Spa & Hot Tub Cleaning in Los Angeles

Spa and hot tub cleaning in Los Angeles calls for a different approach than pool care, because a small body of hot, churning water behaves nothing like a backyard pool. Heat and jets burn through sanitizer, a few soakers add a heavy load of sweat and lotion, and the water ages fast.

We service the attached spa that shares equipment with your pool and the standalone acrylic tub on a deck or patio. If the spa belongs to a pool on our weekly pool cleaning route, it is tested and reported on the same visit.

What's Included in Spa and Hot Tub Cleaning

Hot tubs hold water in the range the CDC calls most favorable for Legionella growth, 77 to 113°F, and they speed up the decay of disinfectants (Source: CDC). Everything below is aimed at keeping sanitizer steady.

• Hot tub sanitizer levels. The CDC calls for at least 3 ppm chlorine or 4 to 8 ppm bromine in hot tubs (Source: CDC). We dose to those targets, not pool targets.
• Filter cleaning. Spa cartridges clog fast with oils, so we rinse and degrease them the same way as in our pool filter cleaning.
• Surface scrub. The scum line, seats, footwell and jet faces are wiped and brushed.
• Cover care. On standalone tubs we clean the cover's underside, where mildew and biofilm grow.
• Temperature check. We read the water with a separate thermometer and compare it to the setting.

Signs Your Spa or Hot Tub Needs Cleaning

• Cloudy water that does not clear after the jets run.
• Foam that builds when the jets come on.
• A slimy feel on the seats, footwell or waterline.
• A musty or sharp chemical smell when you lift the cover.
• Itchy red bumps after a soak.

That last one deserves attention. Hot tub rash is caused by the germ Pseudomonas aeruginosa and usually appears a few days after sitting in a poorly maintained hot tub (Source: CDC). It means sanitizer and cleaning are not keeping up.

Our Spa and Hot Tub Cleaning Process

1. Test and measureWe test sanitizer, pH, alkalinity and calcium hardness, and check the real water temperature.
2. Clean the filterCartridges are pulled, rinsed and degreased; on attached spas the shared pool filter is checked too.
3. Scrub surfacesWaterline, seats, jets and skimmer basket, plus the cover underside on standalone tubs.
4. Balance and sanitizeWe bring sanitizer and pH into range and shock when the water is loaded after heavy use.
5. Drain when dueWhen the water reaches its replacement date, we drain, scrub every surface, refill and restart the chemistry.

The CDC gives a formula for when that is: divide the spa's gallons by 3, then by the average number of users per day, to get the days between water changes, and scrub all surfaces vigorously each time the tub is drained (Source: CDC). By that formula, a 450-gallon tub used by two people a day would need fresh water every 75 days.

Spa Types and Sanitizer Options Compared

One product never goes in a standalone tub: stabilizer. The CDC recommends not using cyanuric acid or chlorine products containing it in hot tubs (Source: CDC), so the tablets from a pool floater do not belong in your spa.

What Affects the Cost of Spa and Hot Tub Cleaning

• Attached or standalone. An attached spa is usually handled on the pool visit; a standalone tub is its own job.
• Size and use. More gallons and more soakers mean more chemicals and more frequent water changes.
• Drain visits. A full drain, scrub and refill takes longer than routine service.
• Filter condition. Badly soiled or scaled cartridges may need a longer soak or replacement.

For spa and hot tub cleaning in Los Angeles priced to your tub, call (877) 720-8124 for a free quote. You can also read how our owner-operated service works or head back to the Pool Cleaning Los Angeles homepage.

Spa and Hot Tub Cleaning in Los Angeles: Local Factors