‘Keep flies out of paddling pools’ with ‘genius’ 20p trick

A savvy mum has gone viral after sharing her ‘genius’ paddling pool hack. The tip could be ideal for families who love using a dip in the warmer months, but don’t want to share their pool with bugs and flies.

TikTok creator @Vikkiunfiltered, who is based in Scotland, went viral after showcasing the tip in a video, gaining over 300,000 views. Many social media users loved the trick, commenting that they couldn’t believe they hadn’t thought of the idea sooner.

Vikki told viewers: “Apparently, if you cover your paddling pool with black bags overnight, it stops all the flies and bugs getting in, and apparently it can help heat it up for the next day as well.” In the text in her video, she added: “Wait… this actually works.

“Put black bags over your paddling pool overnight. Stops flies and bugs getting in. And that the sun heats the water up was faster. Scottish heatwave engineering at its finest.”

Lots of social media users loved the idea. Commenting under the post, one fan said: “I’ve done the same to mine, saving filling it up again tomorrow. Genius hack.” A second commenter wrote: “100% works, done it for years, it’s a great wee idea.”

Another fan replied: “What!! Gonna try this.” Someone else said: “We did it in lockdown and the water was red hot,” and Vikki commented: “Fingers crossed, saves all the kettle runs!”

Offering a different suggestion, a viewer wrote: “Bubble wrap works well too.” A commenter said: “We have a black paddling pool cover, heats the water lovely.”

Someone else replied: “Or you could just buy a pool cover for a tenner.” But Vikki defended her idea, explaining that her method cost under £1. She said: “This worked great and cost about 20p, and will reuse the bags each night.”

Elsewhere, a comment said: “We have the same pool. We bought a tarp and just stretched it across and nailed it to the ground and yes its helps with warmth but only on top ur wiggly toes will be cold once you step in.”

However, Vikki revealed she had the opposite problem. “Oh I found it really warm, ended up adding extra cold to it!!” she wrote. The social media user added: “That’s awesome, saves some money too.”

In a follow-up video, Vikki said her hack was an ‘absolute success’. She told viewers: “So, yesterday’s hack was an absolute success. The only problem is now the pool is too warm, and I’m having to add cold water.”