What should I use to clean, sanitize and whiten my walk-in tub?

For the acrylic shell of an Ella walk-in tub, use mild dish soap or a 1 to 1 mix of white vinegar and water on a soft cloth. For the jet lines, run the monthly vinegar flush, and for sanitizing, an Ella tub needs no chemicals at all, because it fills with fresh water for every bath and drains completely afterward, with an ozone generator sanitizing the lines on hydro massage tubs. The ring or film that makes a white tub look dull is the same body oil and soap residue described in Why Do Black Flakes or Slime Come Out of My Tub Jets?, and it comes off with those same mild cleaners.

Cleaning and Whitening the Tub Shell

The residue that collects in a walk-in tub is almost always body oils, soap film and bath product residue. On the walls of the tub it shows up as a ring or a film that takes the brightness off the white acrylic, and inside the plumbing it becomes the dark flakes or brown slime that appear when the jets run. Neither needs a special product. Ella's care routine for the shell is short:

• Wipe the shell, including any ring or film on the walls, with mild dish soap on a soft cloth.
• Or use a 1 to 1 mix of white vinegar and water on a soft cloth, which lifts the same soap film.
• Remove the pump inlet cover, clear it of hair and debris, and wipe it with a non abrasive towel. This is part of the monthly routine.
• Rinse the tub after each bath and run the hand shower over the jets so soap film does not dry inside them.

There is no bleach, abrasive powder or whitening product anywhere in Ella's published routine. A white acrylic tub that looks dull is usually carrying film, and film wipes away. If a mark stays after a gentle wash with dish soap or the vinegar mix, photograph it and open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support before reaching for anything harsher, so the team can tell you what is safe on the finish.

Sanitizing: Fresh Water, Ozone and Auto Purge

A hot tub holds the same water for an extended period and depends on chlorine, bromine, shock, pH balancers and a filter cartridge to keep it safe. A walk-in tub is different. It fills fresh from your home's water heater each time and drains completely afterward, so there is nothing to sanitize, balance or test, and the pumps run only while you are in the tub. That comparison is drawn out in How Does a Walk-In Tub Compare to a Hot Tub?.

Two built-in features look after the plumbing between vinegar flushes. On hydro massage tubs, an ozone generator under the deck is wired in line with the hydro pump, so it runs whenever the jets are on and releases ozone into the circulating water to eliminate mold and bacteria and prevent mildew and odor in the lines. It draws only 0.04A, there is nothing to switch on or off, and a light hum, a faint hiss from its check valve and a slight clean scent after the jets run are all normal. Air-only and soaking configurations have no hydro pump and so no ozone generator. The details are in What Is Ozone Sterilization on a Walk-In Tub?. On air massage tubs, the Auto Purge activates automatically 20 minutes after the air pump is turned off and runs for 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines. It cannot be stopped, and it is normal even if it begins while you are still in the tub.

Ozone sanitizes the water lines during use, but it does not replace the monthly vinegar flush or the surface cleaning above.

The Vinegar Flush for the Jet Lines

The vinegar flush is the one cleaning step that reaches inside the pump lines, and it is used both before the first bath in a new tub and once a month after that.

1. Combine 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water.
2. Fill the tub with water to one inch above the highest jets.
3. Add the vinegar mixture.
4. Run the tub for 10 minutes.
5. Drain, and look at the drained water. If it still carries flakes or a dark film, refill and run the flush again until the water runs clear.

Flushing after every bath is not necessary, because the air and hydro systems are fully plumbed. If the tub sat unused for a while, flush and drain the pump circulation system before the next bath, then return to the monthly schedule. Skipping the monthly flush, especially after months of daily use, is the most common reason dark specks start appearing.

Bath Products That Leave Film

What goes into the water decides how much film you clean off later. Soaps, shampoos and body wash are fine for everyday use, even with the jets on, though the jets whip them into far more foam than a standard bathtub, so use a fraction of the usual amount and rinse well. Epsom salts are fine for the jetting system as long as you rinse afterward, since salt residue may discolor or spot chrome finishes. Scented bath salts, bath bombs and bath oils are the products to set aside: their oils, dye, glitter and floral bits feed the buildup and can clog jets, and if you use them anyway, plan on an extra vinegar flush. The full product list is in Can You Use Bubble Bath or Shampoo With the Jets Running? Managing Foam in a Jetted Walk-In Tub.

The Glass Screen and the Chrome Fixtures

If your tub has a folding glass shower screen, clean the glass with warm soapy water and a lint-free cloth after use. Never use alcohol, petroleum liquids or chemical cleaners on the screen, and never anything gritty. Its bottom gasket is the seal that keeps the deck dry, so wipe rather than scrub around it. The screen's care and setup are covered in What Is the 4-Fold Shower Screen on a Walk-In Tub?. Chrome faucet and jet trim is best protected by rinsing after any bath with Epsom salts, since salt residue is what spots it.

When to Open a Ticket

If flakes keep returning after repeated flushes, or you notice a persistent mildew smell around the drain or pump area, contact your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or open a request at ellasbubbles.com/support. Include your model, a photo of the debris in the drained water or the mark on the shell, and a note on how often the tub is used and how long since the last flush.

Related Guides

• Which cleaners are safe for my walk-in tub, and which chemicals should I avoid?
• Which Cleaners Are Safe on Your Walk-In Tub and Where to Find the Pump Inlet Cover
• Printable Monthly Maintenance Checklist for a Walk-In Tub

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