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How to keep your hot tub water clean and sparkly

As the Summer approaches, there’s no doubt that you’ll want to spend more and more time in your hot tub. I mean – why wouldn’t you? So imagine getting home from work on a balmy summer’s evening, thinking about grabbing a cold drink, jumping into your tub and letting those jets work their magic only to pop the cover off to find that your water is more minestrone soup than Maldives. Here are our top tips to ensure that every time you need your tub, your water is sparkling clean, safe and hygienic.

Keep up with your water testing

Maintaining the chemical balance of your water is vital in keeping your hot tub clean and healthy, as well as making sure it will last you years and years. Regularly test the pH of your water so you can spot any problems before they get out of hand. Simply dipping a testing strip into your water can give you a clear indication of the chemical balance of your water. Any minor fluctuations can be easily sorted using pH plus or pH minus. Anything more drastic and you need to make sure you have topped up your bromine or chlorine, whichever you are using to keep your hot tub sanitary.

Shower before entering

Before getting into your hot tub it is a good idea to have a quick shower to get rid of any contaminants that, if left in your tub, can build up over time. This can include dead skin, lotions, oils, deodorant etc which can all compromise the cleanliness of your hot tub water. But this is easily resolved with a quick shower, without using any soap, so you are taking fewer contaminants with you into your hot tub. It is also a good idea to wash your swimming costume in hot water without any detergent to prevent any transfer to your hot tub.

Clean and change filters

Your filters are your guardians of sanitisation. While you are revelling in the therapeutic power of your jets, marvelling at the serenity of your waterfall, your filters are beavering away, removing many nasties from your water as your pump pushes the water through. 

They are working tirelessly to keep your water as clean as possible, so they obviously get a bit grimy from time to time. Regularly cleaning your filters is a must (read our handy guide here) and we recommend investing in two filters so you always have a nice clean one ready to pop into your tub whenever you should need it. Generally, they last 6-12 months, but you need to replace them when they start to look a bit grim and the paper element starts to go soft. Here’s a small selection of the filters we stock.

Shocking news

Imagine that it hasn’t been that long since you changed your water, but you pop the cover off and your water is looking a little milky. Not good. However, rather than having to flush, drain, clean and refill your tub, it might just need a bit of a shock. No, this doesn’t mean leaping out at it, screaming like a ninja when your tub least expects it, it is just a way of shocking your water with a large dose of chemicals to restore the chemical balance. 

There are two types of shock, chlorine and non-chlorine. You may need a chlorine shock, which has a higher dose of chlorine in if you let the sanitiser levels in your tub get too low. A dose of chlorine shock should restore the chemical balance in your water so your hot tub is safe to use again.

If your hot tub water is ‌milky or cloudy, you can use a non-chlorine shock. A simple dose binds tiny organic matter together so it is large enough to be captured by your filter. After using a non-chlorine shock, you should give your filters a clean, or pop in the clean filters you have ready to go. You can do this on a weekly basis, especially if your hot tub has had a lot of use. At Hot Tubs Rock, we recommend Oxy Shock – check out our range here.

Get a scum soaker

Another weapon in your armoury to defend your hot tub water against nasties is a scum soaker. These come in all shapes and sizes and typically float on the top of your hot tub water and soak up oils, small particles and other nasties that can accumulate.

After a dip in your tub, you simply remove your scum soaker and give it a good rinse out with hot water, ready for next time. Check out our cute little Darlly Duck.

O-Care

An easy way to keep your hot tub water clean and clear is O-Care. Just a weekly dose of O-Care prevents sediment build up, which will mean that you need to use less Chlorine or Bromine (by up to 78%). O-Care is simple to use and it is safe for children if they like going under the water – it doesn’t irritate the eyes or skin like some chemicals can. Whatsmore, the mixture of mineral salts will leave your skin feeling soft and fragrant – no need for showing after a dip. Check out our O-Care Range.

So, with Summer almost upon us, there should be no reason why you are faced with milky hot tub water when you most need it. Give your tub a good clean, flush and refill before the season starts, get tooled up, stay on top of your routines and your hot tub water will remain clean, sparkling and hygienic long after the sun has disappeared for the year.