats, though, it could be negligible since it is not every day that children use inflatable pool floats.

Keep your pool floats consistently clean by doing these necessary steps:

Deflate your float

The first thing you do is to deflate your pool float. It would be easier to clean your float thoroughly if it’s deflated. Simply open your float’s valve stem to let all its air out.

Remove all excess water in your float

Make sure there is no extra water in your float. Remove all the excess water in your float.

Clean your Pool Float

The next and essential step is to clean your float. There are natural and organic cleaners, as well as chemical cleaning solutions. The natural and organic cleaner is safer, but the cleaners with chemicals are designed to be effective in eliminating germs easier.

What can you use to clean your float?Soap

You could use soap to clean your float by mixing in a pail 1/4 cup of mild cleanser to a gallon of water. Then wash your float using this soap solution using a rag or a sponge. Rinse it off with water afterward.

Vinegar

The next option is to use vinegar as your cleaning agent. Mix one part white vinegar to two parts of warm water and mix them well. Use this solution to submerge your float for about 20 minutes. This would remove all the dirt and molds in your pool float.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is another good cleaning agent for your float.  Mix one part baking soda with four parts of warm water thoroughly. This baking soda solution would absorb all the dirt in your float, and it would clean it at the same time.

Bleach

A chemical solution that would clean and sanitize your float is bleach. Just add 2 tablespoons of bleach to a pail of water and submerge your float in it. Wait for around 4-5 minutes for the bleach to do be effective.

Bleach can also be used to remove germs, mold, and mildew from your float, but if you opt for a less harsh cleaning agent, you could use any of the first three cleaning solution options.