Everyone gets sick in the winter, right? Mom warns you to
wash your hands constantly, to cough into your elbow, to try not to touch door
handles. But what about in the summer? You’re safe then, right? Not so fast,
chicas. Info from the Water Quality and Health Council shows that a swimming
pool is germs’ new BFF. Tons of nasty things, like
E. coli and other parasites, could be lurking beneath that sparkly
surface. So how can you enjoy the pool minus those gross germs? Here are a few
tips:
Smelly signals
Don’t go for a dip if the chlorine smells really strong
because those chemicals aren’t the only ones to blame for that stink. Chlorine
actually only starts smelling when it gets mixed with contaminants, so if
you’re holdin’ your nose, ya know there are some germies in there, too. Maybe
think about running through the sprinkler in your backyard instead, or try
cooling off with a water balloon fight during the afternoon.
Shower power
The reason why all those germs are hangin’ out in the pool
is that seven in ten Americans aren’t showering before they go for a swim. By
the time you jump in, you may as well be taking a bath in water that hundreds
of people have already used. That was all right for the ancient Romans, but not
so much for us bathing beauties of the 21st century. A quick shower
before ya hit the pool only takes a few minutes, and it’ll wash off the germs
and dirt that ya prob don’t wanna be sharin’ with your peeps.
Bathroom breaks a must
Sorry, gals, but ya just gotta get out of that pool when
nature calls. In a survey by the Water Quality and Health Council, one out of
five Americans said that they had peed in public pools – and those are just the
people who fessed up. Ew. ‘Nough said.
Still suspicious?
If ya want some hard, cold facts on your pool’s cleanliness,
you can order free test strips to monitor the pH and the amount of chlorine
that you’ll be wading through. Just go to healthypools.org.
Get the numbers, and then you can make the call about whether or not ya wanna
expose your lovely self to those germs.
Hey chicas, what’s
your pick for a sweet way to cool off without diving into a potentially-germy pool?
BY CARRIE RUPPERT ON 6/9/2012 12:00:00 AM
POSTED IN health, water sports, host the perfect pool party