Why do swimming pools smell

However, when chlorine-based disinfectants mix with pee, poop, sweat, and other yucky substances from swimmers, chemical irritants called chloramines 1 are formed. It is chloramines, not chlorine, that cause that strong odor, leading to red, itchy eyes, and irritated skin.

Chlorine is essential for destroying waterborne germs that can make swimmers sick. That means those chlorine- and bromine-based disinfectants keep on working to destroy pathogens long after they have been added to pool water. One of the easiest ways to help eliminate that strong chlorine smell is to teach your child good swimmer hygiene. The Water Quality and Health Council would like to thank John Tesh for tweeting the results of our swimmer hygiene survey and for giving us an opportunity to address a very common urban myth.

I appreciate the fact that Tesh raised this subject and respectfully submit that his tweet needs a tiny tweak. A healthy chlorinated pool can emit a light chemical odor, especially if it is an indoor pool and one with less than ideal ventilation. It is good advice, however, to stay out of the water when a strong chemical smell pervades the air around any type of pool, indoor or outdoor. On this point John Tesh is absolutely correct.

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But in fact, this odour points to the opposite! Never heard of it? By now, you probably want to know how to remedy a pungent pool? The answer to eradicating chloramines? Give them a shock! Share on facebook. Share on linkedin.

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