The Best Pool Accessories to Upgrade Your Summer (2026)

These are the cleaning robots, water monitors, and toys actually worth buying for pool season. This is not news to anyone who owns one, but the uninitiated may not know about the inordinate amount of daily labor and chores that lie behind a pool's clear, sparkling, perfectly chlorinated (or salted) water. Luckily, pool tech has come a long way in the past decade--gone are the hours spent scooping leaves and dead bugs out of the water with a long-handled net, laboring over pH strips, and trying to relax on floaties too small for your adult-sized behind. We've now got robots that clean your pool, apps that monitor water quality from your phone, and even a slushie machine for proper pool-party margs. With gas and plane ticket prices soaring to astronomical levels, there's never been a better time for a staycation at your own pool.