3 Simple Ways to Keep Your Hot Tub's Water Cleaner Between Treatments
If you have just had a new hot tub installed, you may have already been researching how to treat the water and maintain the tub at regular intervals. However, you may wonder if there is anything you can do to keep the water cleaner while trying to enjoy it. If so, use one or more of the following simple ways to keep your hot tub's water cleaner between your regularly scheduled treatments.
Have Everyone Shower Beforehand
Before you or anyone else gets into the hot tub, make it a mandatory step to shower first. While this may seem like an unnecessary step when you are about to soak in hot water, it can help save you a lot of time cleaning and maintaining your tub, as well as trying to treat the water.
Excess oils, soap residue, and lotions can throw off the hot tub's pH balance, as well as attract dirt that could further contaminate the water. Not only would you have a harder time with treating the water, but you would spend more time cleaning not only the water but the tub itself.
If you and everyone else shower before you get into the water, these excess oils and substances are removed. However, skip the moisturizer, deodorant, and other personal care items until after you get out of the hot tub.
Throw a Tennis Ball into the Tub's Water
Even if you require everyone to shower before getting into the tub, you may find it difficult to keep all oily substances from getting into the water. Hair products and the skin's natural oils will naturally be pulled into the water whenever you spend time in it.
To help keep these oils from affecting the pH and cleanliness of your tub, throw a tennis ball into the water after you are finished soaking. The fibers on the surface of the ball will absorb and trap the oils. And, since the ball is hollow, it will float on the top, making it easier to remove when you are ready to use the tub.
After each use of the tennis ball, rinse it with hot water to remove any excess oils. Then, depending on how frequently you use your hot tub, replace the ball with a new one every month or two.
Use Pantyhose on the Return Inlets
Even if you keep your hot tub covered when you are not using it, dirt, sand, hair, and other debris will eventually make their way into the water. If these particles are not filtered out when you circulate the water, they will continue to remain in the water. Eventually, they will accumulate until the water becomes murky and the pH is thrown off.
Instead of spending a lot of money on expensive filters for the water return inlets, cover them with a cheap pair of pantyhose. The hose has holes small enough for the water to flow freely through, while the tight weaving is capable of trapping small grains of sand and dirt.
Before you filter and circulate the water in your hot tub, cover the ends of the inlets with pieces of the pantyhose, leaving enough to go around the outer sides. Secure them with rubber bands, and turn on your pump.
Once you have finished filtering the water, pull the sides of the hose off, and cover the portions used as a filter. Throw the pantyhose away, and use a fresh piece each time.
Using the above tips can help you maintain the water's cleanliness in between deeper cleaning and maintenance treatments. Speak with a representative of the company from which you bought your hot tub for further information, as well as get product recommendations for treating and keeping the water healthy and clean.