Solar pool covers, sometimes called solar blankets, make good pools even better. They generate a greenhouse effect to trap heat in the water, keeping pools warmer — as much as 15 degrees warmer in ideal conditions. They limit evaporation, which saves water and reduces chemical use.

The problem, however, is that they’re pricey — more than $100, depending on the pool. They also have to be stored when they’re not in use and eventually, they have to be replaced. Also, taking them on and off is an extra chore you have to deal with before you get into or out of the pool.

What if solar blankets came in a bottle? What if solar blankets came in liquid form that you could just pour into your pool and walk away? What if you could achieve all the benefits of a solar blanket at a fraction of the cost with none of the maintenance headaches?

That would be great, wouldn’t it? Too bad you can’t — and you never will be able to, so stop dreaming.

Just kidding (how mean would that have been?).

This miracle exists. It’s called Therma-Swim Liquid Solar Cover. A single bottle of Therma-Swim covers 400 feet of pool surface for an entire month. It’s safe. It’s biodegradable. It’s compatible with every pool chemical known to man.

Here’s what it takes to make it happen. You open a bottle of Therma-Swim. You pour the bottle into your pool, two bottles if your pool is really big. Wait a month. Repeat.

That’s it. Honestly. A warmer pool with less evaporation and fewer chemicals is yours for the taking. They even bottled it up for you.

Have you ever woken up eternally grateful that you went back to your hotel room instead of playing another hand of blackjack at the casino the night before? Or that you didn’t eat another bowl of ice cream? Or that you didn’t have just one more drink?

That’s Future You being proud of Past You for making a good decision. When pool season wraps up this fall, give Future You something to smile several months from now by getting a pro to close your pool instead of trying to do it yourself.

Here is a list of actions. Read them, and then stick around for a short quiz afterward.

• Blow out and winterize plumbing lines.
• Install winter plugs.
• Winterize your filtration system.
• Winterize heater.
• Remove handrails and ladder.
• Install a winter cover.
• Clean the salt generator.
• Chemically clean the filter.
• Clean pool cover and heater.
• Winterize waterfall, paramount system, phantom cleaner and shower.

OK, ready? That was a list of:

A. 10 steps required to close your pool and prepare it for winter.

B. 10 things you should never try to do yourself.

C. All of the above.

The answer is C.

Closing and winterizing a pool is a specialty. It is critical to do it right, yet easy to do it wrong. Make Future You proud of Past You by resisting the urge to try to do everything yourself. This year, hire a pro to close your pool. 

There are a whole lot of reasons to invest in a pool safety cover. The most important reason is right there in the name.

Seriously? No. Not “cover.” Safety. The most important reason is safety.

Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4. Three out of four children who drown do so in a residential pool. The overwhelming majority of those — 58 percent — drown in in-ground pools.

The single best thing you can do to avoid contributing to these disturbing statistics is to invest in a pool safety cover.

Modern safety covers reduce energy bills and trap in heat, acting as a thermal insulator that increases your pool’s temperature by 8-10 degrees. They also dramatically reduce upkeep by protecting your pool from leaves and other debris.

Most importantly, however, safety covers create an impenetrable barrier between kids, pets and the dangers lurking below. No fence, no alarm system and no amount of instruction to stay away from the pool can make the same claim.