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BANG FOR THE BITE
Taking a dip doesn't need to be a health or hair hazard, but switching does require a little upfront investment.
COCKTAIL FACT
Two honeymooners sued a 5-star Chilean resort after the bride's waist-length blonde hair turned green from a swim in the hotel pool.
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home › tip library › Chlorine-Free Swimming Pools
More scared of chems in the pool than sharks in the ocean?
The Bite
You probably should be. Chlorine is a predator that's damaging to your body as well as the environment. Before your next pool party, switch to non-chlorine pool cleaners (some of which make your pool clean enough for fish).The Benefits
- Safer swimming. When mixed with organic matter, chlorine can form cancer-causing byproducts.
- Safer environment. Chlorine levels in pools are 200-400 times higher than what's deemed safe for the environment, plus mercury is a by-product of chlorine production.
- No ghastly chlorine smell.
- Better hair days. Non-chlorine cleaners won't turn your hair green.
Personally Speaking
While we don't wanna end up sleeping with the fishes, we wouldn't mind swimming with them.Wanna Try?
- AquaPure ChlorFree - powdered solution that makes your pool so clean, you can keep fish in it.
- Sigma Water Systems Sigma III - silver and copper control algae and bacteria.
- Zodiac Nature 2 - contains much less chlorine than regular pool sanitizers and lets minerals do the rest.
Jun 07,2007
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Best Bet a Bathtub?
Chlorine can cause major follicle fallout, as I experienced in junior high and high school. I was on the swim team, and although I almost always wore a cap, my hair often got wet. I had to use this hardcore swimmer's shampoo every day after practice so it wasn't all crunchy and chlorine-smelling. I'd lather-rinse-repeat so many times with this heavy-duty shampoo that on really bad days, the drain would clog up with my hair.
The pool-friendly alternatives to chlorine are great. But if you're like me and don't own your own pool (the closest thing I have is a bathtub), which do you think is better: chlorine-filled pools or the ocean/lake/river?
In SF, almost no one has a pool, and the beaches are fairly clean (although last year's news of South San Francisco's spillage of 2 million gallons of raw sewage didn't make me run for my board shorts and beach towel), so the answer's easy enough. I plan on making it out to Pacifica Beach at least a couple times over the next few months. Hopefully I'll live to tell some tales.
-Toshio...off to bug my roommate, Corinne, about borrowing her surfboard...
Biter Comments...
Hi Sue-
We have a superior aqua system 941-923-2221 (sanitation without chlorine) and love it. You can see them on the web at www.superioraqua.com. Our jaccuzzi and pool are together so check if if you can use it in a stand alone hot tub. I can't see why not.
With any system, always check your water at a pool store to make sure it has the right chemical balance throughout the season. This is in addtion, to your own testing.
Question for Diane if you are reading the blog, how long have you had your system? It is always good to know if there are other systems out there that people like. Diane and Ideal Bite thanks for the tip for aqua pure. I will check that out.
I'm suprised you didn't mention salt water swimming pools. Many people in Arizona, Texas, California and other areas are using the salt water alternative in their swimming pools, which is much better and easier to maintain than chlorinated water.
Actually, if you look into this, it's not the chlorine that turns your hair green, it's a side effect of either using copper pipes in your pool's plumbing or copper contained in some algicides.
That said, agreed that I'd rather not swim in a chlorine bath, regardless of how my hair turned green
A word of caution about the silver products. One issue to consider is how much silver goes into the sanitary system when you drain the pool (or into whatever area that you drain into). The silver will go with it. With silver being used in a variety of new applications as an anti-bacterial agent, it can have some negative effects, including overloading the sewage treatment facilities. Just a thought to look into it.
Hi!
I swim quite a bit at the local community college pool (talk about major chlorination). To help my hair, I get it wet in the shower before going into the pool. That way, the hair is saturated with cleaner water and absorbs less of the chlorinated water. I have almost waist-length hair and since I started doing it, I noticed less brittleness and less fall-out.
This, of course, is a totally non-scientific result and may only be applicable to me and my hair, but I throw it out there in case it helps others.
Hey all,
Thanks for the comments, I'm not at all worried about my hair turning green, more about arterial scaring and the other ill affects of Chlorine. I started using a shower filter and notice a huge difference in my skin and hair.
I would commit to a jacuzzi tomorrow if I could be confident about an alternative cleaning system. Is anyone cleaning their hot tub now without the harsh chemicals?
Do tell...
Okay, I'm expect disappionted looks on this one, but when our family moved into a house that had a pool (our first!) were used the non-chlorine stuff for all the aforementioned reasons. BUT, and I don't know if it was our brand, it was IMPOSSIBLE to keep clear. One day the water would be bluish but mostly clear and totally swim-able, and the very next day it turned jade and opaque. It was like the Venetian Cannals without the rats! I digress. No matter what we did, we couldn't keep it clear. And there was that funky after-taste that would linger in your mouth...
So healthy, I'm sure it's not.
But if our family ever wanted to use the darn pool, chlorine was the way to go.
Has anyone had any luck getting the AquaPure_ChlorFree link to work? I would like to learn more about their product, but can't access the site.
Speaking of sewage spillage, have you heard of the Red Tide on the East Coast? It may just be in the Gulf...
I live in FL and don't have a pool *gasp*, but we live 15 min. from the ocean. My husband and I love to be in the water, even if it's just to float around (we remodeled our shower to have a tub for just that reason).
However, the water pollution has led to the bloom of fish-killing algae that reeks and affects your respiratory system. We just haven't been able to go to the ocean as often. :-(
I just moved into a new condo and the pool appears to be saltwater. Is this a better environmental choice?
Here are some useful bathroom remodeling ideas and tips at a low-cost cost. You may want to try the following: bathtub reglazing, bathtub refinishing and porcelain bathtubs.
Check them out. Thanks.
Visit http://www.bryansreglazing.com for more information.
Refinishing bathtubs and bathroom tiles have become a more convenient way to fix bathroom fixtures than replacing them. Instead of having your tiles, your sink, and your tub removed and replaced, simply have them refinished, reglazed and resurfaced. Have your tiles repainted and look good as new. Bring back that clean shine on your bathroom tub with bathtub refinishing services. Having your tub reglazed only takes a couple of hours to complete as compared to remodeling your entire bathroom which could take weeks, or worse, months.
I design custom pools in FL. Salt chlorine generators are wildly popular. Not only are you not getting away from chlorine because they produce it, but they are also harmful to our environment! (no one knows this) So harmful, in fact, that California has banned them. When I recently learned this, I immediately started looking into a safe alternative for my customers. So far, I've found Ecosmarte.net which treats water using copper ionization and oxygen. The wonderful thing is the pool requires no chems at all.
I would certainly agree with you. I am swimmer too and a bathtub is nice substitute for chlorine filled pool especially if you have beautiful whirlpool spa bath, who needs to go the pool or the beach!
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Sue | June 07, 2007 at 05:45 AM