AIBU to ask if you shower before swimming....

[jewel1968]

I have been having a conversation with someone in the Local Authority about cleanliness in swimming pools and the number of people who don't shower before swimming. Even a shower without soap can remove significant quantities of dirt and grime which means less chemicals are needed in pool water.

We talked about the challenges in trying to nudge people to shower and I promised to explore this with virtual friends. So a few questions:

• do you shower before swimming?
• if you don't can you share why?
• what would persuade you to shower before swimming?
• how would you react if the pool staff told you to shower?
• how effective do you think posters are in communicating the need for showers?

Any other thoughts welcome.....

TBH, I think people not showering is the least of the problems in public pools. I’ve more issues with people using the water as a public urinal. I’d rather swim with a bit of sweat/deodorant than people’s intentional doings

If you go to Iceland (the country, not the shop) you have to shower before entering the pool, in fact before even putting your swimsuit on!

Informal research if that is ok? I am a customer at local pool. You will see previous posts from me on similar topic. I also am asking friends in RL. I just want to help make a difference

Oh yes. It wasn't an informal chat. I raised a concern and he shared with me the challenges which I accept.

Wetting your hair with plain water beforehand reduces the amount of chlorine it absorbs, so your hair gets less trashed.

So there's at least one purely selfish reason to shower before you go in.

Yeah I do. There are 5 or 6 showers by the entrance to the swimming pool, so I do duck in under one of them for 2-3 minutes. No soap, just a sprinkle of hot water over my body/feet etc... I am not usually dirty anyway though.

I shower before I swim in a public pool, but don’t bother at home in mine (which is kept spotless and well-balanced btw).

I don’t shower at our local pool as there are only 2 showers which are usually in use by people hair washing after getting out. I have never seen anyone else shower first there either. There are no signs up asking you to. It is a bit old fashioned!

Other places I will if there are signs, showers available - center Parcs for instance.

I never wear make up to swim and only go clean/with clean hair. I am not convinced I get that dirty between home and the pool or that a quick shower with no soap makes much difference. I supppse it might if someone hadn’t showered for a while!

I rinse before and after swimming:

• because of basic hygiene
• because it's better for your swimsuit to soak up normal water first and it will make it last longer.
• because it's better for your skin and hair because the chlorine reacts to everyday dirt on it.

Me and ds5 always get changed nip to the loo washing our hands afterwards then go have a shower and make sure we both wet our hair then get in the pool.

It's very warm out of the pool so the shower regulates our temperature before getting in. We shower afterwards and then in the evening we shower or bathe washing our hair properly to make sure the chlorine has gone.

dh has a reaction to the chlorine if he doesn't have a shower.

I don't always, mainly because the showers are dirty and I don't like the thought of having to stand in there and get my feet dirty and veruccas etc! Would be fine to shower if they were fresh and clean!

Hi Jewel1968,

I thought you might be interested in the experience from another country.

I live in Scandinavia and so in answer to your questions

do you shower before swimming? Yes, it is a regulation here and is enforced gulp

• if you don't can you share why? It's not an option to not shower
• what would persuade you to shower before swimming? Some rather direct conversations from other pool users usually has the effect on those who are reluctant!
• how would you react if the pool staff told you to shower? They have done the one time I was trying to not wash my hair before swimming (It had just been cut and styled, I wasn't going to get it wet anyway and so couldn't see the point and had washed all my bits and pieces) I was pissed off, but could see that they couldn't have a 'one rule for some and another rule for everybody else'.
• how effective do you think posters are in communicating the need for showers? We have posters, reminders painted all over the changing rooms (things like 'REMEMBER SHOWER') and a huge video screen in the main swimming hall that plays a video showing all the reasons why we need to wash before swimming. It is very effective! Plus it is the norm over here so everyone's expectations are set.

FYI The rules in our local pool (translated by me into English) are below.

NOTE
You must wash without swimwear before you can get into the pools. If you do not wash your hair, use a bath cap.
An unwashed swimmer pollutes the pool water 25 times more than a cleanwashed swimmer.

If you follow the bathing rules, you help reduce the consumption of chlorine, and when we use less chlorine we get a better environment in the swimming pool.

RULES FOR SWIMMING
If you have a contagious disease, do not bathe. It may be diarrhea, cold, throat pain, ear infection, skin inflammation or jaundice (hepatitis A) in the infectious phase.
If you have foot warts or foot fungus, you may only swim if you are under medical treatment for that.
Babies should wear bathing pants with swim nappy underneath.
Other persons who are fecal or urine incontinent must not swim without agreement with the staff.
Go to the toilet first and then wash under the shower.
Whole body without swimwear must be soaped and rinsed off. Cream, makeup, hairspray and the like should be removed before bathing.
After a visit to the toilet, in the sauna and steam room you must be washed again.
The swimwear must be clean.
Underwear under swimwear is not allowed.
Outdoor footwear may only be used outside the barefoot area.
If there are faeces in the water, the pool must be immediately abandoned and the lifeguard called.
Do not keep wet swimwear for long periods after your stay.
The visit should end with a shower.

I don't tend to, no.

I usually go on my way home from work. I've had a shower that morning, will have a shower after to get rid of the chlorine. No way am I having 3 showers a day, my skin is dry enough. If I worked as a builder or mechanic or something ie I was very mucky I probably would, but I work in an office.

I do but baby dosnt. It's a long ish walk to the baby pool from the showers and he's slippery on tiles, so I'm extremely uncomfortable carrying him wet. His a young baby and showers daily at home.

I try to as much as possible, but I'm usually with my toddler and the showers are often:

1. occupied and my toddler is fighting me to get to the pool so I struggle to contain him while the naked old lady finishes washing her hair
2. filthy
3. hotter than the sun
4. liquid ice

Often the showers are the push-button type where you can't adjust the temperature - those are the worst.

Always! I need to wet my hair before putting my protecting cream on it. It's really gross not to shower first!

Not usually, it's not the cultural norm and I have just washed at home (I swim early). If I am at all mucky or have used suncream or similar since washing then I do.

If I was challenged by the lifeguards I'd query the behaviour of the club swimmers and divers.... and privately wonder if lifeguards shower before going on duty. I'd also point out that they don't enforce the 'no shoes on the poolside' rule and the place is never clean.

My pet hate is people who swim wearing strong smelling perfumed products (think Bodyshop in its heyday), but there is a lot of loose hair in my local pool at the moment.

Showers on the pool side would help so you don't freeze

No culture of it at my (public) pool. There are 8 communal unisex showers for the complex plus one cubicle in each single sex changing room so capacity at peak times is an issue. The centre is draughty so starting a swim with a cold walk after a dribbly shower of dubious temperature (too hot or too cold today???) isn't terribly appealing.

I had no issue abiding by the explicit signage in Iceland. It was very clear about where exactly they wanted you to wash, and there isn't the inhibited mindset about functional nudity that we have in the UK, so it felt more purposeful than a token splash in a cossie British style. The layouts of the shower/ changing facilities were more practical too.

I don't do it because I've almost never in my life been to a pool where it was suggested that I should, or where anyone else did.

I also don't think standing under a shower in my swimming costume for a couple of minutes will make any difference. (I shower properly twice a day at home.)

Yes, exactly AnotherPidgey the facilities in the swimming stadium here are absolutely superb and the cultural norms are in place. I could not imagine having to follow the rules and regs here back at my old pool in the UK. Limited and poor facilities are a barrier.

I don't as it's usually freezing and then you hobble to the pool in the similarly freezing air.

I do but I was a club swimmer in my youth and it was drummed into us by the early morning coaches/lifeguards to keep the pool clean. So it's now a habit.

I can see why people don't at my public pool. The showers vary between volcanic lava and core of the sun temperatures which is very offputting especially for kids (they would be cooked like little red lobsters in a minute). There are a couple of small signs but no explanation WHY it's important, just shower please. And there are not enough of them. Lifeguards couldnt give a monkeys.

I've recently joined a smaller hotel type pool. The signs are better, larger, clearer and explain why it's important. There are adjustable temperature levers in the showers with enclosed door and towel hooks, and there is a separate shower right next to the pool for a quick rinse if the main ones are occupied. More people seem to shower here before swimming - maybe cos they are paying membership they take more pride in keeping it nice?? Or because it's not rammed it's easy to notice someone getting in without showering? I don't know.

We just need to work on the folk who don't shower between sauna/steam room and getting back in the pool now, urgh, all that sweat, lovely!

TBH, I think people not showering is the least of the problems in public pools. I’ve more issues with people using the water as a public urinal. I’d rather swim with a bit of sweat/deodorant than people’s intentional doings

This. I accept that if you're are covered in sunscreen or makeup, you need to clean it off, before you swim. (Pool owner with experience of teen girls).

Otherwise, if you have showered in the morning, I can't see how you would be "covered" in body fluids.

I honnestly didnt know NOT showering was a thing. Thats what the poolside showers are for.

Quick soak then get in the pool.

I would feel colder as well i think going in the pool dry.