Waterline tile cleaning

[waterbear]

I just use tile soap. You can get it by the gallon in most pool stores. If there is any scale build up I mix some acid in it (about 1 part acid to 5 parts soap). I have not had to use it nearly as often since I dropped a 'scumbug' into my skimmer. It's a sponge made of an oil aborbing plastic and it really works! IMHO, every skimmer will benefit from skimmer socks and a scumbug http://www.rola-chem.com/scumbug.html
(or similar product...there are also scumballs and sunsorbs that I have seen that are the same except for the shape.)

Tile soap is also good for getting stuff like pollen off the water surface. Put some in a squeeze bottle like you would use for haircolor or ketchup that has a nozzle and squirt a line of it across the middle of the pool. All the pollen will collect around the edge and can be easily skimmed off! The squeeze bottle is also a good dispenser to use with your scotchbrite pad as you walk around the pool perimeter. I picked up a scrubber with a reseviour that goes on the end of my pool for the soap at one of the local pool stores that works well. Same principle as those dish cleaning wands with a sponge on the end and a hollow handle that you fill with dishwashing detergent.