Here’s a rookie mistake: tossing your wet swimsuit in a plastic bag and leaving it in the car. That damp bundle is a petri dish for leftover chloramines. Rinse it immediately with cold water, then soak it in a bucket of water with a tablespoon of white vinegar for twenty minutes. The vinegar breaks down the chemical bonds.
Wash it in the machine on a gentle cycle, but never put it in the dryer. Heat sets the chemical smell permanently. Air dry it, and your suit will smell like fresh laundry, not a high school locker room.
How to Get Rid Of Chlorine Taste in Mouth & Smell After Pool Swimming?
What About Your Skin Lotion?
After your post-swim shower, slather on a lotion that contains naturally high vitamin E or antioxidants. A lotion with vitamin C works too. This isn’t just for moisture—it’s a final chemical sweep, grabbing any lingering chloramines hiding in your pores. Coconut oil is okay, but it can feel greasy. A good lightweight, antioxidant-rich body oil is better.
And for the love of all things fresh, avoid anything with fake “after-swim” perfume scents. Those just mask the smell and mix into a weird, floral-bleach hybrid that’s somehow worse.
