Here we go, it’s the end of another year. Let’s face it, a lot of us are pretty pleased to see this year behind us. That said, we talked about a lot of great safety advice this year! Before we close the door on 2020, let’s take a quick look back at our best water safety tips.
Looking Back at the Best Water Safety Tips
Removing Water from Your Ears
First off, let’s start with something simple: Swimmer’s Ear. While it isn’t as serious as drowning, swimmer’s ear can be extremely painful. This infection affects the external ear canal. Having water trapped in your ear can cause difficulty hearing. It can also lead to a tickling or painful sensation that extends from your ear, but can also reach your jaw and throat. Most of the time, water drains from our ears without much help. However, as we learned, this isn’t always the case. If the water is unclean, it could lead to an ear infection.
To learn more, read our full blog on how to safely get water out of your ears.
Layers of Protection are the Key to Safety
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the number one cause of death for children four years old and younger. So when it comes to our best water safety tips of 2020, you’d better believe we’re going to talk about multiple ways to keep little ones out of harm’s way!
As we often state, safety should be the number one concern of any pool or spa owner. That said, it’s important that you don’t put all your eggs into one basket. Instead, it’s best to have a wide range of pool safety options. Layers of protection will greatly decrease your chances of a water-related tragedy.
To start, let’s talk about pool fences. Now obviously, Life Saver Pool Fence is very focused on pool fences. This is because they can easily save a life. You see, pool fences are specifically designed to keep children (and pets!) from accessing the pool area. A pool fence should be tall enough to prevent kids or pets from climbing over it, and strong enough to withstand some fierce pushing. Drowning rates drop significantly when one of these handy barriers is in place.
In addition, it’s important to install pool alarms and self-locking gates, and to keep a constant eye on any children near the water.
To learn more, read our full article about adding multiple layers of protection to your pool.
Careful with Contact Lenses
If you are swimming in the pool, it’s always best to remove your contact lenses. After all, the FDA recommends keeping your contact lenses far away from any moisture beyond cleaning solution. That absolutely goes double for both saltwater and chlorine.
Of course, it’s one thing to mention this potential danger, and another to expect people to follow it. Everyone should be aware that swimming while wearing your contacts can lead to painful eye irritation, or even infection. Soft lenses are porous, and may allow chemicals and bacteria to press directly up against your eyeballs.
To learn more about swimming with contact lenses, click here.
Watch Out For Pool Gators!
Finally, let’s talk about alligators. Life Saver Pool Fence is a nationwide company, but we are proudly based in Florida. As you’ve no doubt heard, swimmers in Florida (and other states, too!) are well-acquainted with unwanted guests in our pools.
Now, as you may suspect, gators are rather dangerous creatures to find in your pool. Our best advice in this situation is to keep yourself away from unnecessary harm. Above all, the first thing to do upon finding an alligator in the pool is to get away! A live animal that feels trapped can be especially dangerous.
Instead, it’s crucial to stay indoors and call a professional for help. Your local animal control agency can provide advice and will likely send someone to take care of the problem. They can also help with any other critters that may wander into your water.
To learn more about dealing with living animals, click here for our blog about gators and pools.
