Natural hot tub cleaning supplies?

September 19, 2004 10:56 PM

Hot tub/Spa question: I know about chlorine and bromide based solutions for keeping a clean hot tub. Is there an alternative that is more natural and relies less on nasty chemicals? One friend has suggested saltwater, but I'm skeptical. Anything else I should be thinking of?
posted by vacapinta to home & garden (7 comments total)

Bicarbonate of soda is supposed to be good on baths and drains. No idea about hot tubs.
posted by twine42 at 1:31 AM on September 20, 2004

salt water hot tubs from what I can see still need clorination but you use electrolysis to generate the chlorine. Run an electrical current through salt water and the chlorine is released.

The one thing I'd worry about is if your hot tub is really salt water safe. Salt water is hard on rubber components such as o-rings which nornally do their best to keep the water in your tub and off the floor. Even my scuba gear needs a good rinsing after being used in salt water.
posted by substrate at 6:09 AM on September 20, 2004

You could go with ozone instead of chemicals, but I'm not sure how easy it is to retrofit an existing spa. I usually only see ozonization mentioned on new high-end spas and pools.
posted by mathowie at 6:57 AM on September 20, 2004

We've been using Baqua Spa in our hot tub for a couple of years. It doesn't smell terrible like chlorine and it also won't fade your swimsuits. We've had no problems with it, i.e. "What's up with this rash?" type stuff. It doesn't really smell like anything, but, my wife likes to get the aroma therapy stuff anyway. We just kicked off the hot tub season last night. Here's to winter.
posted by trbrts at 10:10 AM on September 20, 2004

We use Nature2. It works well, the water doesn't smell and you don't need to fool with chemicals every day. We shock it with bromine once a week and that's it.
posted by turbodog at 10:59 AM on September 20, 2004

Ooh! I'll definitely look further into Baqua and Nature2! These look like just what I was looking for! Thanks!! The only thing my guests complain about is the chemical smell. But, conversely, I'm afraid of being too lax and allowing stuff (bacteria) to grow in there.
posted by vacapinta at 1:12 PM on September 20, 2004

Anything else I should be thinking of?
I think you ought to be thinking about Legionnaire's disease.
posted by caddis at 9:48 PM on September 20, 2004