Your hot tub may be the most luxurious and relaxing spot in your entire home, but if you’re not keeping it clean, your little piece of paradise can go downhill in a hurry.

Fortunately, keeping up with your spa’s maintenance is not overly complicated, and there are some great products to help you do it, but you’re still going to want to become a bit of an expert on this aspect of hot tub ownership if you want to keep your tub as clean as possible. 

To help you do that, we’ve created this comprehensive guide to hot tub cleaning, complete with key information, useful tips, and some product suggestions to help make your job easier.

How Often to Clean Your Hot Tub

The frequency with which you clean your hot tub will depend on how frequently it’s used, but by following a basic timeframe for specific tasks, you should be able to keep any spa squeaky clean with relative ease.

Testing the Water

One of the most frequent hot tub maintenance tasks you should be doing is testing your water levels to ensure they’re balanced. This should be done two or three times every week.

Cleaning the Filters

Woman replacing filter on Sundance® Spa - Great Bay Spa & Sauna explains the importance of water circulation

Once per month, you’ll need to remove your hot tub’s filters and spray them down, preferably with the help of a filter cleaning agent.

Changing the Filters

Your hot tub’s filters should last a long time if you’re doing everything you can to keep both them and your water clean, but they won’t last forever. Typically, you should be changing out your filters once a year.

Draining and Cleaning the Tub

At a certain point, your hot tub’s filtration system will no longer be able to keep it perfectly clean. When this happens, you’ll need to drain, clean, and refill it. This is something you should be doing about three or four times per year.

Tips for Maintaining a Clean Hot Tub

Here are a few tips for keeping your hot tub as clean as possible.

Get a Great Cover (and Use It)

woman is closing hot tub cover

Getting your hot tub a high-quality cover is not only a good way to maintain energy efficiency, but it can also keep your water nice and clean. Your cover will keep dirt, leaves, and other debris out of the tub, and it will also provide shade, which can prevent bacteria growth.

Keep the Necessary Chemicals on Hand

Testing your water regularly is a waste of your time if you don’t have the chemicals needed to keep it balanced at the ready. Stock up on the various products needed to keep your water levels where they need to be so that when your test shows an imbalance, you have the means to right the ship.

Skim and Vacuum

Your hot tub’s filters can be highly effective, but they’ll be even more effective if you lend a hand. Make sure to skim out any floating debris and vacuum regularly.

Great Products for Cleaning Your Hot Tub

Keeping your hot tub clean will require some work, but you can make the job a whole lot easier on yourself if you employ specific products when doing it.

Water’s Choice™ Clean & Drain

Waters Choice Clean & Drain | Great Bay Spa & Sauna

If you’re looking to reduce your need to drain your tub and clean it out, keeping some Water’s Choice™ Clean & Drain on hand can make a big difference. Run this product through your hot tub’s filtration system before you drain your tub, and the special enzymes will make it so you only need to clean and drain once a year.

303® Aerospace Protectant

Your hot tub’s cover is one of your greatest assets when it comes to keeping your water clean, and 303® Aerospace Protectant is one of your greatest assets when it comes to protecting your hot tub cover. Apply some of this to your hot tub cover for enhanced UV protection and dust-repellant capabilities.

Gel-Gloss

Once you’ve drained your tub, applying some Gel-Gloss to its shell can help remove staining and provide it with some added protection. This will not only keep your tub clean, but it will help extend its lifespan.

Need Help Cleaning Your Hot Tub?

If you need professional advice on maintaining a sparkling clean hot tub, contact Great Bay Spa & Sauna today! We’re always ready to help!