Aaahhh there’s nothing like sinking into a swimming pool full of… bacteria, dead skin and sweat?! What?! Swimming pool contractors have a secret. Ppssst! Guess what? You’re the reason the pool water’s dirty! Say it isn’t so!
When you’re swimming in the pool you are contaminating the water each and every time you, or your friends, or family jump in. Consider this: You come home from work. You’re dealing with the children, walking the dog, changing diapers, cooking… you see where we are going right? And then… you say, “Let’s all take a dip!” Every one dons a bathing suit and jumps into the water… bringing all of the dirt and bacteria of the day with them.
The contaminants you accumulate on your body and hair throughout the day will come right into the pool with you — if you don’t shower before you jump in.
What are you bringing into the pool water with you?
Don’t be too afraid!
- Dead skin
- Feces
- Bacteria
- Pollution
- Hair spray
- Deodorants
- Perfumes
- Sweat
- Germs from everything you’ve touched throughout the day
- Need we go on?
Guess What? You’re The Reason The Pool Water’s Dirty!
Okay. Now that you’re wondering if you ever want to swim again or if you need to have your pool contractor on call every time before you take a swim, taking a shower before you swim can do a lot to keep the pool water cleaner.
Remember when you were in high school and you had to shower before and after you swam? It’s because the pool and custodial staff were trying to keep the water as free of bacteria and contaminants as it possibly could. Sure, the high school pool has a lot more traffic than the family pool, but the concept is the same — even if it’s on a smaller scale.
Pool rule: Shower before you swim
Institute a “shower before you swim” rule and make certain everyone adheres to it. Don’t listen to the “we’ll get clean in the pool…” of course people will — because they’re leaving their germs and contaminants in the pool water!
If you don’t have a pool house, ask your pool contractor about installing an outside shower. This will make it quicker and easier to shower before and after you swim without having to run through the house, dripping wet.
Showering before you swim, if it’s a rule from day one, will become the norm and no one will think anything of it and won’t jump into the pool until they’ve showered. You may need to tell your friends about the new rule, but don’t worry about hurting their feelings — you wouldn’t have your feelings hurt if you had to shower first at their pool, would you? Of course not!
If there is a convenient place to shower and change into your swim suit, taking a shower will be even easier.
Other reasons to shower before you swim
- It’s polite. Whether you’re at your own pool and are asking friends and family to shower or if your friends are asking you to shower, just consider it a polite favor. It’s no big deal. Of course, if anyone balks, you can definitely let them know about the germs and bacteria (but you don’t want to gross them out, do you!)
- You’re not talking a full shower, lather and shave! In fact, you don’t want to use soap unless you’re using an extremely gentle pH balanced soap to wash away the germs of the day. What you’re looking to do is rinse off outside contaminants and hair sprays, dead skin, perfume, deodorants and more.
- Your pool water will be cleaner. If you and your guests shower before they swim, you just may not need to use as many pool chemicals to keep the water clean. Wouldn’t you rather use fewer chemicals? We can’t imagine any pool owner wouldn’t. The fewer outside contaminants you bring in, the fewer chemicals you need to use to clean and sanitize the water. It’s a win all day!
Safety matters
Would you drink out of the same coffee cup? Would you share the same fork and knife with everyone who came to your home? Not likely! But when you swim in the same water you are essentially doing the same thing. Sure, there is a lot of water (by volume) compared to the number of swimmers in the water, but cleaner swimmers mean cleaner water.
You don’t want to swim in anyone’s bacteria and they don’t want to swim in yours. It’s a win-win.
If you want an outdoor shower or a pool house, give us a call today and let’s get that constructed so you can institute your “shower before you swim” rule.