The Best Hot Tub for Cleaning: Top Choices for Easy Maintenance and Hygiene

Purchasing a hot tub is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your mind, body, and soul. Routine hydrotherapy has countless benefits that can help you and your loved ones feel refreshed and reenergized.

As you are considering your hot tub choices, you may be thinking about the tasks that come along with hot tub ownership. Properly caring for your hot tub can ensure it will last for many years. Maintaining and managing your hot tub can include duties such as skimming the water, adding chemicals to the water, changing the filter, and more.

However, it is essential to keep in mind that some hot tubs make maintaining your hot tub as stress-free and hassle-free as possible—so you can focus less on cleaning your hot tub and more on enjoying it. This article will reveal some of the common maintenance tasks that a hot tub may require. It will also advise you on what to look for when shopping for a hot tub with easy maintenance.

Hot tub maintenance

Before becoming a hot tub owner, you may be curious about how to maintain a hot tub. Maintenance is a vital part of hot tub ownership. Proper spa care is vital to the life of your hot tub. If you routinely manage and maintain your hot tub, you can have peace of mind knowing that it is ready to go when you are—with clear water.

There are a few things you can do to ensure time spent on maintenance is minimized while your time spent relaxing in your hot tub is maximized. For example, the use of a high-quality hot tub cover is key. Your hot tub cover will keep dirt, debris, foliage, and bugs from landing in your hot tub water and potentially disturbing its chemical balance. A top-notch hot tub cover, such as the Jacuzzi® ProLast™ Cover, creates a vacuum seal around the sculpted shell of your hot tub to lock in heat and maintain your water temperature longer, which ensures lowered operating costs.

You can also purchase test strips to check your hot tub water’s levels of pH, alkalinity, and calcium, as well as your sanitizer (chlorine or bromine). Depending on your hot tub’s sanitation system, you’ll still need to add chemicals. Some options include a saltwater system, ozone, and/or ultraviolet (UV), and each has its own unique pros and cons.

For example, a saltwater system may have a good reputation for keeping your skin soft and smooth, it’s actually not the recommended system for your hot tub. First, many people think they would prefer a saltwater system because it is chemical- or chlorine-free. However, that is a myth. A saltwater system actually creates its own chlorine, so you may not have to add as much chlorine, but it is still part of the system.

Another option is ozone gas, which oxidizes and sanitizes your hot tub water. This is done via a hot tub ozonator attached to a jet that infuses ozone into your hot tub water. This is considered to be a more natural way to clean your hot tub water. With this type of system, you may not need to add as many chemicals as with other systems. This type of system does not require as much maintenance as others might.

An ultraviolet or UV sanitation system utilizes germicidal light rays to help maintain your hot tub water. This type of system can help prevent algae and bacteria from reproducing. This system does not oxidize the water, however. It will still need the addition of chlorine, bromine, or a non-chlorine shock product to oxidize the water.

It’s important to understand the type of sanitation system your hot tub has and to follow the guidelines in your owner’s manual. This ensures you’re adding the right chemicals and the necessary amounts. You can also discuss water care with your hot tub dealer when you purchase your hot tub. They can explain your role in your hot tub’s maintenance so you know exactly how to maintain it.

When it comes down to it, higher quality hot tub models will generally have more efficient and high-performing water care management systems and filtration systems. These are essential for making hot tub care easier for you.

Jacuzzi® Hot Tubs, for example, feature an exclusive combination of ozone and UV-C technology, which provides you with a nearly hands-free approach to your hot tub’s water care. The ClearRay Active Oxygen® System works harder to clean* the water longer. Through this system, ozonated water is exposed to a UV-C bulb, which energizes the molecules, thus unlocking the Active oxygen to clean* more—so you can clean less. The UV-C technology comes standard on all Jacuzzi® Hot Tub models.

In addition, the Jacuzzi® brand offers a range of stages when it comes to its hot tub’s filtration systems. In general, the more stages of filtration a hot tub model has, the cleaner your water will potentially be. Depending on the Jacuzzi® Hot Tub model you choose, it may come standard with a different filtration process. The Jacuzzi® 5-Stage filtration process is the top tier. It ensures you have cleaner* water, which equates to fewer water changes and less effort on your part.

The stages of the Jacuzzi® 5-Stage filtration process are broken down like this:

Stages 1 and 2: The skimmer and unique mesh ProCatch® bag work together to clean* the water surface and trap large debris for easy removal.

Stage 3: This exclusive system features a 60 sq. ft. ProClear® filter connected directly to a ProStream™ filtration pump that filters an incredible 35 gallons per minute, giving you clean* water faster.

Stage 4: The ProClarity® polishing filter polishes the water down to a 3-micron level.

Stage 5: The second 60 sq. ft. ProClear® filter activates and cleans when you are using your hot tub. This doubles the filtration when you need it the most.

In fact, the Jacuzzi® brand is so passionate about peak-performing water care that the team spent the past three years researching and developing a way to make that part of hot tub ownership even easier and even more hassle-free. The result of those efforts is Jacuzzi® True™, the next generation of water care. The True™ system is 99.9999% chlorine free and instead utilizes the natural scrubbing power of nanobubbles to help keep your hot tub water clean, clear, sparkling, and bright. It smells good and feels good—and most important it requires very minimal upkeep from you.

Another exclusive feature that Jacuzzi® Hot Tubs come standard with or are compatible with is the Jacuzzi® SmartTub® Remote Monitoring System. This system and app make hot tub management simple and easier than ever to use—at the convenience of your smart device. Whether you are in the comfort of your own home or on the go, you can control and manage your hot tub maintenance.

The Jacuzzi® SmartTub® system allows you to adjust your temperature, jets, and lights from your smart device. You can also rest assured that you hot tub care is just a click away. For example, you can receive real-time notifications and reminders and track energy usage reports. The Jacuzzi® SmartTub® system will automatically alert your hot tub dealer if your hot tub needs attention; it can also detect power outages, freezing, and overheating. With the use of this system and app, you can rest assured that your hot tub care is always in the palm of your hand.

Some Jacuzzi® Hot Tub models also feature the Smart Control screen, which helps you maintain your hot tub. For example, it can notify you when your filter needs to be changed.

Some of the top choices for easy maintenance are the models in the Jacuzzi® J-400™ Collection. Some of the standard features include the 5-Stage Filtration System, ClearRay® Active Oxygen System, ClearRay® On-demand, and the ProStream™ Filtration Pump. These models also feature optional upgrades such as Jacuzzi® SmartTub System compatibility and the ProLast™ Extreme Cover.

Overall, hot tub care shouldn’t cause you stress or be a major time commitment. Cleaning a hot tub can sound daunting, but if you purchase a high-quality hot tub that does most of the maintenance for you, you can simply relax and sink into your hydrotherapy experience with peace of mind that your hot tub is clear, clean, and ready to go.

When you’re considering the hot tub that is right for your needs, a high-quality hot tub with top-notch water care management systems and filtration processes can make your hot tub experience infinitely better and easier. Keep in mind your reasons for wanting a hot tub—to relax, to ease your mind and relieve tension, and to destress are likely just a few. So purchasing a hot tub that does most of the maintenance work for you will be worth the investment over the course of the many years you will have your hot tub.

*Clean is defined as the removal of microscopic (down to 3-micron level, varies by model) debris from the water. The ClearRay Active Oxygen® System utilizes various technologies to achieve cleanliness. One of them is ozone, which aids in the grouping of smaller debris to form larger clusters that can be more easily captured in the filtration process.

**Stages of filtration may vary by collection.

Medical disclaimer: This information is not intended to prescribe a particular diagnosis or course of action. We are not medical professionals. Please contact your GP or other medical professional for advice if you have any concerns about your current health or well-being.