Should you shower before you swim in a pool to remove dead skin, hair, perspiration, faeces and urine from your body?
Absolutely, yes! You should always shower before you swim in a pool or soak in a hot tub. It’s not just swimming pool etiquette, it’s essential!
Our bodies are contaminated with sweat, dead skin, hair, faeces and pharmaceutical products. If you don’t shower before you swim in a pool all the dirt and contaminants on your body will wash off in the pool water.
Yes, swimming pools and hot tubs are sanitized with chemicals but chlorine can take time to kill all the bacteria and contaminants in the water. And when the filter is running it takes many hours to turn over all the pool water and remove the dead contaminants. So if dirty people are entering the pool you can be swimming in their dirt, bacteria and bodily contaminants until removed by the filter.
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Should you shower before you swim in a Pool?
Yes, you should always shower before entering any swimming pool.
Whether you are aware of it or not, your body is covered with organic matter and contaminants. Humans perspire sweat on to our skin which dries and begins to break down. It’s called body odor and smells very bad. Our skin in flaking off our bodies. Our hair is constantly falling out and not just the hair on our heads. Bacteria and microbes are crawling all over our bodies. Microbes and bacteria are in your mouth, nose, ears and digestive system. Luckily, most of those bacteria in your digestive system are good bacteria essential for proper digestion.
Women may also be wearing hair spray, hand cream, moisturizer and perfume.
If you don’t shower before you swim in a pool all the dirt and contaminants on your body will wash off in the pool water. The pool water may look clean but it may actually be full of contaminants. Do you want to swim in dirty pool water?
Swimming pools are sanitized with chlorine
However, swimming pools are chemically balanced and sanitized with chlorine.
When the pool is sanitized with the correct dosage of chlorine (or another sanitizer chemical) the bacteria and other contaminants are neutralized fairly quickly. The filtration system traps the dead contaminants in the filter element keeping the pool water clean and clear.
However, chlorine can take time to kill all the bacteria and contaminants in the water. Also the filtration system is not operating 24 hours a day. And when it is running it takes many hours to turn over all the pool water and remove the dead contaminants.
So if dirty people are entering the pool you can be swimming in their dirt, bacteria and bodily contaminants until removed by the filter.
Also, when dirt and contaminants enter the pool water the chlorine is consumed in the process of binding with the contaminants. This reduces the amount of free chlorine available to kill new bacteria and contaminants entering the pool. The level of free chlorine can drop below a critical level leaving the pool water in an unsanitary condition.
Now do you want everyone who uses your pool to shower first?
Please read our article on What is Free Chlorine in Your Pool
How to shower before swimming in a pool
Quickly rinsing your body under the shower is not good enough. All swimmers must thoroughly wash themselves with soap to remove all sweat, oils and bodily contaminants. Then rinse your body to remove all traces of soap because you don’t want that in the pool either.
Should I wash my hair before swimming?
It’s not necessary to wash your hair with shampoo before entering a swimming pool.
Rinsing your hair is adequate before swimming to remove any contaminants lodged between the hair and wash away dead hair.
If you do shampoo your hair please ensure you rinse your hair thoroughly to avoid getting it in the pool.
Should you shower after you swim?
Yes, you should always shower after you swim in a pool or any water.
The reason you should take a shower after swimming is to remove any chemical residues or contaminants from your body.
Don’t forget to rinse out your swimwear to make it last longer. It’s a good idea to occasionally put your swimwear in the washing machine on a delicate cycle to clean it properly.
All swimming pools have sanitizing chemicals, such as chlorine, to kill contaminants in the pool water. You must wash these chemicals from your body and hair.
There are also many other pool chemicals in the water such as cyanuric acid, hydrochloric acid, salt, sodium carbonate and algaecide.
If not washed from your body these chemicals can dry your skin causing irritation, redness, itching, eczema, and rashes.
There may be traces of bacteria or viruses in the pool that have not been killed by the chlorine. If these contaminants get into an open wound or scratch you can develop an infection or illness. Showering with soap after swimming removes the chance of contracting infections.
Should you shower after swimming in a saltwater pool?
Saltwater pools contain less chemicals than freshwater pools or spas but they still have chlorine and pool chemicals in the water. You still need to shower after swimming in saltwater.
Should you wash your hair after swimming in a saltwater pool?
Yes, wash your hair with fresh water after swimming in salt water.
Salt water and chlorine will dry out and remove the natural oils in your hair. Your hair may become frizzy, dry, brittle and subject to breakage. That beach hair look is great when your hairdresser does it for you but not when you’ve come out of the swimming pool.
Do hot tubs & salt water pools ruin swimwear?
The combination of hot water and chlorine in a spa or hot tub can stretch and fade delicate swimwear. Color fast materials can be bleached to white or pale color after soaking in a hot tub. Saltwater hot tubs also have chlorine but at a lower concentration so be careful with your swimwear.
Please read our article on Luxury Saltwater Hot Tub and Spa Pool
Conclusion
I recommend to shower before and after using a swimming pool, spa or hot tub. Even though the water chemistry is balanced and sanitized there can still be some bacteria and contaminants lurking in the water until removed by the filter. Also the chlorine residue can irritate your skin and damage your swimwear.
