Should You Take A Shower Before You Go In A Hot Tub?
Why You Should Shower Before You Soak In A Hot Tub
Have you ever seen those signs posted in public hot tub areas that say you must shower before entering? Have you ever wondered why many hot tub owners want you to shower before getting in their water?
Showering before entering a hot tub is one of the least practiced habits before tubbing in most countries around the world. In many ways it is understandable. After all, you are about to jump into a hot tub. What is the point of taking a shower first? There are actually several reasons why you should take a shower before entering a hot tub.
Common Courtesy – Being considerate of others is always important. Showering before you get into somebody else’s hot tub will remove anything on your body that could dirty their water.
If someone is letting you use their hot tub, you should try to do everything you can to make sure it stays as clean as it was before you got in. And taking a quick shower before you get in is one of the best and most considerate things you can do for a hot tub owner (and the other tubbers that will use it in the future).
Remove Contaminates from Your Body – Unless you just stepped out of the shower, there is a good chance that your body will have substances on it that will contaminate a hot tub. These include sweat, soap, perfume, shampoo, deodorant, urine and even feces (ick!)
While you may not want to admit that there is urine and feces on your body, they could be present in such small amounts that you would never even notice. However, once they come in contact with water, they will contaminate it!
Now imagine if every tubber in the water for that day had a little urine or feces on them. The amounts would begin to add up, wouldn’t they? Remember, 2 people using a hot tub is equivalent to almost 200 people using a swimming pool (regarding the amount of contaminants that can put into the water). Just think, if you had a pool party with 200 people in your pool, the water would look pretty bad the next day!
A simple shower even with water only can wash these substances from your body so they don’t get into the water when you go for a soak in a hot tub – or a swim in a pool. This will help the water remain cleaner for much longer and it will also prevent you or your friends from sitting in urine or feces soaked water (ick again)!
Easier on the hot tub water – The more contaminated the water becomes because of what you introduce to the water, the harder the hot tub has to work to be sure it is clean. More bromine or chlorine has to be added to be sure the water is clean and safe and the hot tub’s pumps and filters will have to work hard to remove these contaminates in the water.
It’s also easier on the hot tub owners as well. The less they have to do to keep the tub clean, the easier it is on them both in terms of their time and their money.
Cleaner is Safer – While this may be last on our list, it is probably the most important reason of all. Think about why hot tubs use bromine or chlorine to keep them clean? Bromine and chlorine is used to kill potential harmful bacteria and other pathogens that not only impact how clean the water looks, but also how safe it is. Water that is filled with bacteria can cause you to become sick if you spend enough time soaking in it.
Most people associate the smell of bromine or chlorine as a sign that a hot tub is clean. However, they couldn’t be more wrong. The smell generated by bromine or chlorine is only present while it is oxidizing contaminates. Therefore, a hot tub that is completely clean will have very little, if any, odor at all. The stronger the smell the more work the sanitizers is having to do meaning the hot tub water is actually dirtier.
As you can see, showering before tubbing or swimming is one habit that everyone should try to develop. Not only is it common courtesy and better for the hot tub, but in the end it means that less chemicals will have to be used to make sure that it is safe and clean for everyone. So before you decide to take a soak in either a public hot tub or your own hot tub, take a few minutes to take a short shower to be sure your body is properly clean. That way, you can do your part in helping the owner of the hot tub maintain clean water that is free from both harmful chemicals and contaminates, which is ultimately better for your body.
About The Author: Matt Giovanisci founded Swim University (swimuniversity.com) where consumers can learn all about pool and spa care through blog posts, e-books, info-graphics and, yes, the occasional music video. Topics range from landscaping to robotic cleaners. He relies on his 20+ years of industry knowledge to upload information almost daily.
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