8 Rules to Have When Owning a Pool or Spa

Having a pool or spa at your home is wonderful! It provides a great opportunity to entertain guests and hang out with friends and family. It’s important to set rules, though, because a fun experience can quickly go south if someone becomes ill or is injured. Here are some rules we suggest you put in place to keep everyone safe, well, and happy in your pool or spa.

1. Know and follow the house rules before you use the pool or spa. As the owner, you should make rules and post them where they can be clearly seen. These include common sense guidelines like always swimming with a buddy, refraining from horseplay around a pool, and taking measures to keep young children safe. Little ones should never go into a spa, and they should never be unattended near a pool.
2. Never use a pool or spa when sick. If your stomach is upset, stay out of the water. It’s too easy for pathogens to spread through water in a pool or spa, and you don’t want to be responsible for others becoming ill.
3. Keep the water out of your mouth. This rule goes along with the last one. There are all sorts of nasty germs swimming in the pool water with you, and some are highly resistant to chlorine. Even if you think your pool water is clean, be safe and try not to get it in your mouth.
4. Shower before entering the pool or spa. This is common pool etiquette, and not too much to ask of your guests. A quick shower before getting into the water helps prevent a host of waterborne contaminants from entering the water with you.
5. Keep electrical appliances away from the water. This should go without saying, because water plus electricity equals electrocution. Still, people want to listen to music or have ambient lighting when they swim or take a soak. It’s ok to have these things, just make sure the equipment you use is designed to be used around water. Don’t use an extension cord to string up lights or power a stereo.
6. Stay out of the water during a storm. This is especially true when there is lightning, but even if there isn’t, play it safe and get out. A gentle rain can turn into a lightning storm quickly, causing a risk of electrocution.
7. No street clothes in the pool or spa. Make a rule that your pool or spa is a “swimwear only” area. Why? Because normal street clothes can weigh a person down and increase the risk of drowning. What’s more, fibers from these articles of clothing can clog the pool’s filtration system. Additionally, walking off the street and jumping into the pool means you haven’t showered and are bringing contaminants with you.
8. Keep glass away from the pool and spa areas. It’s easy to find attractive drinkware and tableware that’s made of melamine or a similarly unbreakable material. Don’t risk injuries from broken glass when they’re so simple to avoid.

Whenever you need advice about your pool or spa, trust the experts at Aaron Pools. Established in 1972, this family-owned-and-operated business has a dedicated, award-winning team with over 400 years of combined experience. We love to help improve the quality time that families spend together at home, and that’s why we’ve installed more than 2,000 swimming pools and hot tubs, from Cape Cod to Connecticut. For the best possible service from our highly experienced installation team, call 508-689-5042 or contact us today.