How to Clean your Lay-Z Spa

A Lay-Z-Spa hot tub is an excellent addition to any garden, whether it’s for relaxing in or entertaining. However, they require regular maintenance and thorough cleaning – along with those using it following some basic personal hygiene.

If you don’t know how to clean your Lazy-Z-Spa hot tub properly, the warm water provides the perfect breeding ground for everything from algae to various types of bacteria.

To ensure you keep enjoying your hot tub, we have put together this Lay-Z-Spa Maintenance Guide with tips on how to clean it.

Step 1: What to do before using your Lay-Z-Spa Hot Tub

Lay-z spa

Before using your hot tub, it’s a good idea to take a quick shower to remove any body lotions or oils from your skin. These can cloud the water or make a foam appear and over time, could stain the side of the tub. These stains (known as chemical staining) appear as brown marks above the water line and in the places your body encounters the hot tub, such as around the neck and shoulders.

Step 2: Use a sanitiser

Cleaning the lay-z spa

Proper Lay-Z-Spa maintenance involves cleaning it at least once a week while in regular use, as well as a thorough clean and dry before storing it away.

There are two types of sanitisers available – chlorine and bromine – and it is vital that you use one of these when cleaning your hot tub, to ensure any bacteria in the water is killed.

Chlorine is the most common, but make sure you use the quick dissolving kind – not the slow dissolving type that is intended for larger swimming pools.

Chlorine for hot tubs is available in dissolvable granules that you simply sprinkle into the water or dilute with warm water, before pouring into the spa. Make sure you only add a small amount of chlorine to prevent over-chlorination and leave it to distribute evenly into the water.

Step 3: Check the pH balance of your Lay-Z-Spa

pH balance of lay-z spa

The level of chlorine in the water of your hot tub is not only important for keeping it free of bacteria, but also for making you comfortable and keeping the spa in good working order.

If the pH balance falls too low, the water will turn acidic – which can lead to the spa’s pump and seals suffering from corrosion and your eyes to become irritated during use. Whereas if the pH rises too high and the water turns alkaline, scales can appear in the pump and the massage jets – so it’s important to get the balance just right.

A pH test will need to be conducted around two hours after adding chlorine to your spa water. If the water is very dirty, the chorine will be absorbed, and you’ll receive a low reading. If the water is properly balanced, you won’t need to add any more chlorine to it.

Top tip: You should check the pH balance of your Lay-Z-Spa hot tub at least once a week. Use test strips or a handheld colorimeter to do this, and make sure the PH levels fall somewhere between 7.0-7.6.

Step 4: Change the filters

Changing filters of lay-z spa

Knowing how to clean and change the filter cartridges of your Lay-Z-Spa is essential. The filters are a primary feature for removing dirt and grime from the water and prevent things from getting into the pump or heater. If this happens, the life span of your hot tub will be reduced.

As your pump will usually be continuously cleaning and filtering the water when it is turned on, this dirt can quickly build up, especially when the hot tub is being used regularly.

As a guide to proper Lay-Z-Spa maintenance, you should remove the filters and give them a wash to get rid of any dirt between each use – and at least once every three days. Every few weeks, depending on the intensity of use, old filters should be replaced with new ones (especially when they become harder and discoloured). The more regular you use your Lay-Z-Spa hot tub, the more often you should clean and replace the filters.

Failure to wash out the filters can result in them becoming soiled and clogged which will ultimately constrict water flow. This will put extra strain on the pump motor and potentially cause a mechanical breakdown. Poor filter care and general spa maintenance is the number one cause of pump/heater failure, so it’s important to look after them.

Top tip: Always have spare filter cartridges to hand for complete trouble-free enjoyment of your Lay-Z-Spa.