Can I Use a Store-Bought Jetted Tub Cleaner Instead of Vinegar?

Yes, with one confirmed product. Ella's technical support has confirmed that Nutra-Max, a cleaner made for jetted tubs, is safe for an Ella walk-in tub and can be used to cleanse and disinfect the hydro massage system in place of the vinegar and water mixture, and it will not harm the tub. Vinegar remains the standard routine explained in What Is the Vinegar Flush on a Walk-In Tub?, bleach is not part of Ella's instructions, and no other store-bought jetted tub cleaner has a published verdict.

What Ella Has Confirmed, and What It Has Not

The published cleaning routine for an Ella walk-in tub is built around plain white vinegar, and that is the only line cleaner the manuals and support pages describe. The one exception on record is Nutra-Max. Ella's technical support has confirmed that this jetted tub cleaner is safe in an Ella tub and can stand in for the vinegar and water mixture when you cleanse and disinfect the hydro massage system. That is the whole of the confirmation: it names one product, it says the product will not harm the tub, and it does not change the schedule of one flush before the first bath and one flush a month after that.

Two things have not been confirmed. Bleach is not part of Ella's instructions for the jet lines, so a bleach-based jetted tub cleaner is not covered by anything Ella has published. And the confirmation covers Nutra-Max by name, not the whole category of jetted tub cleaners on a hardware store shelf. If you have a different product in hand, keep it out of the tub until you have checked it with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or opened a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with the product name and your serial number.

The Routine the Cleaner Is Standing in for

Any substitute has to do the job the vinegar flush does, so it helps to know exactly what that job is. The flush is 2 cups of white vinegar mixed with 2 cups of water, added to a tub filled with water to 1 inch above the highest jets, run for 10 minutes and then drained. It is run once before the first bath and once a month after that, and the recipe is the same on every Ella model, including microbubble tubs. It does not call for a particular water temperature, so fill the tub the way you would for a normal bath.

The vinegar does two things in the lines. It helps prevent mineral deposits and calcification, and it loosens the soap and oil residue that collects when bath products get into the plumbing. That residue is what eventually shows up as black flakes or slime from the jets, and it is usually left behind by bath bombs, oils and salts. Filling to 1 inch above the highest jets is what makes the flush reach every line, because it submerges every jet opening so that no line is left dry while the systems run. The How To Clean Your Walk-In Tub video on this page shows the initial cleanout: the tub is filled to about an inch over the highest jets, white vinegar goes into the water, the jets are run and the tub is fully drained. For the amounts and the run time, use the published recipe above.

Because the air and hydro systems are fully plumbed and self clearing, you do not flush after every bath. Between flushes the ozone generator sanitizes the hydro lines whenever the hydro pump runs, and the air system's Auto Purge starts on its own 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 starts while you are still in the tub. Does the Monthly Vinegar Flush Clean the Air Massage Lines Too? explains how a single flush covers both systems.

Cleaning Products Side by Side

What the table means for you: there are two things Ella has put in writing for the jet lines, vinegar and Nutra-Max, and everything else is either a surface cleaner, an unlisted product or something to keep out of the water. A store-bought cleaner is a substitute for the vinegar on flush day, never a reason to flush less often, and it does not replace the twice-monthly wipe of the acrylic or the monthly check of the pump inlet cover.

Running the Flush with a Substitute Cleaner

1. Fill the tub with water until it sits 1 inch above the highest jets, the same level as the vinegar flush, so every jet opening is submerged.
2. Add the cleaner. Ella's confirmation does not publish an amount for Nutra-Max, so use the amount the product's own directions call for. It replaces the vinegar mixture rather than being added on top of it.
3. Run the tub for the full 10 minutes with the systems on so the solution circulates through every line before it goes down the drain.
4. Drain completely.
5. In the same session, clear hair and debris from the pump inlet cover and wipe it with a non-abrasive towel and an approved cleaner such as Dawn dish detergent.

Keep the substitute to the flush itself. Ella's confirmation is about cleansing and disinfecting the hydro massage system, so it does not turn a jetted tub cleaner into a surface product. The acrylic shell is still wiped about twice a month with a non-abrasive cleaner, because abrasive cleansers will damage the surface of the tub. The whole schedule is laid out in How Do I Clean and Maintain My Walk-In Tub?.

What a Store-Bought Cleaner Will Not Fix

Changing products does not solve the problems that usually get blamed on the vinegar. If the jets are weak, the first check is the pump inlet cover, the suction grate where the hydro pump draws water in, because buildup on it is a common reason for weak jets. If flakes or slime keep appearing, the usual cause is a flush that did not match the published recipe, with too little vinegar or too short a run, or bath bombs, oils and beads that were carried into the jet lines. The fix is a flush done exactly as written, repeated if needed, and keeping those products out of the water. How Do I Clean the Jet Lines on My Walk-In Tub? walks through the checks in order. If the jets stay weak after the cover is clean and a correct flush has run, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your serial number, a photo of what is coming from the jets and a note on which bath products have been used, or call (800) 480-6850.

Watch: How To Clean Your Walk-In Tub | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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