You know that post-pool smell. It clings to your skin, your hair, your swimsuit for hours. Even after a shower. Especially after a shower, sometimes — the hot water seems to activate it.

I swam laps three mornings a week last summer and showed up to work smelling faintly of public pool no matter how long I showered. My coworker never said anything but I could tell she noticed. I noticed.

The fix turned out to be one ingredient I already had in my pantry.

Vitamin C neutralizes chlorine

Chlorine binds to your skin and hair. Regular soap doesn’t break that bond very well — it just washes the surface and leaves the chlorine molecules attached. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) neutralizes chlorine on contact.

You have two options: a vitamin C spray or a vitamin C powder. I make a spray by dissolving one teaspoon of ascorbic acid powder in one cup of water in a small spray bottle. Spray it on your skin after swimming, let it sit for about a minute, then rinse off in the shower.

If you don’t want to DIY, there are commercial swimmers’ sprays that use the same principle. But the powder costs a few dollars and lasts a whole summer.

What about your hair

Wet your hair with clean water before you get in the pool. Hair is porous. If it’s already saturated with clean water, it absorbs less chlorinated pool water. A swim cap helps too, obviously, but I hate how they feel so I skip it.

After swimming, rinse with the vitamin C spray or use a swimmers’ shampoo — these are formulated to remove chlorine and mineral buildup. Regular shampoo won’t cut it.

The rinse-off order that matters

Rinse with plain water first — just a quick rinse to get the surface chlorine off. Then the vitamin C spray. Let it sit. Then wash with soap or body wash. If you soap up first, you’re just pushing chlorine around on your skin.

Also: take your swimsuit off before you shower. If you shower with it on, the hot water opens the suit fibers and traps chlorine inside. Rinse the suit separately in cold water.

I keep a little spray bottle of vitamin C water in my gym bag now. It takes ten seconds. I don’t smell like chlorine at work anymore and my skin doesn’t feel tight and itchy by lunchtime.