How to Neutralize Chlorine Smell from Pools and Clothing

Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2014/04/01 - Updated: 2024/04/12
Publication Type: Instructive / Helpful
Category Topic: Household Tips - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Information on getting rid of chlorine smell from your body as well as strong chlorine smells from swimming pools. It is a common misconception that when you smell chlorine either at home in your backyard at your pool or while visiting a pool park or water-slide. That it means there is too much chlorine. In fact it is quite the opposite!

Introduction

Quick and easy tips for neutralizing the smell of chlorine around swimming pools and from bathing suits etc.

Main Content

Chlorine is a poisonous, greenish-yellow gas described as having a choking odor. It is a very corrosive, hazardous chemical. Usually combined with other chemicals, it is used to disinfect water, purify metals, bleach wood pulp and make other chemicals.

It is a common misconception that when you smell chlorine either at home in your backyard at your pool or while visiting a pool park or water-slide that it means there is too much chlorine. In fact it is quite the opposite! The odor commonly associated with swimming pools is actually caused by chloramines. When you add chlorine to your pool water tiny chlorine particles attach themselves to debris or bacteria particles and create chloramines. Chloramines are dead bacteria or particles that have been eliminated by the chlorine. You get rid of these chloramines by oxidizing or shocking your pool. This is when chlorine is no longer in the pool water but in the air allowing you to smell it. What you are smelling is the chlorine escaping out of the pool and doing its job. Since you smell the chlorine in the air, it means that it may no longer be working in the pool water, as when chlorine is in water you cannot smell it. To eliminate the smell you should add more chlorine to the swimming pool!

Eliminate Chlorine Smells From:

• Bathing Suits: Hand-wash your bathing suit as soon as possible after swimming. Use a lingerie cleaner formulated to gently yet thoroughly clean delicate pieces. If the chlorine smell is very overpowering try using a swimsuit cleaner like Canyon Beachwear Swimwear Cleanser which is designed to remove chlorine and maintain suit's color. Simply pour a cap-full of cleaner into a sink filled with cold water only, add the swimsuit for about three minutes, rinse the suit and roll (don't wring) the excess water out with a towel, then lay the suit flat to air dry.
• Vinegar: This will get rid of most odors, so removing the chlorine smell from a bathing suit can often be as simple as soaking it in vinegar and water overnight.
• Hair: Wearing a swimming cap can help protect your hair and scalp against chlorine. After swimming try using a hair conditioner after shampooing - this will keep your hair healthy and help to prevent cuticle damage that chlorine can cause. If you have light colored, or blond, hair chlorine can sometimes cause your hair to turn green. If this is the case try rinsing your hair with the juice of a lemon. A Mixture of baking soda dissolved by adding to your regular shampoo regimen may also help. This mixture will also remove built-up hairspray, mousse, gels and other styling products that have partially soaked into your porous hair cuticle. Use this mixture once or twice a week.
• Get rid of body chlorine smell without showering: Try using baby wipes to clean up with. It doesn't completely remove the smell, but it works pretty well. Bring a leave-in conditioner with you, like Suave kids untangles or Pears, and use that to help mask the chlorine odor in your hair.

NOTE: Do Not Mix household bleach with acid-containing or ammonia-containing cleaners. Dangerous levels of a very harmful gas can be released.

Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.