Having grown up in Queensland, I spent at least half of my childhood in our backyard pool; it was the centre of our family life on weekends and during school holidays, and was also the entertaining hub whenever anyone came to visit. Back then (in the “olden days” according to my 8 year old!), pools were smelly, chlorine-heavy, hair-greening things.
When hubby and I built our home (which was designed only after we’d first designed the pool!) we opted for a saltwater pool. The saltwater was a definite step up from the chlorine pool of my childhood, but we still came out smelling like chlorine for days, our skin felt tight and sort of sticky from the salt, our hair felt like scarecrows straw by the end of the weekend, and little eyes stung when they didn’t wear their goggles. My oldest son suffers with eczema, and I found that on days he swam in our pool his skin was significantly worse. While other kids would crash from exhaustion after a day in the pool, my son would be up half the night itching and scratching his inflamed skin. It was frustrating, and drove us both to tears some nights, but apart from showering in fresh water as soon as he got out of the pool (which helped a little, but didn’t stop the eczema) there was nothing we could do about it, right?
Wrong!
A few months ago we were at a friend’s house admiring their new abode, and the conversation turned to their neighbour who had just converted his pool to a mineral pool because of his child’s skin psoriasis…I needed to know more!
Within a few days I’d read everything I could about magnesium based pool systems. I was already well versed in the potential health benefits of magnesium: it has been found to help improve circulation; hydrate the skin, which can be beneficial for psoriasis and eczema; alleviate pain; relieve stress and anxiety; as well as a whole host of other benefits that are becoming apparent as more research is done in the area. Our family had regular magnesium baths to take advantage of the positive health effects…but to find out we could swim in the pool and get the same benefits?
Mind. Blown.
Needless to say, when Maytronics offered the opportunity to have our pool converted to the Mineral Swim system I jumped at the chance (like, literally jumped…I was so excited!).
There are a lot of different companies promoting magnesium and mineral pools, but where Mineral Swim stands well apart from the rest is that they source their minerals directly from the Dead Sea in Israel and are the only company that does not use any synthetic processes or ingredients to create or treat their minerals. So it’s a 100% natural and safe product that the whole family will love.
Mineral Swim is also the only mineral system on the market that combines these natural Dead Sea minerals with Ozone Swim’s ozone-to-oxygen water purification. Ozone provides safe, odour free pool purification that is up to 3000 times stronger than traditional systems. This amazing combination of minerals and ozone is what gives Mineral Swim such clear and healthy water that is a joy to swim in, even without goggles.
Installation of the Mineral Swim system was super quick (about 1.5 hours) and really easy; it can be installed in any existing or new pool. Once installed, bags of minerals are added, and then you wait for them to do their magic. Within two days our previously cloudy water was absolutely crystal clear and sparkly. The minerals act as a natural flocculant, so any debris (or in our case, lingering algae from a green pool incident many months earlier) clumps together and drops to the floor of the pool, all ready to be vacuumed up. It was scary seeing how much dirt and muck had been in the water we had been swimming in. Yuk!
I had high hopes for this system, but was still blown away by the difference Mineral Swim made to our pool water…it literally sparkles and looks all shimmery (Master 8 calls it “diamond water”). The water is SO clear that I had no trouble pinpointing where a rogue clear glass marble had ended up when it was “accidentally” thrown into the pool. I now put the pool lights on every night because the sparkly water looks so pretty; previously the lights just highlighted how mucky water was…
The gorgeous feel of the mineral water is hard to describe…it’s kind of soft and silky and moisturising. When you splash your hands into the pool your arms get covered by thousands of tiny bubbles – it’s like I imagine it would feel to swim in champagne (Moet please). Best of all though, the kids no longer need to wear goggles in the pool, Master 8’s thick and coarse hair is silky smooth after swimming, and Master 10 has no eczema flare after swimming (that alone would make the conversion worth it for us). Also, there’s no need to shower after swimming; the water is so soft on your skin and makes your hair feel so lovely afterwards!
We’ve now had the Mineral Swim system installed for seven weeks and we still get a thrill when we see how gorgeous the pool looks. Six weeks after installation, Maytronics do a complimentary health check and service of your pool. As part of the conversion or new installation price, they’ll also provide all the minerals you will need for the first 12 months. After the first year, the minerals cost approximately $400 annually (which is way less than we’d been spending on chemicals and flocculants before we converted). It’s also worth noting that Mineral Swim comes with a generous 12 month Customer Service Guarantee as well as a 10 year warranty on parts, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.
As if that weren’t enough, Mineral Swim customers also receive a pack of beautiful AHAVA Dead Sea Mineral body and hair care products. Mineral Swim have partnered with AHAVA, one of the world’s leading natural skin care brands, so that you can continue your Mineral Swim experience out of the pool. These products are absolutely gorgeous, and are free from parabens, petroleum, sulphates, GMOs, phthalates, petroleum, triclosan and animal-sourced ingredients. All the products I’ve tried in the range are luxurious and so beautiful to use, but I can’t rave about the silky hand cream and rich foot mud enough – they’re now my “go to” presents for everyone! Don’t forget to enter our giveaway below!
Our experience with converting our saltwater pool to a Mineral Swim system has been absolutely fantastic, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
It’s affordable too, costing approximately $3,600 to be fully installed for an average-size pool in Australia in a temperate climate*. Installation is quick and easy (only took just over an hour for our pool to be converted) and the effects start to take place straight away.
We’re looking forward to lots of lazy days spent in the pool next Summer, without a red eye or an itchy child in sight.
For more information about the Mineral Swim System, visit www.mineralswim.com/how-it-works/ or call 1300 693 657.
Tasha Moon, Mum to two boys, QLD
Whilst this is a paid collaboration with Maytronics for Mineral Swim, all opinions and blog are original and genuinely the writer’s own thoughts and opinions.
* Please note: The cost of installation and ongoing Mineral costs are an approximate only. Please speak with Maytronics directly to get a quote specific to your pool and requirements.
GIVEAWAY
Prize: Together with Maytronics Mineral Swim we are giving away 3 x AHAVA skincare gift pack (‘His & Hers’) valued at $260 each. These products are made from the finest natural ingredients sourced directly from the Dead Sea – the same minerals as are in the Mineral Swim system! It’s free from parabens, vegan and approved for sensitive skin.
Men’s gift packs include the following products: foam-free shaving cream, soothing after-shave moisturiser, exfoliating cleansing gel, mineral shower gel.
Women’s gift packs include the following products: velvet cream wash, mineral hand cream, intensive foot cream and natural dead sea bath salts.
Prize Value: 3 x AHAVA skincare gift pack (‘His & Hers’) valued at $260 each.
Terms & Conditions:
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