Did you opt for a cleaning service for your hot tub, and now you can’t deal with the cost? We know how frustrating it gets when the running cost of a product you bought to add value to your life suddenly becomes a thorn in your flesh.
Through this article, we will show you how you can save your hard-earned money when cleaning a hot tub. With that you will be able to dedicate your savings to another house chore beyond your expertise.
Here, we have curated the 10 tips to clean a hot tub all by yourself and stay free of contamination.
Why do You Need to Clean your Hot Tub?
There are enough sanitization and other purification measures that go into the hot tub every once in a while. Why then would your hot tub need any form of elaborate cleaning?
The fact that you trap water in a tub for months, and you go in and out of it almost daily, is enough to make your hot tub require cleaning. When water we describe as clean, the meaning goes beyond mere appearance. The water in your hot tub may appear clean, yet you may notice a line of dirt bordering the water line in the hot tub.
Every time you go into your hot tub, you introduce organic and inorganic contaminants into it. The most common among these contaminants include:
- Hair products
- Body oil
- Sweat
- Cosmetic
- Urine
It is easy to assume that your hot tub is not dirty until you find out the amount of dirt that settles in the internal pipes over time. These contaminants usually find their way into the plumbing system of your hut tub and form a base of thin-film where a lot of bacteria and fungi flourish. These microorganisms inhabiting the lengths of your hot tub’s plumbing are a potential danger to your health as they can cause a lot of skin-related infections.
The ideal maintenance practice is to run the cleaning of your hot tub at least every three months. It is always better to prevent the biofilm from growing than to make plans to flush it out.
However, there may be a need for you to clean your hot tub more often than the suggested three months. If your entire family use the hot tub, or your friends come over every weekend for a hot tub party, it means that there is increased deposition of the contaminants earlier mentioned.
Consequently, there is also the need that you apply discretion to clean your hot tub more frequently. Even the best hot tubs need this kind of relief
How to Clean your Hot Tub
The tips we will present to you here shall follow a chronological arrangement beginning with the very first step in cleaning a hot tub.
They will guide you to get your hot tub functioning at maximum efficiency once again. They will ensure that you harvest the highest amount of utility from the promised life span of the hot tub. The ten tips for holding on your checklist to clean your hot tub effectively are:
Tip 1: Flush the Tub Lines
The term hot tub lines refer to the plumbing pipes buried under the seats from where the jets open. It is not enough to clean the apparent stains on your hot tub if you have not flushed the lines.
The reason for this is because, once you refill the hot tub with water, the water does not only rotate within the hot tub where you lounge but also runs through the internal plumbing, which is where the contaminants mentioned earlier all settle into slimy gunk.
The idea of flushing the tub lines will make more sense to you if you understand that when the gunk builds up within the plumbing pipes, they reduce the ease of water flow and thereby increasing the pressure on the pump motor.
Think of this pressure or strain on your hot tub’s pump motor as the tension or stress on the heart of a high blood pressure patient to better understand how the percolated gunk can damage the system of your hot tub.
The first tip you should remember to execute when cleaning your hot tub is to flush the tub lines to get out the gunk within them. There are line flush products specially made for this flushing.
These products are available at the local pool supply stores where you can choose whichever you find suitable for your hot tub. The manufacturers of these products leave directions on how to use them on the container. These directions vary from product to product.
Tip 2: Turn off the Powers Source
Turning off the power should be done after you have flushed the lines as you need it to run the flushing procedure.
The reason you need the power off is that ideally, a hot tub should only be on when there is water in it. Leaving the hot tub on with little or no water left is a sure way to damage the motor.
Tip 3: Drain the Hot Tub
You may notice debris of dirt in the water after you have flushed the hot tub lines. Sometimes, the water turns cloudy, depending on how dirty the tub lines were.
You have to get this dirty water out of your hot tub to avoid the gunk settling back into the tub lines.
There are elaborate directions on how to drain a hot tub, but it primarily involves opening the drain plug or using a submersible pump to leak the water out of the hot tub.
Tip 4: Clean the Surface of the Hot Tub
There are cleaning products formulated for different hot tub materials. However, if your hot tub is not too dirty, thoroughly wiping it down with a general-purpose bathroom cleaner and towel is enough.
Also, a water and vinegar solution will do an excellent job of this cleaning. Rinse and wipe off completely whatever product you used for the cleaning with a towel.
The reason is that some of these cleaners can change the chemical balance of the hot tub or make the water foam when you refill the hot tub.
Tip 5: Clean the Filters
The filters do the dirty job in your hot tub. They take out the dirt you bring in, and that is why they always have a generous share of the gunk over time.
Take the filters out and use a high-pressure garden hose to rinse off the slime on them. You may need to soak the filters overnight in a water and vinegar solution or any oil-cutting solution.
Also, clean out the chamber that holds the filters with your hot tub cleaning product. Remember to reinstall the filters back into their position once you are done cleaning them.
Tip 6: Use Special Cleaning Agents on Stubborn Stains
Sometimes, some stains may not give in to the hot tub cleaners, and you may have to use a special cleaning agent to get them off.
Some of these special cleaning agents include baking soda, which has an abrasion quality useful in peeling off the gunk.
These cleaning agents should be applied with care to avoid eroding the hot tub material itself.
Tip 7: Refilling the Hot Tub
There is a way to refill the hot tub. Run garden hose through the filter into the hot tub lines. This tip is particularly necessary if you have to rinse the tub lines before filling the hot tub.
Rinsing will ensure that any debris or line flush products left in the within will be pushed out. Drain out the water you rinsed off with before you refill the hot tub.
Tip 8: Turn on the Power Source
Turn on your hot tub when you have turned on the power source. Listen attentively for any unfamiliar sound. If there is any, it could be an indicator that a component, like the filters, was not correctly installed.
Tip 9: Treat the Water
Be sure of the particular chemicals recommended for the model of your hot tub before you treat the water. You should also add a sanitizer and balance the pH of the water appropriately. Allow the hot tub the recommended time, as indicated on the treatment instructions before you use the hot tub.
Tip 10: Maintain your Hot Tub
Gunk gathers in hot tubs when you fail to observe the appropriate maintenance measure.
For instance, we recommend that you sanitize your hot tub with purification systems like chlorine, bromine, etc., weekly. Following this simple measure keeps the water clean and free from developing an odor.
We also recommend that you clean the filters once every month. You should also ensure that you drain and wipe the hot tub once every three months.
This exercise will ensure that there is no build-up of bacteria or mold. You should also clean the cover more frequently since it’s the part of the hot tub most exposed to the elements. Even the best hot tub covers need cleaning if it has to remain the best.
Conclusion
We have presented you with an exhaustive list of the easy tips you can implement to get your hot tub functioning at full capacity.
The good thing about this list is that it is a DIY guide, and you do not need much technical knowledge to carry the tasks out. Follow the instructions here, and you will not need to pay extra money for your hot tub’s maintenance services.
We would like to know how this guide has helped you. Please, feel free to send us your comments and questions. Also, do well to share with your friends that may equally need these solutions.
