The mere mention of salt water pools is enough to conjure up images of exotic, tropical locations straight off the digital pages of your favorite travel blog. However, you don’t have to visit a blog or a faraway land to experience the benefits of a salt water pool. In fact, salt water pools have become a hot ticket item right here in the U.S., as more and more home and pool owners experience their benefits.

Aside from maintaining the perfect temperature, maintaining a pool’s pH levels for proper pool sanitization is an ongoing task. Taking care of your pool’s chemistry is an important part of being a pool owner, and is something that must be done on a regular basis year round, even in the winter. It’s recommended to check your pool water’s chemistry at least once per week during the winter in order to ensure it’s in tip top shape for the summer. This often involves using swimming pool products such as pure chlorine.

Similarly, salt water pools also require similar maintenance in terms of sanitation, however, they don’t require many of the same products needed to maintain the water of a traditional pool. Rather, the salt in salt water pools acts as a continuous source of convertible chlorine that is then used to sanitize the water. After all, salt is made from a combination of sodium chloride!

The salinity of salt water pools is much less than that of the ocean and is actually much closer to that of your tears. Many people find the smell and feel of the water in salt water swimming pools to be far less irritating to their skin, hair, eyes, and lungs. This is perfect for people with sensitive skin or allergies.

As Americans continue to become more eco-friendly and search for sustainable ways to maintain their homes and pools, salt water swimming pools have grown in popularity.