The 22 Best Hot Tub Supplies You Need in 2025
Do you have everything you need to take care of your hot tub? It takes a lot more than just chemicals to keep your spa clean and running smoothly. Here are the best hot tub supplies that every owner should have in their home. 👇
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This is a list of must-have supplies I personally use to maintain a hot tub or swim spa (Jacuzzi). Some items here you probably didn’t even know you needed but have been lifesavers. I divided the list into two groups: chemicals and cleaning supplies.
However, if you want some extras, check out my list of the best hot tub accessories.
Hot Tub Chemicals
First, let’s start with all the hot tub chemicals you should have on hand. I recommend keeping a healthy supply of these spa chemicals stored in a large plastic container near your hot tub for quick and easy access.
1. Water Test Strips
These are essential for regularly checking your pH, free chlorine or bromine levels, alkalinity, and calcium hardness. I recommend test strips over liquid or digital test kits because they’re fast, cheap, and foolproof.
Tests for 7 important chemistries in seconds: Total Hardness, Total Chlorine, Total Bromine, Free Chlorine, pH, Total Alkalinity, and Cyanuric Acid.
However, test strips can be less accurate than a liquid or digital test kit for measuring your water chemistry. That said, I’m not worried about accuracy as much. As long as you can get a decent reading of the ideal ranges, you should be fine.
2. Chlorine or Bromine
Chlorine or bromine is commonly used to keep the water clean and free from bacteria and algae. For chlorine, you want the reading to be between 1 ppm and 3 ppm (parts per million). For bromine, between 3 ppm and 5 ppm.
I recommend using chlorine (or bromine) granular with a mineral cartridge so you can keep your readings a bit lower (0.5 ppm to 1 ppm). A mineral cartridge goes inside the filter well and needs to be replaced when you drain and clean your hot tub every 3-4 months
Reduce the amount of chlorine (0.5ppm) you use in your hot tub by adding this mineral sanitizer to your filter system and let the power of minerals sanitize your water.
I also recommend using bromine or chlorine granules (powder) instead of chlorine or bromine tablets in a floater. It’s much easier to control the dosage and add it. Having a floater in the tub gets in the way and could add too much sanitizer to the spa water.
3. Spa Shock Treatments
Non-chlorine or chlorine-based shock treatments help break down organic waste and restore sanitizer effectiveness. I recommend always having non-chlorine shock (oxidizer) on hand. This will work for chlorine, bromine, and saltwater hot tubs.
Also known as oxidizer, non-chlorine hot tub shock helps revitalize your chlorine or bromine so it can actively sanitize your water. Use an oxidizer at least once a week but ideally after each hot tub soak to keep your water sanitized.
You can also use chlorine shock for bromine and saltwater hot tubs.
Note: If you use a biguanide sanitizer (Soft Swim or BaquaSpa), you’ll need a shock designed explicitly for that chemical system.
If you want to learn more about shock, check out this article on shocking your hot tub the right way.
4. pH Increaser and Decreaser
Adjust the water’s pH level, ensuring it remains in the ideal range for comfort and equipment protection. Keeping your pH between 7.2 and 7.8 will also make your sanitizer (chlorine or bromine) more effective.
You should have both a pH Increaser and a pH Decreaser on hand. These small bottles should last you a while.
If you need more information about pH, check out these guides:
5. Alkalinity Increaser
Maintaining the total alkalinity of the water helps stabilize the pH levels. The ideal range of alkalinity should be between 80 ppm and 120 ppm (parts per million).
I recommend using an Alkalinity Increaser specifically designed for hot tubs.
Increase your hot tub total alkalinity with alkalinity increaser. Low alkalinity affects your pH and can stain and damage your hot tub surfaces and equipment.
Money-Saving Tip: You can also use baking soda to raise the alkalinity in your hot tub. However, make sure the active ingredient is sodium bicarbonate and that there are no additives.
If you need more information about alkalinity, check out these guides:
6. Water Clarifier
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Our once-a-week treatment combines hot tub cleaner, conditioner, and water clarifier to give your hot tub water a soft & silky feel. Plus sparkling clean water!
This chemical is optional. But if you have issues with cloudy water, it might be just the thing.
7. Anti-Foam (Defoamer)
To quickly eliminate surface foam, which lotions, detergents, or excessive organic material in the water can cause. This should only be used to remove foam temporarily. (You can also use the shop vac, which I recommend later in this article.)
A quick relief to reduce foam in your hot tub. But not a complete remedy.
If you have a chronic issue with foaming, check out this article on getting rid of hot tub foam for good.
Hot Tub Cleaning Supplies
Now, let me break down the essential cleaning supplies every hot tub owner needs. I’ve also included some interesting items you might not expect.
8. Filter Cleaner
You should clean your hot tub filters with a powerful cleaning solution once every 3-4 months. This will help prevent cloudy and foamy water.
Soak your hot tub filters in this deep-cleaning solution, rinse with water, and your filters will look brand new in 24 hours!
It’s a soaking chemical rather than a spray. The spray cleaner is more work and doesn’t get the hard-to-reach places between all the filter pleats. Soaking it in a deep cleaner is a better option and less work on your part.
Keep Another Set of Hot Tub Filters for Backup
While you soak your filters in a cleaning solution, have an extra set of filters on hand to replace in your hot tub. Keep rotating them. This will ensure your hot tub always has clean filters ready to go. And they’ll last longer too.
9. Scum Remover
No matter what, scum will eventually form on the water surface. This scum comes from our bodies soaking in hot water. It’s a good idea to keep a Scum sponge in the water to prevent it.
It effectively traps scum and absorbs body oils, to help with water clarity and enhancing your hot tub experience.
Money Saving Tip: You can also use tennis balls in your hot tub to absorb scum. Just toss in a few. When they’re done, you can rinse them off and use them for their intended purpose.
10. Line Flush Cleaner
At Swim University, we recommend draining and cleaning your hot tub every 3-4 months for a number of reasons you can learn about here. And each time you do that, you should purge your plumbing of any gunk with a
It’s available in our high-quality hot tub cleaning kit, which also includes a
Our hot tub kit makes taking care of your water easy. It includes Hot Tub Weekly Cleanse, Detox, and Filter Cleanse to use every 3-4 months for deep cleaning.
11. Spa Cover Cleaner and Protectant
You should clean and protect the hot tub cover from the elements and UV damage at least once a month. Here’s the hot tub cover cleaner and UV protectant I recommend.
303 Marine Multi-Surface Cleaner is perfect for cleaning hot tubs. It cleans and brightens water-safe surfaces, rinses residue-free. Spray, wipe/rinse, and repeat if necessary.
12. Hose and Nozzle
You might already have a garden hose and nozzle for filling, topping off, or draining the hot tub and rinsing off filters. But I wanted to give you my favorites for cleaning a hot tub and why I love them so much.
My favorite hose is this one. I use it all the time, and it never kinks up on me.
This garden hose features all-weather flexibility and an abrasion-resistant outer cover with crush-resistant anodized aircraft aluminum fittings, making it extremely durable.
My favorite nozzle is one that’s generally used for industrial purposes. It’s not cheap, but it’ll really clean your filters and the inside of your hot tub. Plus, the grip and trigger are much easier on your hands.
This hose nozzle is made from premium zinc alloy, robust, and much stronger than plastic water nozzles. This spray nozzle also has a high-quality anodized finish to prevent rust, corrosion, and wear.
13. Hose Filter
Whenever you have to refill your hot tub, you should always use a hose filter. This will remove a lot of the metals and minerals in your tap water, so you start with the cleanest water.
You can attach it to the end of your garden hose and place it inside your filter well when you fill up the hot tub.
Fill your pool or hot tub with this hose filter that'll filter your water so you can have a fresh start with water chemistry.
14. Sump Pump
When you drain your hot tub, you can use the built-in drain plug. But it’s much faster to use a sump pump. I recommend this one because it’s quick and easy to use.
High-efficiency submersible water pump with 1/3HP power motor discharges up 2450 Gallon Per Hour (40.8 gallons per minute) and has a maximum lift capacity of 28 feet, easily tackling any draining job at a fraction of the time.
15. Portable Wet Vacuum
This is a fun, optional piece of gear that everyone should own. This little handheld battery-powered shop vac is great for sucking the foam off your hot tub surface and getting any leftover water or debris out of your tub when you drain and clean it.
This cordless vacuum includes an easily washable HEPA filter, heavy-duty, 5-foot hose, on-board storage, and it's easy to transport.
I own one of these but never thought to use it to get rid of hot tub foam. I gotta thank the Hot Tub Lady for that idea!
16. Scrub Daddy
You need a soft sponge or brush that won’t scratch the surfaces of your hot tub. That’s why the original Scrub Daddy sponge is my personal favorite. It’s a hard sponge that’ll remove calcium deposits. But when you dip it in the warm hot tub water, it’ll soften to clean the scum around the water line.
And according to Clean HQ, you can use it on the jets. They claim, “…if you have jets in your bathtub, you can use your Scrub Daddy on them as well.”
Experience versatile cleaning with this temperature-controlled scrubber. It's firm in cold water for tough messes and soft in warm for gentle cleaning. Safe on over a dozen surfaces, including glass and stainless steel, it's scratch-free and ideal for everything from dishes to cars.
17. Bucket
You will always need a handy bucket for mixing cleaning solutions or for soaking small parts and filters. Plus, you can use this bucket for storage. The Yeti bucket is the best bucket I’ve ever used. Hands down!
I use cheap buckets all the time, and they always hurt my hands and get scratched. The Yeti bucket is expensive, but it’s one of the best investments you’ll ever make. Trust me on this one. Buy it once and own it for life. I use mine for anything and everything.
A 5-gallon bucket is very handy to have for mixing chemicals, soaking filters, or testing for leaks.
18. Chemical-Resistant Gloves
Use these to protect your hands from chemicals and dirt during cleaning. Here are the ones I use for everyday cleaning.
When dealing with pool or hot tub chemicals, you need good gloves to provide you with the good hand protection.
19. Skimmer Net
Every once in a while, you may need to skim the surface of the water to remove leaves, bugs, and other floating debris. I recommend getting a cheap pool skimmer to keep near your hot tub.
This lightweight pool skimmer net is perfect for effortlessly cleaning leaves and ultrafine debris from pools and spas.
20. Spa Vacuum
A handheld vacuum to remove debris from the bottom of the hot tub. This one is a simple design made by Polaris (who also makes my favorite pressure-side automatic pool cleaners).
It’s a long wand that sucks debris into a filter inside the rod with a manual pulling and pushing action. And because it’s not battery-powered, it’s more affordable, easier to use, and works every time you need to use it to spot-clean the bottle of the hot tub.
This simple spa vacuum utilizes a simple siphon action to remove dirt and debris from your spa. No pumping, no batteries, and no water hook-up are required.
Check out our guide on the best hot tub vacuums.
BONUS: Emergency Hot Tub Supplies
Sometimes, things can go wrong with your hot tub. And it’s better to be prepared than sorry. Here are a few optional supplies to keep on hand.
21. Hot Tub Leak Sealant
Even if you take great care of your spa, you may still get a hot tub leak. The key to keeping a small leak from turning into a big problem is to seal it up as soon as possible.
This effective sealant works within 24 hours to quickly address minor leaks, offering a simple and rapid fix without the need for draining.
So keep some hot tub leak sealant on hand for emergencies.
22. Filler And Sandpaper
If you notice cracks or scratches in your hot tub shell, you can fill them in and buff them out yourself. Shells are usually made of acrylic, vinyl, or rotomolded plastic, so you’ll need to buy a filler that matches your spa.
Be sure to use fine-grit sandpaper when you buff it out. Remember, you want to smooth it out, not create a bunch of new scratches.
This value pack includes 6 versatile sponges, ideal for general-purpose sanding tasks. Designed for use on a variety of surfaces, these sponges easily conform to your specific sanding needs and are specially crafted to resist clogging.
3 More Ways We Can Help With Your Hot Tub
- Hot Tub Cheat Sheets (Free):Â Easy-to-use guides to help you keep your hot tub water balanced and sanitized.
- The Hot Tub Handbook:Â An illustrated guide to DIY hot tub care, including water chemistry, maintenance, troubleshooting, and more.
- The Hot Tub Care Course. You’ll get step-by-step videos and a step-by-step downloadable guide with everything you need to know about hot tub maintenance.
