How To Clean Inflatable Hot Tub?

Cleaning your inflatable hot tub helps to maintain clean water. Otherwise, you could be placing water in a dirty hot tub, which could lead to a buildup of bacteria. Cleaning your inflatable hot tub could take only 15 – 20 minutes of your time. Here is a step by step guide.

1. The first step before you even start cleaning is to disconnect the power.
2. Next, remove all the leaves and debris floating on the water using your hands or a net if you have one. You don’t want the leaves clogging the drainage system when you drain the water.
3. The next step involves draining all the water from the hot tub.
4. Before draining the water, you want to unplug the filter pump from the spa. The process of disconnecting the filter pump is quick and straightforward. You need to put some stopper plugs to facilitate proper drainage of water. Different models of inflatable hot tubs use different stoppers.
5. Loosen the hose clamps and remove any dirt on the inside. After loosening the hoses, completely disconnect them from the filter pump. Remove the filter housing and cartridges from the hot tub. After removing the filters and the housing, use a garden hose to clean them out both inside and outside.
6. At the bottom of the hot tub, there’s a drainage valve. Connect a garden hose to the valve before unscrewing the valve. Finally, allow the water to drain. Cleaning the inside of the hot tub requires some warm water and a piece of cloth.
7. Wash out the surfaces using the water and the cloth until all the dirt and grime are gone. Avoid using soap while cleaning the hot tub because it causes foaming when you refill the hot tub. Besides, soap can lead to the formation of air bubbles in the filters or jets, which can affect your spa’s functionality.
8. After cleaning the hot tub inside, you also want to clean the headrest and the cushions because they build up body oils and dirt. Place the cushions and the headrest on the ground and use a water and soap solution to clean. A cloth can do a great job because using a brush can damage them. Finally, rinse using clean water before placing them back on the hot tub.
9. The next component you need to clean is the spa cover. Usually, when you cover warm water in the spa using the lid, the warm air rises in the form of vapor. The vapor condenses on the cover forming a moist layer. Now, chemicals such as chlorine and body oils stick on the lid. Finally, when you cover again, the warm vapor containing dirt falls back to your hot tub water.

To clean the cover, use some warm water and soap or a spa cleaner and a cloth to wash off the grime. Finally, rinse with clean water before placing the cover back on the hot tub.

How do you Get Mold Out of an Inflatable Hot Tub?

Mold is a common problem, especially if you neglect your hot tub. Mold appears as black patches on the spa’s surface, on the cover, filters, pump, and the jets.

The problem can escalate to all parts of the hot tub making the water appear cloudy and greenish. The good news is that you can clean the mold and never have to deal with the problem again. Here is the process of cleaning a mold-infested inflatable hot tub.

1. In a basin, mix water, detergent, and some bleach. Some people recommend using a brush to scrub, but the cloth is the best. The bristles of a brush can easily scratch your hot tub.
2. Thoroughly clean all the infested areas with your solution.
3. Finally, apply some antibacterial products before rinsing off all the grime.
4. Then, dry the surface using a dry towel.

The other alternative is using some vinegar. Vinegar comes in handy to remove the mold and give your spa a new shine. Using a spray bottle, spray some vinegar solution all over your hot tub.

Allow the vinegar to rest for about an hour. Then, use a cloth and some warm water to wash off the mold. If mold is found on the filters or pump, then a line flush using some bleach can solve the problem.

What Chemicals do you Need for an Inflatable Hot Tub?

To maintain a hygienic and safe inflatable hot tub, you need to use these chemicals.

Chlorine or bromine

Chlorine and bromine are great products necessary for sanitizing the spa. Without them, the water could become dangerous to use or even spread diseases from one person to another.

Oxidizer

Oxidizers are necessary if you’re looking to maintain clear water in the hot tub. Admittedly, cloudy water is gross and can even have odors.

pH Stabilizers

The spa water can go off-balance, especially if you don’t use the correct amount of sanitizers. Stabilizers help to either lower or increase the pH of the water, depending on what you want.

How do you Clean a Really Dirty Hot Tub?

You can clean a hot tub without draining the water, but if it’s really dirty, you will want to drain the water first. Open the valve at the bottom and let the water drain out through a hose.

If the spa has not been cleaned in a long time, there’s definitely some gunk on the piping work. To remove the bacteria colonies on the piping, you need to use a specialized chemical ideal for spa purging. 

You need to refill the hot tub first before using the chemical. Once you’ve put in some chemical, you’ll notice some brown foam rising through the jets. In this process, all the slime gets dislodged from the plumbing works.

Now, after purging, drain the hot tub again.

1. Pick a cloth, some warm water, and a mild detergent.
2. Wash all over the surface of the hot tub to remove all the slime formed on the surface.
3. Rinse with clean water and dry the hot tub using a clean towel before refilling once more.

Also, remember to clean the spa cover using water, soap, and a cloth. The spa cover can also have layers of biofilm due to all the condensation that happens on it. Rinse the lid with some clean water before placing it back on the inflatable hot tub.

How do I Get Rid of Brown Stains in my Hot Tub?

Brown stains form due to biofilm accumulation on the surface and the piping of a hot tub. Usually, the biofilm comes from body oils, lotions, and deodorants used by hot tub users.

The best way to remove brown stains from your hot tub is by using vinegar or baking soda.

If you go for vinegar, use a spray bottle to spray the vinegar on the stained areas. Leave the vinegar on the hot tub for about an hour. Finally, use a cloth and some warm water to wash off the biofilm. Then rinse with some clean water.

The other alternative is baking soda, which you can mix with some water to form a paste. Baking soda acts as a mild abrasive and also acts as a deodorizer.

Now, smear the baking soda on all affected areas before scrubbing it using a cloth. Finally, rinse with some clean water.

How Often do you Have to Change the Water in an Inflatable Hot Tub?

You should change the water in your inflatable hot tub after every 6 weeks or once a month.

However, if you’re using the hot tub more than 3 times a week or more people are using it, change the water as soon as it turns cloudy. In addition to this, you will want to keep an eye on your chemical levels (that is if you are using them), and make sure you maintain healthy levels.

If you are able to catch the moment when your water is about to become cloudy, then you might be able to fix that by adding some chemicals (again, that’s if you are using them). Otherwise you will be forced to drain your hot tub completely and re-fill it again.