We put on an Arctic Armor micro mesh cover. They look just like solid covers but have a really finely woven material that lets the water drop through but not the crud.
On my 18' x 36' ag pool I've always had issues, even with air pillows, with the cover sitting on the water at some points and the water seeping back through to the leaves and crud so that it never dries out and remains a mess. It would seem that I'd have the same issue with the mesh cover.