BioGuard Skim Mor | Oil-Absorbing Skimmer Socks

• 5 x BioGuard Skim Mor skimmer socks, MYCELX-treated

At the recommended two-week replacement interval, a 5-pack covers approximately ten weeks of use in a single-skimmer pool. Pools with two skimmers will go through them twice as fast.

MYCELX-Treated Fabric

The coating actively attracts and binds oils, lotions, cosmetics, and sunscreen rather than merely straining water. Standard skimmer socks are untreated mesh; this is the difference between the two.

Captures What Your Filter Misses

Traps pollen, fine silt, and small debris that pass through a standard skimmer basket, along with the oils that ordinary mesh can't hold at all.

Extends Filter Life

Intercepting oil at the skimmer keeps it out of the filter media, where it would otherwise coat the pleats or sand bed and eventually make the element unrecoverable.

Reduces Waterline Buildup

Continuously pulling oils out of circulation slows the formation of the scum ring at the tile line — the buildup that hardens over a season and becomes the most tedious part of pool cleaning.

Improves Water Clarity

Removing the fine particulate and dispersed oils that dull water contributes directly to how clear and bright the pool looks.

Stretches to Fit Virtually All Skimmer Baskets

One size accommodates the vast majority of residential skimmer baskets, so there's no fitment chart to check before ordering.

Installs in Seconds

Slip it over the basket and stretch it over the rim. No tools, no modification, nothing to plumb in.

Reduces Maintenance Time

A sock that's easy to pull and replace does work that would otherwise mean more frequent filter cleanings and more waterline scrubbing.

Skim Mor does two different jobs at once, and understanding the difference explains why the treated version outperforms plain mesh.

The first job is mechanical filtration. The fabric is a fine mesh, so water passing through the skimmer leaves behind particles too small for the basket to catch — pollen, fine silt, insect parts, small leaf fragments, hair. That's straightforward straining, and any skimmer sock does it.

The second job is oil capture, and this is where MYCELX comes in. Oils are hydrophobic — they don't dissolve in water, and they don't form particles a mesh can strain. Sunscreen, body oil, hair product, and lotion disperse into fine droplets and emulsions that pass through any fabric fine enough to still let water flow. The MYCELX coating works chemically rather than mechanically: it has a strong affinity for hydrocarbons, so oil molecules contacting the treated fiber bond to it and stay bonded rather than being released back downstream. The oil is captured, not just delayed.

Why intercepting oil matters so much comes down to what it does to a filter. Filter media works by trapping particles in pores or between pleats. When oil coats that media, it does two damaging things: it fills the pore structure directly, and it makes every surface sticky so fine debris adheres instead of passing. The result is a filter that reads high pressure, delivers reduced flow, and doesn't recover after a normal cleaning, because rinsing removes dirt but not oil. That's the exact failure mode behind most "my cartridge won't come clean" complaints, and it's why a dedicated degreaser exists as a separate product.

Skim Mor attacks the problem upstream. Oil removed at the skimmer never reaches the filter, so the media stays porous and cleanable much longer.

The two-week replacement interval reflects capacity rather than wear. MYCELX binds oil permanently, which means a saturated sock can't take on more — it's full. Leaving it in past that point means the sock is restricting flow while no longer capturing anything.

Pro Tip: If your skimmer basket floats up after installing a sock, drop a smooth stone in the bottom to weight it. This is a normal quirk, not a defect — the fabric adds enough buoyancy to lift a light plastic basket off its seat, and a basket that isn't seated lets water bypass around it entirely, which defeats the whole point. Any smooth rock large enough not to pass through the basket works. Check the seating after you install each new sock, since the fresh fabric is the most buoyant.

Installation

1. Place the Skim Mor in the skimmer basket and stretch it over the basket rim.
2. If the basket floats, put a small weight such as a smooth stone into the basket.
3. Place chlorine sticks and tabs in the basket below the Skim Mor.
4. Remove the Skim Mor when adding products through the skimmer, then reinstall it afterward.
5. Replace the Skim Mor every two weeks, and empty it when necessary.

Routine Maintenance

• Check the sock whenever you check the skimmer basket — typically once or twice a week
• Empty accumulated leaves and debris as needed between replacements
• Replace on the two-week schedule even if it looks clean; oil saturation isn't visible
• Replace sooner after a storm, heavy pollen fall, or a weekend of heavy bather load
• Confirm the basket is seated properly each time you install a new one

When Skim Mor Earns Its Keep

• Pools with heavy sunscreen and lotion use — the primary case
• Spring and early summer, when pollen loads are highest
• Pools surrounded by trees, shrubs, or lawn
• Any pool where filter pressure climbs quickly between cleanings
• Cartridge filter systems, where replacement elements are expensive
• Pools that have developed a persistent waterline scum ring

Storage and Handling

• Store unused socks in a cool, dry place in their original packaging
• Keep away from oils, solvents, and chemicals in storage — the coating captures hydrocarbons on contact and will saturate before it ever reaches the pool
• Dispose of used socks with household waste

Pro Tip: Pull the sock before you add anything through the skimmer, and put it back after. This is the step people forget. Pouring a liquid or broadcasting a granular product onto a MYCELX-treated sock can saturate the coating immediately, wasting a sock that had weeks of life left, and the fabric can also keep the product from dispersing the way it should. Chlorine tabs and sticks are the exception — those sit in the basket underneath the sock and stay put. Everything else: remove, dose, reinstall.

• Brand: BioGuard
• Product Type: Treated skimmer sock and pre-filter
• Quantity: 5 pack
• Manufacturer Part Number: 21401BIO
• Treatment: MYCELX oil-capture coating
• Captures: Oils, cosmetics, lotions, sunscreen, pollen, and fine debris
• Fit: Stretches to fit virtually all skimmer baskets
• Replacement Interval: Every two weeks
• Coverage per Pack: Approximately 10 weeks in a single-skimmer pool
• Installation: Slip over basket and stretch over the rim — no tools required
• Chlorine Tabs and Sticks: Place in the basket below the Skim Mor
• Other Products: Remove the Skim Mor before adding through the skimmer
• Reusable: No — oil binding is permanent
• Filter Compatibility: Sand, cartridge, and DE
• Sanitizer Compatibility: All programs — no interaction with water chemistry
• Pool Types: In-ground and above-ground

Skimmer Baskets

• Stretches to fit virtually all residential skimmer baskets
• In-ground and above-ground pool skimmers

Filtration Systems

• Cartridge filters — the biggest beneficiary, since oil-fouled pleats are the most common cause of premature cartridge replacement
• DE filters — protects grids from oil coating
• Sand filters — keeps oil out of the sand bed, where it binds grains together and channels water around the media

Sanitizer Programs

• Chlorine, bromine, salt chlorine generator, mineral, and biguanide pools — this is a mechanical accessory and doesn't interact with water chemistry

Using Skim Mor with Chlorine Tablets or Sticks

If you feed chlorine through the skimmer, place the tablets or sticks in the basket underneath the Skim Mor. The sock goes over the top. This keeps the sanitizer in its normal position while the sock still captures oils and debris on the way in.

Adding Other Products Through the Skimmer

Remove the Skim Mor before adding any liquid or granular product through the skimmer, and reinstall it afterward. Pouring a concentrated product directly onto the treated fabric can saturate or damage it, and the sock may also block the product from dispersing properly.

What It Does Not Do

• Not a replacement for your filter. It's a pre-filter that reduces the load, not a substitute for filtration.
• Not a water treatment. No chemistry, no sanitizing, no effect on balance.
• Not a substitute for cleaning the filter. It extends the interval; it doesn't eliminate the task.
• Not reusable. MYCELX binds oil permanently, so a saturated sock can't be washed out and returned to service.