Do Robotic Pool Cleaners Clean Algae?

Short answer: a robotic pool cleaner can brush and collect light algae and dead algae, but it can't kill an algae bloom. Killing algae is a water-chemistry job. Most guides on this come from robot makers, so we focus on the steps they agree on.

What a robot does well

• Prevention: regular scrubbing of the floor, walls and waterline removes the thin film algae grow from.
• Light algae: brushes loosen early growth and the filter collects it.
• Clean-up after treatment: once algae is killed, the robot picks up the dead debris from the floor.

What it can't do

• Kill algae. Only sanitizer (usually chlorine) does that.
• Clear a green pool alone. Makers describe the robot as a finishing tool after chemical treatment, not the first step.
• Catch every particle. Coarse filters let fine dead algae pass back into the water; finer filters (10 µm or 3 µm) catch more but clog faster.

How to clear algae, in order

1. Test and balance the water (pH and sanitizer).
2. Shock the pool following the product's instructions, and run your pool pump.
3. Brush walls and floor to loosen dead algae.
4. Let it settle, then run the robot.
5. Rinse the robot's filter often during clean-up, and run extra cycles.
6. Keep chlorine in range so it doesn't come back.

Tip: Follow the chemical maker's instructions and local rules, and keep the robot out of the pool while shocking unless its manual says otherwise.

Robots with finer filters

Fine filtration helps during algae clean-up: the Aiper Scuba X series ships with a 3 µm filter, and the WYBOT C2 has a 10 µm second stage. See our best cordless robots.