June 25, 2019 – Summer is here, kids are getting out of school, and there will be lots of new opportunities to use the hot tub! The tub can provide a lot of great times for your kids and their friends. The key is to make sure you bear some things in mind when they use the tub to provide safe healthy fun. Here’s a helpful list of things to think about as you prepare the hot tub for lots of kid time.

• Your tub is not a pool. A lot of kids think of the hot tub as a pool, but it should definitely not be treated that way. Hot tubs have seating designed into them and ridges in the shell that can get in the way if a child decides to jump and splash around as they would in a pool. Make sure everyone is aware of the differences and limit the inclination to jump around inside the hot tub to avoid any accidental injury.
• Get your water balanced. Make sure the alkalinity and pH levels are in the correct range. Many folks overlook this and think it’s not a big deal—but it really is. Low pH will cause your sanitizer to get “eaten” quickly and not leave enough of it in the water to do its job killing bacteria. Low pH is also creating a more acidic environment, which is not good for anyone with sensitive skin. It can lead to skin drying out and getting itchy. People will try to make that about a sensitivity to chlorine, when in fact it’s due to improper pH levels.
• Keep your water sanitized. Kids get exposed to plenty of germs every day! Let’s make sure one place you don’t need to worry about is the hot tub. Check to make sure you’ve got a good sanitizer level in your tub prior to kids taking a soak. If you’re going to have a number of little folks over enjoying the tub, or a higher bather load than usual, be sure and add an extra dose of sanitizer to your tub after everyone’s done soaking. Run the jets for at least 30-45 minutes, so that extra dose gets a chance to work on the water and get rid of any extra bacteria. It will go a long way to keeping your water clean and fresh.
• Detergent free suits for the tub! We have a lot of customers who call struggling with water that’s either foamy or cloudy after a hot tub party. Often this is due to swimsuits being used for soaking that have been laundered and bring residual detergent with them into the water. Run any suits through a rinse cycle and hang them to dry to be sure no detergent finds its way into the tub.
• Cloudy water? If you run into issues with this, you can add Clarify to your tub. This wonderful product is non-toxic. It’s a derivative of clam shells discovered years ago to be a terrific way to keep water clean and bright. It will bind itself to anything making the water cloudy and capture it in the filters. Clean the filters thoroughly after use and you’ll enjoy crystal clear water.
• Think about steps and safety rails. Too many out there are using tubs with no safe way to climb in and out of them! It’s just not smart. You can easily set just about anyone up for a tumble that could otherwise be avoided with a good set of steps designed for the tub. It can’t hurt to think about a rail to give tiny hands a place to cling to when climbing in or out of the tub to stabilize them too. We have several versions of safety rails designed for hot tubs that will help everyone—even you!
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Kids love a good time in the tub, but they don’t let their minds focus on the importance of staying hydrated while doing so. That’s important for you to manage for them. Before puberty, sweat glands have not yet matured, so the only signal for overheating is rosy cheeks or red faces. Counter that with periodic breaks from the tub and lots of water. Fruits that are high in water content are a good idea as well. Watermelon is one of the top hydrating fruits, and grapes are easy to have on hand and kids love them. Strawberries are excellent as well.
• Tub toys can be fun! Just make sure they’re toys designed for hot tubbing, not pools. We’ve got a great array of tub toys appropriate for fun in the tub, including waterproof playing cards and floating game board.

Make the most of these summer months! Choose the opportunities to get outside and have some bonding time with family and friends that include your hot tub. You’ll create great lasting memories and enjoy the great outdoors.