Can You Use Dish Soap To Clean A Hot Tub?

There are a lot of products you can use in your hot tub. But, can you use dish soap to clean a hot tub? I tried it and here are the results:

Yes, you can use dish soap to clean a hot tub. But, don’t expect good results. Dish soap doesn’t work well with tough stains, and you need to rinse it off completely before you can use the hot tub again.

But, there’s more to this. Let’s see the other things I found out.

Table of Contents

Is Dish Soap Bad for a Hot Tub?

If you add dish soap to your hot tub water, then within a few minutes you will notice bubbles coming out of your hot tub. Dish soap is only bad if you use it inside the hot tub. Cleaning the hot tub surroundings with dish soap is fine.

If you accidentally put dish soap in your hot tub, then you will need to drain and re-fill it. If you don’t, then your hot tub will be covered with bubbles and foam. If you have your jets running and pour a small amount of dish soap then within a few seconds your hot tub will be full of foam.

Getting rid of the foam is a hard process, and it will take a lot of time. I have made a guide on how to get rid of hot tub foam. Check it out. If you just poured some dish soap in your hot tub, and don’t want to drain and re-fill it, then you can use Soda Ash.

Soda Ash is usually used to lower the pH of hot tubs and pools, but at the same time, it also dissipates dish soap. Just use soda ash and hopefully, you won’t need to drain and re-fill your hot tub. After you used soda ash you need to test your hot tub water and add pH increaser.

Does Dish Soap Leave Residue in a Hot Tub?

Yes, the dish soap will leave residue in a hot tub if you don’t rinse properly. That’s why I recommend using warm water to rinse the dish soap.

To avoid leave residue behind, you need to properly rinse the dish soap. If you have a large hot tub you might miss a few spots. We recommend using vinegar and warm water to get rid of dish soap residue.

Here’s what I do: I mix a gallon of warm water with a cup of white vinegar. I spray the entire hot tub surface and leave it for a few hours. Once an hour has passed, I pick a dry cloth and wipe out the water and white vinegar.

I focus more on the parts where I see dish soap residue. After that, I rinse the whole hot tub with water and then dry it with a dry cloth. The dish soap residue should be gone by now, if it isn’t then I just increase the white vinegar levels in my warm water and try again (only for the residue surfaces).

You should do this in the morning or in the afternoon, doing it in the middle of the day can dry out your mixed water (water+white vinegar), or even react badly. So, avoid doing this on a sunny day.

Related Read >>> How to Clean a Hot Tub With Vinegar?

Can I Use Dish Soap to Clean My Hot Tub Filters?

Yes, using dish soap is one of the cheapest ways to clean your hot tub filters. But, you should clean and rinse them properly before you re-use the filters.

First and foremost, I recommend using a cleaner that is specially made for hot tub filters. Those types of products are the best and will clean the hot tub filters better. But, if for some reason you don’t have one then you can use dish soap.

To clean hot tub filters with dish soap you need three things: a bowl, warm water, and dish soap. Mix the warm water and dish soap on the bowl, and then soak the hot tub filters inside the mixed water. Leave the filters there for at least 30 minutes, and then take them out.

Once you take the filters, rinse them with clean water. Make sure to fully rinse the dish soap out of the filters and then use a soft brush to clean them. If you don’t rinse the dish soap properly then you will end up with a foamy hot tub, or you might need to replace the filters.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltwEp8XXYow”]

Will Dish Liquid Clean Mold From Hot Tubs?

Yes, dish liquid will clean mold in your hot tub. But, you can use it only if you plan to drain the hot tub. Using dish liquid in a running hot tub isn’t recommended.

Mold usually appears in your hot tub pillows. We made a guide on how to remove mold from hot tub pillows, you can check it out. Mold doesn’t grow in a clean hot tub, so if you see mold it means you haven’t cleaned your hot tub in a while.

It’s best to use drain, clean, and then re-fill the hot tub if you see mold. You can use dish liquid to clean mold in your hot tub, but only if the mold didn’t leave stains behind. If you have stains in your hot tub, then you need something stronger than dish liquid to clean it.

Can I Use Dish Liquid To Clean Stains in My Hot Tub?

Yes, you can use dish liquid to clean stains in your hot tub, but it won’t do a good job. To remove stains you need something more powerful than a dish liquid.

The dish liquid won’t harm the surface of the hot tub, it’s just not strong enough to clean tough stains. If you have stains, then check our guide on how to remove stains from your hot tub. But, if you are dealing with soft stains then you can use dish liquid.

Take a dry cloth and add some dish liquid to it. Locate the soft stain and start cleaning it with the cloth. Leave the dish liquid on the stained surface for an hour and then rinse it with warm water + white vinegar mix.

Related Read: How To Drain a Hot Tub With a Shop-Vac?

Liquid That Hot Tub!

You probably know by now that you can only clean the surroundings of the hot tub with dish soap. Having dish soap in your hot tub running water means you will have to drain and re-fill the hot tub.

If you have any questions about using dish soap then make sure to comment down below and I will get back to you.

Can You Use Dish Soap to Clean a Hot Tub?