What should I use to clean the acrylic surface of a walk-in tub?

Use a non-abrasive cleaner and a soft, non-abrasive cloth on the acrylic surface of an Ella walk-in tub, and wipe it down about twice a month. Dawn dish detergent is an approved cleaner, abrasive cleansers damage the surface, and bleach is not part of Ella's instructions. The surface wipe is one line in the routine laid out in How Do I Clean and Maintain My Walk-In Tub?. This page takes the surface on its own: what to put on the acrylic, what to keep off it, how the door, seal, glass and chrome differ, and why a clean shell is only half of a clean tub.

What to Use on the Acrylic

The published guidance for the tub shell is short and consistent across the manuals, the videos and the support pages:

• A non-abrasive cleaner. Dawn dish detergent is named as an approved cleaner. Ella also publishes an approved cleaner list, and any product from that list is safe on the shell.
• A soft cloth or non-abrasive towel. The published routine pairs the cleaner with a non-abrasive towel because the towel protects the finish as much as the cleaner does.
• About twice a month. That is the published rhythm for the surface wipe, and the printable checklist adds a wipe after salt soaks.

The cleaning and maintenance video on this page demonstrates the wipe with a non-abrasive cleaner and explains that these products clean but do not harm the surface of the tub. It also shows cleaning around the intake screen. The vinegar amount and run time the video gives for the monthly flush differ from the current published recipe, so use the recipe lower on this page for the jet lines.

What to Keep Off the Surface

• Abrasive cleansers and scouring products. The video is explicit that abrasive cleansers will damage the surface of the tub. If a product scours, it does not belong on the acrylic.
• Bleach. Bleach is not part of Ella's instructions, and no bleach-based product has a published verdict for the tub.
• Alcohol, petroleum products and strong chemicals on glass enclosures. The checklist keeps these off shower screens and enclosures. Rubbing alcohol is reserved for the silicone door seal, covered below.
• Bath bombs, oils and beads. These are a jet line problem rather than a surface problem. They are carried into the jet lines, can damage the pump system, and come back as black flakes or slime from the jets. Keeping them out of the water is the easiest way to keep both the shell and the lines clean.

To keep hair away from the drains, the team suggests a silicone pop-up drain protector from a hardware store.

Door, Seal, Glass and Chrome

Not every surface on the tub takes the same cleaner, and the differences are worth knowing before you reach for one bottle for everything.

• Door frame and glass. Wipe with a mild, non-abrasive cleaner, the same class of product you use on the shell. On inward doors, wipe the gasket and the inner frame as well.
• The silicone door seal. Clean it with rubbing alcohol or a common household cleaner. Wipe it monthly and whenever you see grit on it. If a section looks deformed, squeeze it gently with your fingertips and pull it away from the frame, and leave the door open when the tub is not in use.
• Glass shower screens. Soap and water only.
• Chrome. The chrome gets the same gentle wipe as the surfaces and glass, about twice a month and after salt soaks.
• The pump inlet cover. This is the suction grate inside the tub where the hydro pump draws water in. Once a month, clear hair and debris from it and wipe it with a non-abrasive towel and an approved cleaner such as Dawn. Buildup here is a common reason for weak jets.

Why the Shell Is Only Half the Job

A spotless acrylic surface says nothing about the jet lines behind it. The air and hydro systems on an Ella tub are fully plumbed, so whatever is in the bath water can travel through them. Those lines are cleaned by the vinegar flush, not by the surface wipe. The recipe is the same on every Ella model, including microbubble tubs, and it does not call for a particular water temperature:

1. Fill the tub with water to 1 inch above the highest jets. Never run a pump with water below the jets.
2. Mix 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water and add it to the tub.
3. Run the tub for 10 minutes so the solution circulates through every jet line.
4. Drain completely and rinse the shell.

Run it once before the first bath and once a month after that. It is not needed after every bath, because between flushes the tub keeps itself clean: ozone sterilization runs whenever the hydro jets are on, and Auto Purge clears residual water from the air lines after the air massage is shut off. What Is the Vinegar Flush on a Walk-In Tub? explains how the flush works, and How Do I Clean the Jet Lines on My Walk-In Tub? covers what to check when flakes or slime still appear. If you would rather use a store-bought product in the lines, the one with a published verdict is Nutra-Max, which Ella's technical support has confirmed is safe in an Ella tub, as Can I Use a Store-Bought Jetted Tub Cleaner Instead of Vinegar? explains. No other jetted tub cleaner has one.

A Schedule You Can Keep

• About twice a month: wipe the acrylic, glass and chrome with a non-abrasive cleaner and a soft cloth, and again after a salt soak.
• Once a month: run the vinegar flush, clear the pump inlet cover, and wipe the door seal and frame.
• Whenever you see it: grit on the seal, hair on the drains, or anything coming from the jets.

The Printable Monthly Maintenance Checklist for a Walk-In Tub puts these on one page, along with the GFCI test and the TCV filter check for tubs that have them. If the surface or the jets are not responding to the routine described here, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with your serial number and a photo of what you are seeing.

Watch: Walk-In Tub Cleaning and Maintenance Guide | 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?
• How to Remove Water Spots and Stains From the Chrome Jet Trim
• What Is the Best Way to Clean an Acrylic Bathtub Safely?

Common Questions