We’ve all heard the story: you pee in the pool, and the water turns bright blue around you like a tattletale spotlight. Instant shame. Lifeguards blow their whistles. Everyone points. You never recover socially.
The good news: It’s not true.
Bad news: Peeing in the pool is still gross.
In this post, we’re breaking down what actually happens when you take a leak in the pool, how many people are doing it (hint: way too many), and how you can avoid turning the pool into a human soup of pee and butt stuff.
Does Pee Turn Pool Water Blue?
The short answer: No. The whole threat of pee turning the pool blue is BS. There’s no magical chemical that tattles on you mid-stream. It’s something parents made up to scare kids —like chewing gum staying in your stomach for seven years or cracking your knuckles giving you arthritis.
But Hollywood didn’t help. Remember that scene in Grown Ups where Kevin James pees in the pool and the water turns neon blue around him? The kids scream. People scatter. He just stands there like a busted toddler. Iconic—but not real. That was pure movie magic (and maybe wishful thinking for public health).
So no—nothing’s going to light up if you sneak a pee mid-float. But just because it doesn’t show doesn’t mean it’s not gross.
What Happens If You Pee In the Pool?
When pee hits chlorine, it creates stuff called chloramines. You don’t need to remember the name. Just know they’re what make your eyes burn, your skin itch, and the pool smell like a chemical war zone.
You know that strong “chlorine” smell people think means the pool is clean? That’s not actually chlorine—it’s the smell of chlorine reacting with all the gross stuff in the water. Mainly pee. Sometimes sweat. Occasionally poop particles. But mostly pee.
So yeah, your “harmless little leak” just turned the pool into an eye-stinging funk cloud.
How Often Do People Pee In the Pool?
More than you want to think about. A survey found that 1 in 5 adults have admitted to peeing in a pool. That’s not even counting the ones who lied.
Even Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps said it’s just something swimmers do: "When we’re in the pool for two hours, we don’t really get out to pee,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “We just go whenever we are on the wall."
That’s a direct quote from a DUDE who’s won 23 gold medals. So yeah, it happens. But that doesn’t mean it’s cool.
And researchers in Canada actually tested this. They looked for a sweetener that shows up in urine (acesulfame potassium, if you're curious) and found it in every single pool and hot tub they tested. Every. One.
On average:
- A medium-sized pool had 8 gallons of urine.
- A large pool? 20 gallons.
- Hot tubs were the worst offenders.
That “clean” pool you’re relaxing in? Probably full of other people’s pee.
Take a Leak Before You Take a Dip, DUDE
Seriously. Pee before you get in the pool. It takes like a minute. Nobody wants to swim in your body’s leftover beer. And no, the chlorine doesn’t just make it disappear. It reacts with it and makes the water worse for everyone.
Also, let’s talk about your other end for a second. If your butt’s not clean, and you slide into the pool, guess what’s coming with you? Yep. The leftovers.
So before your next pool party, do everyone a favor and wipe like a grown-up. DUDE Wipes are flushable, gentle, and perfect for making sure you’re not bringing any dingleberries into the deep end.
