How do you clean a walk-in tub, its jets and its door?

Cleaning a walk-in tub comes down to three routines: wipe the acrylic, door and seal about twice a month with a mild non-abrasive cleaner such as Dawn dish detergent or Formula 409, run the vinegar flush through the jets once a month, and clear the pump inlet cover in the same session. Between flushes the tub's own ozone sterilization and Auto Purge keep the lines fresh, so there is no need to flush after every bath. A soaking tub with no jets skips the flush entirely, which is why Soaking Walk-In Tub vs Jetted Tub: Which Is Easier to Maintain? calls it the easiest Ella tub to care for. The steps below cover a jetted tub first and then the parts every tub shares, and How Do I Clean the Jet Lines on My Walk-In Tub? covers the flush step by step.

Before the First Bath: The Initial Cleanout

After a jetted tub is installed and before anyone bathes in it, run a cleanout to clear the lines. The video shows the procedure: fill the tub to about an inch over the highest jets, add white vinegar to the water, run the jets, then fully drain the tub. The current published routine uses the same steps with these figures: combine 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, fill the tub with water to one inch above the highest jets, add the mixture, run the tub for 10 minutes, then drain. That same flush is the one you repeat every month, so the first cleanout doubles as a rehearsal for the routine.

The Monthly Routine for a Jetted Tub

1. Run the vinegar flush: 2 cups white vinegar with 2 cups water, water filled to one inch above the highest jets at whatever temperature you would use for a normal bath, run for 10 minutes so the solution circulates through every jet line, then drain completely. The recipe is the same on every Ella model, including microbubble tubs, and it does not change for a larger tub.
2. Clear hair and debris from the pump inlet cover, the suction grate inside the tub where the hydro pump draws water in. On hydro massage tubs it sits between the calf jets just below the seat. Wipe it with a non-abrasive towel and an approved cleaner such as Dawn dish detergent, and do it in the same session as the flush. Some newer tubs have a fixed intake screen instead, which is cleaned in place with a gentle brush and dish detergent.
3. Leave the air and hydro systems to clean themselves. Ozone sterilization runs whenever the hydro jets are on. Auto Purge starts automatically 20 minutes after the air pump is turned off and runs for 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines and prevent mold and mildew. It cannot be stopped, and it is normal even if it starts while you are still in the tub.
4. Leave the door open when the tub is not in use to protect the seal.

Flushing after every bath is not necessary; the monthly flush and the inlet cover check are the routine. A flush that uses too little vinegar or runs too short is the usual reason it seems not to work, so follow the recipe exactly. If black flakes or slime still appear after a correct flush, repeat the flush and open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with a photo. Because every drop that feeds the jets passes through the inlet cover, a weak jet is often a maintenance question rather than a pump fault, and What Is the Pump Inlet Cover on a Walk-In Tub? shows what you are looking for.

The Acrylic Shell and the Door

Clean the acrylic with approved non-abrasive cleaners only. Formula 409 or Dawn dish detergent with a soft cloth or sponge handles soap film and water spots on the acrylic shell, chrome fixtures and stainless steel parts, so one cleaner works around the whole tub, and a gentle brush with dish detergent cleans around the jets and the intake screen. Never use abrasive pads or gritty powders on the shell: scouring pads and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser pads dull and scratch the finish, and CLR and stainless steel polish should be kept off the shell for the same reason. Homes on well water should wipe down a little more often so mineral deposits never take hold. Never use anything harsher than a mild cleaner on the door. On the stainless steel inward-swing door found on the Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe, Ultimate, Companion and Escape, wipe the brushed frame and the frosted glass with a mild, non-abrasive cleaner and clean the seal with rubbing alcohol. That door is removable, so lift it out from time to time to clean the seal and the tub wall behind it, then leave it open between baths. Never lean on the door or use it to lower yourself into the seat, because the door and seal warranty is valid only when the alignment has not been changed by a bather's weight. The removal steps and the handle adjustment are in What Is the Stainless Steel Inward-Swing Door on a Walk-In Tub?, and the full cleaner list is in Which Cleaners Are Safe on Your Walk-In Tub and Where to Find the Pump Inlet Cover.

Glass Shower Screens Are Cleaned Differently

If your tub has the 4-fold glass shower screen on the wall beside it, treat the screen as its own job. Clean the tempered glass with warm soapy water and a lint-free cloth after use, and never use alcohol, petroleum liquids or chemical cleaners on the screen, and never anything gritty. The rubbing alcohol that is right for the door seal is wrong for the screen. While you clean, check that the rubber gasket along the bottom is angled inward toward the tub and brushes the deck lightly and evenly, because that gasket is the seal. What Is the 4-Fold Shower Screen on a Walk-In Tub? covers the gasket, the 3-fold conversion and what to photograph if water shows up at the bottom.

Keeping Hair and Bath Products Out of the Drains and Jets

Hair is what collects on the pump inlet cover and in the drain openings, so the easiest way to reduce cleaning is to catch it. The team suggests a silicone pop-up drain protector from a hardware store for the drains. On a soaking tub, bath salts and oils simply rinse away with the drain, because there are no jet lines for them to collect in. On a jetted tub, skip bath bombs, oils and beads, which are carried into the jets and can damage the pump system and are a common reason flakes or residue appear from the jets. The vinegar flush is what clears the lines, so if you have used bath products, keep the monthly flush on schedule or run one right away.

Before a Trip or a Seasonal Shutdown

Before you leave the tub unused for a while, run the flush, drain and dry the tub, and leave the door open so the seal is not compressed. The Printable Vacation and Seasonal Shutdown Checklist lists the steps.

What a Soaking Tub Needs

A soaker has no jets, pumps, in-line heater, ozone or Auto Purge, and it is molded without jet openings, so its care comes down to the acrylic, the door seal and the drain. There is no monthly vinegar flush. Clean the shell with approved non-abrasive cleaners, wipe the door and seal as described above, and keep the door open when the tub is not in use. Most models can be ordered as a soaker, including the Elite, Petite and Royal, the Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile and Lounger, the whole Transfer family and both LayDown sizes.

When Cleaning Does Not Fix It

If the jets are still weak after the inlet cover is clean and a vinegar flush has been run, the problem has moved past cleaning. Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with your serial number, a photo of the inlet cover, a short video of the jets running and a note on when the last flush was done. Ella does not send technicians; parts ship under the warranty and a local licensed plumber or electrician does the labor.

Watch: Walk-In Tubs Featuring Three Speed Air Massage & Auto-Purge Technology | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Which cleaners are safe for my walk-in tub, and which chemicals should I avoid?
• Before Your First Bath: The Initial Vinegar Flush and First-Use Checklist
• Black Flakes, Brown Slime, or Debris Coming From the Jets: Cleaning Steps That Work
• Is Bubble Bath, Bath Bombs or Bath Oil OK in a Jetted Walk-In Tub? What the Jets Can and Cannot Handle
• Why Do Black Flakes or Slime Come Out of My Tub Jets?
• Printable Monthly Maintenance Checklist for a Walk-In Tub

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