Owning a swimming pool can come with a learning curve, especially for first-time homeowners. You can look up the various needs and best practices, such as maintaining water circulation, cleaning filters, and keeping pH levels balanced. The internet is full of information on these aspects.
But then you encounter practical issues. Muriatic acid, for instance, is commonly used to maintain pH, but it’s denser than water. It sinks without your noticing and corrodes the floor over time. You learn the hard way that a substitute like CO2 is better for your pool in the long term.
Being a hands-on pool owner has benefits that more than offset the challenges of maintenance. However, that only happens if you’re making use of it. And during this age of the pandemic, your pool offers a refuge where household members, and possibly others, can unwind and improve their health.
Swimming to resist the coronavirus
More often than not, a home with a pool in it will have occupants who swim. And you hardly need to convince them of the health benefits of swimming. But given the pressures and demands of modern lifestyles, especially with the rise of remote work, it’s easy to go about entire days at home and forget to swim.
Yet exercise is a powerful antidote to the stress we face daily. In the wake of the pandemic and the economic turmoil it’s caused, living amid uncertain times can amplify anxiety. Many people have seized this as an occasion to renew their commitment to working out.
A swimming pool gives you the perfect venue for increased physical activity without risking injury. Even more beneficial, however, is its strengthening effect on the respiratory system.
Covid-19 doesn’t affect people equally. Those who’re in better physical shape tend to suffer less. For that reason, doctors recommend deep breathing exercises at a minimum. Cardio is much better. And there are few better ways to do cardio while staying safe at home than swimming in your pool.
Opening your doors to guests
Months since the pandemic began to upend our lives in the spring of 2020, many people feel frustrated about staying at home. Tired of video calls and online chats, they yearn for face-to-face interactions and real socializing.
This past Thanksgiving has brought families together according to tradition, but that ran contrary to experts’ advice on public health and safety. Continuing to stay at home remains the best way to minimize your risk of contracting Covid-19 or any other infectious disease.
Yet if you can’t help it and absolutely must have people over for fear of losing your sanity, the next best thing you can do is host small gatherings outdoors. That means no binge-watching together on the couch. Fortunately, an outdoor pool area makes for a perfect alternative venue where guests can lounge about.
What do you need to know about sharing pool waters with others? According to the CDC, there’s no evidence that Covid-19 can be spread to humans through water. Follow the standard guidelines on social distancing and disinfection of surfaces, and you can let friends and family enjoy the pool as well.
A possible revenue stream
The attractions of swimming haven’t gone unnoticed during this pandemic. People who don’t have a pool of their own may be leery of using public facilities. A well-maintained private pool offers a safer alternative to anyone who’s looking for some exercise or a venue for small social gatherings.
For pool owners, this opens up the possibility of using their pool as a passive revenue stream. It’s similar in principle to renting a room on Airbnb. And in fact, there’s an app for that. French pool rental app Swimmy has seen business surge in Europe as beaches and community pools face restrictions.
The idea of raking in additional income from a home feature you might be using sparsely each day is certainly enticing. It can be a welcome boon in a tight economy and helps offset the cost of maintenance activities you’ll already be performing.
You’d still be letting outsiders onto your property. The risks run both ways. You need to disinfect surfaces, provide cleaning materials, regulate traffic flow, and ensure that guests are compliant with social distancing.
On properties where you can manage to stay isolated while others rent your pool, that could work. And if it doesn’t, you can still enjoy the health benefits of swimming in privacy and at your own leisure.
