Hot tubs can be a real luxury but when yours starts to smell or get a slimy build-up of debris it can start to become a nightmare. They do need some work to ensure they stay at their optimal state. Regular maintenance (and the equipment required to do so) should be considered as part of hot tubs running costs.

It’s important that you give it a good clean after a party, or after it’s been used by a lot of people. Plus, you should be doing regular maintenance regardless of how many people have been using it. You should regularly use a hot tub vacuum and a pool skimmer to keep it in good shape.

Top Tips For Keeping Your Hot Tub Clean

Keep reading if you’re wanting some simple steps on how to clean a hot tub to keep it at peak performance. Also, don’t forget to check out our inflatable hot tub reviews for the best inflatable spas on the market.

1. First Flush The Line

How to clean hot tub. The first step before draining your unit is to make sure that you flush the lines i.e flush the plumbing system. This will help to clean out the pipes to remove bacteria and mold that’s been lingering around. This also prevents the new water from getting contaminated because of nasty bacteria stuck in the pipes.

What to use to clean hot tub. The easiest way to ensure your unit stays clean is to regularly use a powerful cleaner to flush the pipes. You can easily find the right one at your local spa store or hardware store. It can be overwhelming when trying to select the right cleaner. So just make sure to ask for help and explain that you’re needing a cleaner specifically to flush your lines.

The line cleaner will come with specific directions for cleaning a hottub, varying slightly depending on the brand. However, most of them require you to add the line cleaner while it’s turned on. Then, after a certain amount of time, it will have circulated through all of the pipes to remove built-up residue.

If you’ve noticed your jets aren’t running at full strength, that’s a pretty clear sign that your system has some unnecessary build-up in the pipes. If this is the case, flushing your pipes will help clear out debris and make your tub run like new.

2. Turn Off the Power

Make sure to turn the power off after you’ve flushed the lines. This is important because if it accidentally turns on when there isn’t enough water in the tub, you could end up damaging your pump or pipes.

Turn your unit off, turn your breaker completely off, and disconnect all power cords. This could save you a lot of money since these repairs can end up being quite pricey.

3. Drain

Now that you’ve flushed your pipes and have turned off the power you’ll be ready to drain the water out.

First, make sure to read your manual for how to drain a hot tub. Each model is different and can have different features to make this process the easiest.
How much water you drain from the tub will depend on how dirty the water was when you flushed the pipes. In some cases you’ll need to fully remove all the water to ensure the water it’s as clean as possible.
Use a drain plug or built-in sump pump to remove the water. You may also need to remove the remainder of the water with a little bucket manually if you can’t get it all out.

4. Hot Tub Cleaner

Using a specialized cleaner to cut through the grime can help remove built-up slime, mold, and other bacteria that’s been growing in your spa without you even knowing it.

It’s important to only use cleaners that are specifically made for cleaning a jacuzzi or spa etc because you don’t want to ruin the beautiful liner. Once again, read your manual to see if there’s a specific type you should use. If not, just ask an expert at your local tub store or hardware store.

Another option is if you can’t make it to a store or want to save money… You could use a chlorine mix that’s watered down. Just make sure that it’s weak enough and that you wear gloves. (¼ teaspoon of dichlor with 19 liters of water should cut it).

Once you’ve got your cleaner, use a hose to wet the liner of the tub and then scrub it down with a sponge. Don’t use anything too abrasive. You don’t want to remove the acrylic liner that makes it sparkle.

Make sure to rinse the tub thoroughly and then dry it off with a towel. Drying the tub after is important because you don’t want to leave any leftover chemical residue. If there’s even a little bit left over it could screw up the PH balance of the water later on (when you’re adding the chemicals).

5. Important Details For Cleaning Your Filter

Next, when cleaning a hot tub, it’s important to clean your filters. An uncleaned filter can lead to nasty bacteria and can even cause infections. Make sure you clean them regularly to keep your tub bacteria-free, remember clean hot tubs are safe tubs.

The filters are usually hidden somewhere near your pump. Take a picture of what the filters look like before removing them. This will help you out when you need to put the filter back in place.

This is important because some filters are locked in place and require a little bit of disassembling before you can even begin to clean them. Use your hose to blast away the dirt build-up. Just make sure not to scrub it, as this could end up breaking the netting.

Also, cleaning inside the area where your filter is kept is vital because bacteria can hide in there too. Most of the time you won’t even notice it since bacteria can often go unnoticed to the naked eye. Leave your filter in some specialized oil cutting solution for at least an hour. Then use some chlorine to disinfect it after, (50ppm chlorine or ¼ teaspoon of the dichlor with 19L of water).

Another option for cleaning the filter could include putting it in the dishwasher (if the filter is strong enough to handle that). Just make sure to check your unit’s manual or ask at the store to see if your particular filter can handle a dishwasher.

When adding your filters back, make sure to look at the picture you took and to fasten anything that was previously fastened. If there are any other specific areas that need to be cleaned you can use other cleaners that are less abrasive:

For tree sap on the cover, you could use a little bit of olive oil.
For watermarks, you could use vinegar and water.
Baking soda can also work wonders for getting rid of extra build-up, as it’s strong enough to cut through gunk without destroying an acrylic lining.

Extra Tips For Refilling

Now that you have finished your hot tub cleaning, you’ll want to carefully add water to it while the power is still off. Once the water reaches the desired line (covering the jets near the top) you’ll almost be ready to turn the power on. However, it’s vital that you run the water through the filter before turning it on.

This will ensure the filter doesn’t get damaged and that water flows through the filter into the folds and then into your unit with ease. Next, you can turn the power back on. Just made sure to let it run for a few minutes while you check the filter and pump to ensure there are no weird sounds.

If there is a weird sound, it just means you put the filter on wrong. In that case, look at the picture you took to slightly adjust it. If you ever have any other questions or are in any doubt you can always hire a hot tub man to do a check-up to make sure everything is running smoothly. We hope this has helped and that you have all the information that you need on how to clean your hot tub.