A Little Cleaning... Jetted Tubs

When we bought our new house I was almost more excited to have a Whirlpool Tub than I was to be a homeowner. I love baths and often indulge in a very relaxing soak with a book to keep me company. It's marvelous, especially in the winter.

If you are a fan of bubble baths, you know what I mean. If you have a jetted tub you also know that they can get dirty pretty easily. Soap scum can build up in the pipes which feed the jets and can provide you with some black specks of scum to float around with you in your tub. I know, YUCK!

I did a little research online and found a few recipes for cleaners, but one product stood out. It's called WhirlOut and I was able to find some at my local Home Depot. The jug was around $8 and worth every penny. (You can also find it online but it may be more economical to pick it up locally to avoid shipping costs.)

Following the instructions on the back I filled my tub and put in about half the container near the intake in my tub and let it run on medium for about 5 minutes. I then drained my tub (I thought to take a photo of all the nastiness that it flushed out of the pipes but it was just so icky I knew no one would want to see that. Just know that you can tell that it has worked once you turn the jets off and the water settles a little. Ew.)

Be sure to follow the instuctions carefully. Once you drain the tub once you must refill it and run the jets again to flush the chemicals out of the system. The cleaner is not (I repeat, NOT) safe for your skin and if you leave it in the tub and then get in the water it could really harm your skin.

After running it the first time I have supplemented it a few times using about a half cup (or more) of the powder when I notice any build up returning. I typically do this after a bath since the tub is already filled.

I will likely end up trying a more 'homemade' recipe in the future (using different types of cleaner all together and repeating the same process) but I am hesitant since WhirlOur is very low-foam. If you have ever put bubble bath into your jetted tub you know that the bubbles get really high, really fast! You don't want a cleaner to foam too much if you are running it through your system for multiple minutes.