BioGuard SoftSwim A is the algaecide component of the SoftSwim program — BioGuard’s completely chlorine-free approach to pool care. It’s Step A of a three-part system, and on a biguanide pool it carries more weight than an algaecide does anywhere else.
SoftSwim is built for people who don’t want chlorine in their water at all. Not less chlorine — none. The sanitizer in the program is a biguanide, a completely different class of chemistry that kills bacteria effectively while leaving water that feels soft against skin, doesn’t sting eyes, doesn’t strip hair, and doesn’t carry the smell people associate with a treated pool. Biguanide also doesn’t break down in sunlight, doesn’t lose strength at high temperatures, and doesn’t push pH around, so a SoftSwim pool generally needs fewer corrections through a season than a chlorine pool does.
What biguanide is not is a strong algaecide. It’s an excellent bactericide, but it doesn’t control algae the way a chlorine residual does — and that’s precisely why the program starts with A rather than B. SoftSwim A is doing work that chlorine would otherwise be doing for free in a conventional pool, which makes staying on the weekly schedule considerably more important here than it is on a chlorine program.
The formula is a 40% quaternary ammonium algaecide that protects against a broad spectrum of algae, remains stable against UV, and works harder as water temperature rises — strongest exactly when algae pressure peaks in midsummer. At roughly pH 7.5 it won’t disturb your balance, and it can be dosed weekly or every two weeks depending on how you prefer to run your routine.
One thing to be clear about before buying: SoftSwim is a closed system. Every product in a biguanide pool has to be biguanide-compatible, and chlorine and bromine are not merely discouraged — they destroy the sanitizer outright. Whether the program fits your pool is covered below.
Pro Tip: Nothing containing chlorine or bromine goes in a SoftSwim pool. Ever. Not a shock treatment, not a chlorine tablet, not a “just this once” fix on a cloudy Saturday. Chlorine and biguanide destroy each other on contact, and the result is cloudy water, a gummy residue through the filter, and a collapsed sanitizer residual that costs far more to recover than whatever problem you were trying to solve. Make sure everyone who touches the pool knows — a service tech, a house sitter, a helpful neighbor with a spare bucket of shock. And when you get water tested, say SoftSwim or biguanide before the sample goes in the machine, because the correct recommendation is completely different.
Brand
BioGuard®
