The Smartest Ways to Prevent Sand From Sticking to You at the Beach

Even people who love to go to the beach have to admit that dealing with sand that inevitably ends up in your shoes, towels, bags, hair and eventually home is a pain.

That’s why, over the years, Lifehacker’s posts have contained strategies that make it easier to clean up after a day at the beach. These include classics like baby powder , a mesh bag , and an extra towel , as well as favorites like the fitted sheet trick .

While this is certainly just the beginning, we’re back with more tips on how to minimize the amount of sand that sticks to you and your belongings. Here are a few to consider on your next trip to the beach.

Why does sand stick to everything?

Before we get to the tips, let’s start with the science.

Ultimately, it all comes down to moisture. As Dan Seitz explained in a 2018 article in Popular Science , water molecules can attach directly to sand grains, and additional water molecules can stick to those water molecules, and so on. This means that beach sand will cling to everything wet, including sweat, and the drier your clothes, the better.

How to keep the sand from coming home with you

Now let’s apply this sand science to these four strategies, which are also taken from a 2018 Seitz article :

Use fabric softener on beach towels.

You can’t completely protect a towel from sand, but washing with fabric softener will help it repel water.

Invest in a hydrophobic spray

Before heading to the beach, pre-treat the bottoms of your shoes (ideally flip flops or other open-toed shoes that allow you to quickly clean them of sand), refrigerator, chairs, bags and any other items with a non-toxic water repellent. spray.

Avoid metal drink containers

On a hot day, take a can of soda, seltzer, or beer out of the fridge and it will begin to sweat and then become covered in sand. To prevent this from happening, place the jar in Styrofoam or pour it into a plastic cup. Likewise, bring water or other drinks in plastic or double-walled bottles.

Leaving the water when the tide comes in

If you decide to go into the water and find yourself in a body of water with waves, get out when the tide comes in. you,” Seitz explains.