After spending hard-earned money on a luxury hot tub, the last thing anyone wants is a hot tub that has a build-up of dirt, scum, and bacteria. The best way to stop this from happening is by learning what creates dirt in a hot tub and how to avoid it.
The reality is, no one would want to step inside a hot tub that is filled to the brim with dirt. Especially if you know you will be entertaining friends or family.
But don’t stress, because Bluefish hot tubs and the Spacare group have over 13 years of collective experience in not only making hot tubs but also maintaining them. So you can be certain that you are in the best hands when it comes to keeping your hot tub clean.
To find ways to keep your hot tub clean and to pick up a few effective tips along the way, read on.
How frequently should you clean your hot tub?
In any environment you enter, there are both good bacteria and bad bacteria. The same goes for your hot tub, and it doesn’t take long for bad bacteria to build up in your hot tub either.
However, you should always aim to avoid bad bacteria, which is why it’s good to get on top of your hot tub cleaning schedule.
One way to do this is by cleaning your hot tub after every use.
That doesn’t mean it needs to be a case of draining your hot tub entirely and pulling it apart to clean every little segment of it. But at the very least, we would recommend you clean any obvious signs of dirt or unwanted marks in your hot tub.
You can quickly clean your hot tub by using a damp cloth or a sponge, just make sure it is clean before you use it and that it doesn’t use a material that could damage your hot tub.
When it comes to cleaning your filter, you should do this regularly but we will touch on this a bit later.
What should you use to clean your hot tub?
As we’ve mentioned before, if you are just completing a general hot tub clean after one use, then a clean sponge or cloth is fine. However, if you are completing a more in-depth clean on your weekly, monthly, or quarterly cleaning sessions, then you must be prepared.
We recommend that you use cleaning solutions and cleaning materials that are designed specifically for hot tubs. Using these cleaning solutions will help you to get the most thorough results when cleaning your hot tub.
We must warn you that not every cleaning product other there is suitable for your hot tub. If you do decide to use a cleaning product that isn’t suitable, it may do more harm than good. So it’s something to be aware of.
Also, some companies do produce hot tub cleaning products that aren’t of high quality. So we would recommend that you always aim to get high-quality hot tub cleaning products.
We do recommend that every week you ‘shock dose’ or ‘oxidize’ your water to remove any bad bacteria that causes cloudy water. Some bad bacterias cause an odour that smells similar to chlorine, so it’s important to be aware of this.
Another important step you shouldn’t skip is checking the PH of your water, you can do this using hot tub PH strips.
Simply dip your hot tub PH strip into the water to test what level it is, the safest hot tub PH range is between 7.2-7.8, if it’s too high or too low then you need to adjust your PH by following your hot tubs instructions.
Using Sanitiser
One of the most important things you can do to take care of your hot tub is to use a hot tub sanitiser. The sanitiser is there to help control and prevent bacteria growth.
When using sanitiser, you don’t want to use too much, otherwise, it can be dangerous because of the gases and fumes it gives off.
Also, you should avoid using low-quality sanitisers, they may be ineffective at keeping your hot tub clean and they may potentially be unsafe.
The two main sanitisers that you should use are chlorine and bromine.
Chlorine comes in both tablet form and granules, you should follow the instructions on the chlorine your purchase to check how much you should use for your hot tub.
Bromine mostly comes in tablet form, and it is more expensive than chlorine, it does take longer to work, which is why most hot tub owners prefer to use chlorine.
Cleaning your filters
Hot tub filters are there to prevent any residue, dirt, or buildup from staying in your hot tub and creating bad bacteria. The filters do this by filtering the water through a filter box and using filter cartridges to remove dirt.
How often you clean your hot tub will depend on how often you use your hot tub, and how many people you have in your hot tub at a time.
If you have a lot of people in your hot tub frequently, then you will need to check your hot tub filters more regularly and perhaps weekly. However, if you only use your hot tub once or twice a week or even less, and you only have a few people in your hot tub at a time, then you may only need to check your filters on a bi-weekly basis.
If you do think your hot tub is getting an abnormal amount of dirt building up, or it doesn’t seem to be filtering dirt as it normally would, then it’s always good to check your filters just in case.
We recommend that you use a filter cleaner when cleaning your hot tub, specifically one that is reliable and from a well-trusted brand.
To clean your filter, use the instructions that come with your filter cleaning solution. You should also change your filter every 12-24 months but we would advise that you do it every 12 months to ensure unwanted problems don’t arise. If you are in need of a hot tub filter, then you can get your hot tub filters here.
Also, to find out more information about getting an amazing hot tub, and to find more tips on how to take care of it, check out our other blogs here.