Question about swimming pools…help

[SadNotSad]

Sooo I’m a bit embarassed for not knowing this but in my defence, it’s first time in my and LO’s life that we been to pool recently and we’re far away from home so I’m hesitant to ask too many questions as I never know what’s appropriate. Anyway, I signed LO up for swimming class and read through whole email that I got and haven’t saw anything about showering before but after few times we went, I noticed few posters around pool instructing to shower there right before entering pool with soap and all-I knew that just like AFTER swimming in sea, you’re supposed to shower but then I googled and it seems you’re supposed to shower BEFORE going to beach too(like they say it’s important to wear sunscreen in water/sea too but now anything on your skin is polluting water)? Luckily I shower in the morning so I never went sweaty and was just assisting LO, didn’t dive and got products from my face and hair in the water(LO has bath in evenings)and well I noticed erm some other parents not smelling particularly fresh so I’m a bit confused, does anyone actually shower before they enter pool? It’s not a small pool and no one ever said anything obviously. I can’t remember seeing many people going in wet but if it’s a rule or something people with common sense do I suppose I want to teach LO right way from the start since he has many years of swimming classes ahead. I don’t even know how stupid this question is but either way I’m clueless atm 🥴

You are meant to but not everyone does. When I swim I always have a quick rinse in the shower by the pool but I think I’m in the minority!

It's not just for hygiene reasons, the chemicals in the pool react to organic material like dead skin cells and oils, just any buts and bobs off your skin. This reaction with the free chlorine creates it in a combined form which can't be removed from the water without dumping some and allowing in fresh. Obviously pools can't afford to constantly be refilled, it's recycled water that goes through a sand filter usually and is dosed with chemicals. A build up of combined chlorine is also bad for the bathers, for their skin particularly. A side note is dead skin cells in the water clog the filter and form 'fat balls', which are so gross I'd imagine, thankfully I've only read about them (I have run a similar facility in the past). So a shower before entering the poop washes some of these off, any pollutants you bring in on you from outside and is just a cleaner experience for all, lots of people think they get clean from being in a pool but that disinfectant (the chlorine) is more complex than people think.

Entering the pool! Classic typo :)

Yes I shower before going into the pool, and my children do too. Not with soap or anything, just a quick rinse. Not everyone does.

I work at a pool. Yes, ideally you should be clean before getting in the pool. Lots of our customers don't bother though.

Most people just do a very quick rinse before getting in the pool, not with soap or shampoo. I can't imagine it does much.

Also how close were you getting to other parents to notice them smelling "not fresh"!?

At the pool I go to they're very clear about showering before you go in.
Seems reasonable to me, keep the water as free as possible from chemicals and bodily fluids etc!

I shower before entering the pool. I don't wear make up or body creams. I do wear deodorant. I like to try and rub that off before I get in. Then I give my arms, legs and face a rub before swimming.

It helps reduce the amount of chlorine needed in the pool and as there is a chlorine shortage things like showering first help.

You should wash your head, arm pits and genitals with soap/shampoo before entering a pool or you are basically washing your sweaty bits in a public pool. Most people don't bother, they just quickly rinse, other countries are much more specific about this and it's one of the reasons they think Brits are not very clean.

Please shower before going in a pool. Think of others, be considerate.

If they want me to wash my genitals with soap before going into the pool then they need to provide closed showers. The pool I go to does not.

I'm confused and totally of topic but - are you "far away from home" and doing swimming lessons with your DC where you get into to the pool with them?

Anyway yes supposed to rinse off before getting in the pool. Not many do. Wouldn't expect it to be in written Info pack though. I think it's more about the creams and oils from accumulating on the surface rather than personal hygiene.

I rarely meet smelly people though. Most people don't smell so maybe it's a Hotspot for poor personal hygiene.

You're supposed to, not many people do.

The one thing that I always think is absolutely vile at swimming pools is the amount of women and girls who don't tie their hair back. So please, tie your hair in a bun or wear a cap.

I shower. But only for a min to get wet. No soap. It's actually better for getting in cooler water anyway as it takes the shock off having dry skin and entering cooler water.

My pool is a proper lane swim pool and is on the cooler side of public swimming.

Many public pools don't have the facilities to actually facilitate it.

When my DCs have lessons there's 3x 12 in classes changing over at a time. You simply can't manage 36 people pre-showering in 8 communal and 2 single sex showers at a time, plus overlapping with the 36 coming out. Plus all the parents and siblings hanging around.

For public sessions the trend for sticking to rigid pre-booked windows of swimming aggravates these bottlenecks on the showers rather than people tricking in and out at their leisure.

People should do it for sensible reasons but it doesn't happen when it's not practical.

Thanks everyone, we’ll make some more effort from now on. LO will soon grow out of splash classes so will be less hassle for me since I won’t go in with him anymore. I’ll make him wear a swimming cap and the bus we take usually comes a bit too early anyway so we’ll have enough time to shower there. I assume you need to shower without clothes on(if there are closed shower stalls/cabins, which I think I saw)? Probably best with pool slippers on I imagine..hopefully LO doesn’t slip around 😅

@CakeCrumbs44 It’s a small class and when exiting pool I need to wait a bit behind people or following LO sometimes you”cross paths”but well Idk maybe I’m sensitive to smells or that’s people specific body odour that I’m mistaking for sweaty 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m off to overthink our showering ceremony now 🚿🧼

Normally you shower with your swimming costume on before getting into the pool, certainly most of us disgusting Brits do anyway.

Btw does anyone know of any sun creams that are easy to wash off? The ones I have are water resistant(like majority you find in shops)and I often use oil then some cleanser to get it off properly but that’s a lot of work for showering at pool. Or maybe at least a good bodywash that takes it all off in one go?