Get a mesh safety cover for your inground pool.

Yes. Unless you live somewhere with constant heavy rain, a mesh safety cover is the right call for most inground pools.

Mesh covers are safer because they’re strong enough to hold a person or pet. They’re also easier to deal with — water drains right through, so you don’t get a giant puddle on top that needs pumping out. Solid covers collect rainwater, leaves, and eventually look like a swamp. Not worth the hassle.

The main tradeoff: mesh lets a little sunlight and dirt through, so your pool won’t be perfectly clear when you open it. That’s fine. You’re going to shock and skim anyway. The safety and convenience more than make up for it.

If you have a lot of trees, a fine-mesh safety cover is still better than a solid one. Solid covers breed algae and mosquitoes in the water that sits on top. Nobody needs that.

Just make sure you buy from a pool supply place that measures properly and gets the anchors set right. A poorly installed cover is dangerous and useless.

Don’t cheap out on this. Your family and your spring sanity are worth the few hundred extra bucks.