'That foam isn’t bubbles': Pool expert’s grim truth about public swimming pools

Have you ever asked yourself how clean public pools really are? Probably not – and honestly, you might be better off staying blissfully unaware.

That is, until one professional pool cleaner decided to share a few truths that have left the internet feeling more than a little traumatised.

A swimming pool cleaner has left TikTok users reaching for the skip button after revealing the grim reality behind public pools.

In a viral clip that’s already racked up 2.3 million views, Ben (@bencoffman1) from Oklahoma, who maintains everything from small apartment pools to large public swimming spots, shared a behind-the-scenes look at what really goes on beneath the surface.

"I'm telling you right now, if you knew what was in the water, you would never even dip your toe in it again," he said bluntly.

Ben kicked things off by warning viewers that chlorine "doesn't just magically make the water clean," explaining that in a busy public pool with around 100 people enjoying the sunshine, "everything off of their body ends up in there too".

That includes everything from sunscreen and deodorant to sweat — and yes, even pee.

If you've ever spotted a layer of foam floating on the surface and assumed it was just harmless bubbles, brace yourself.

"Now, when all of that builds up, that foam on top of the spa – that’s not just, like, bubbles that are created because the water’s churning really fast," he explained, showing a photo of the murky layer. "That’s actually [a] chemical soup of body oils, pee, detergent, and just filth."

Ben also pointed out that chlorine doesn’t just disinfect – it can actually open up your pores while you’re in the water, allowing your body to leak discharge straight into it.

And if that’s not unsettling enough, there’s an even more serious risk lurking in the deep end.

He claimed that some pools can potentially harbour cryptosporidium – a parasite that survives even in chlorinated water – which can lead to “days and weeks of violent diarrhoea, vomiting, and dehydration.”

Inevitably, viewers who stuck around until the end were mortified, with one humouring: "Skipped immediately, let me enjoy summer."

Another recalled: "Was at a hotel once and this family was letting their kids play with the foam like it was bubble bath."

A third quipped: "Worked in hotels with pools…and after seeing what happens in those pools and the so-called cleaning process, I would NEVER dip a single toe in a public pool."

Meanwhile, one TikToker joked: "I grew up in a public pool. My immune system is A1 now, literally."

You should also read...

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