How-To Guides | Spa Decontamination Procedure

Guide: Spa Cover Cleaning & Care

Spa covers are an investment in your hot tub, and like any investment, you want to protect it. This guide offers maintenance tips that can save you money and maximize the lifespan of your hot tub cover.

weathershield & vinyl spa cover cleaning

Cleaning & Maintenance

Pollen, leaves, dust and other debris not only makes for an unsightly spa cover, they can be a foothold for mildew, moss & other damage. Extend the life and preserve the beauty of your cover with regular preventative care:

Rinse with cool water using a garden hose
Spray with a gentle, pH neutral & non-foaming cleaner
Clean gently with a non-abrasive sponge
Rinse again thoroughly & allow to dry
Repeat monthly

Never use laundry or other detergents, abrasives, bleach, alcohols, dish soap or harsh cleaners. These products remove some of the topcoat protectant, stripping fabric of its water repellency and dulling vinyl.

Stubborn Dirt or Stains

Occasionally covers require more than a gentle clean. Instead of using products that can damage your cover, do this:

For stubborn dirt, allow a gentle cleaner to soak for a few minutes before wiping
Carefully loosen moss or mold growing on the seams or zipper with a scrubbing sponge
Remove sticky tree sap with vegetable oil or margarine
Open the zipper to clean mold inside the cover jacket

Protect

With the cover now clean, applying a protectant significantly enhances its longevity.

The only products we recommend for this are 303 Aerospace Protectants. 303 acts as a sunscreen and water repellant, protecting the cover from harsh UV rays and moisture.

Protecting Fabric:

Spray 303 Fabric Guard protectant onto clean, dry fabric until evenly wet
Allow 12-24 hours for protectant to cure
Treat monthly in summer, bimonthly the rest of the year

Protecting Vinyl:

Spray a light coating of 303 Vinyl Protectant to the underside of clean, dry cover
Spread evenly with a damp cloth or a sponge
Repeat on top and skirt of cover
Treat monthly in summer, bimonthly the rest of the year

Our kits for WeatherShield Fabric and Vinyl spa covers come with everything you need to clean and protect your spa cover.

Spa Cover Troubleshooting & Repair Basics

Mold/Mildew Inside Jacket

Chasing a hot tub odor you just can’t seem to shake? Mold or mildew inside the spa cover jacket is the usual culprit. Here’s how to get back to a healthy spa cover:

Unzip the jacket and carefully remove the insulating cores
Flip the jacket inside out and gently scrub with gentle cleaner & scrubbing sponge
Gently clean and scrub insulating cores, noting any punctures or snags for repair
Rinse inner jacket and insulating core surfaces with cool water
Air dry jacket in direct sunlight for 1-2 hours
Air dry insulating cores in a shaded area (prolonged direct sunlight will damage cores)
Carefully reinstall insulating cores into jacket

Note: Mildew inside the insulating core vapor barrier requires complete cover replacement.

Water Intrusion

Some water droplets inside the insulating core vapor barrier aren’t cause for concern. Larger water accumulations, however, are indicative of a punctured or torn vapor barrier, and require attention before the insulating core becomes waterlogged.

If your core vapor barrier has water accumulation, unzip the jacket and remove the insulating cores for inspection. Note any punctures or tears in the vapor barrier for repair.

Note: Heavy, waterlogged covers aren’t possible to save and require spa cover replacement.

Removing Accumulated Water:

Drain as much water as possible from the entry points by tipping the core and allowing gravity to draw the water out
If draining water from the entry point isn’t possible, carefully cut a small slit in the vapor barrier at one of the corners, then set the cover on edge & allow water to drain

Don’t worry if you can’t get all the water out, if you can get most of it out you’ll be in good shape.

Fixing Vapor Barrier Leaks

Spa Bond Patch Kits are the ideal solution for sealing insulating core vapor barriers. Make sure the plastic is clean and dry around your repair so the patch will adhere properly.

Jacket Rip/Tear Repair

Tears or punctures in the spa cover jacket don’t always justify ordering a brand new cover, but it’s important to address these problems to avoid further damage. With a Spa Bond Patch Kit, these repairs are fast and easy on both fabric and vinyl spa covers:

Clean the area around the tear of dirt or residue
Trim patch to desired size - about 1” beyond all edges of the tear
Apply patch, rubbing all edges to seal, then aggressively rub entire patch to completely bond the patch to the surface

Note: For extra reinforcement, remove the insulating cores and repeat this process inside the jacket.

Strap Latch Repair/Replacement

Over time, strap latches/buckles become brittle and can break, even with normal use. Easily replace broken cover latches with Sure-Lock Spa Cover Latches.

Tips To Extend the Life of Your Spa Cover

Protecting the Insulating Core

Spa cover cores are easily damaged or broken if abused. Follow these rules to keep your cores in good shape:

Never allow children or animals on the spa cover
Never sit or walk on a spa cover
Keep glass & other objects off of the cover - items on the cover (even window glare) can magnify sunlight and melt the core
Remove & inspect a heavier than expected core immediately - it may be savable

Avoiding Jacket Damage

Keeping your spa cover duct-tape free and looking like new is a snap:

Use a high quality Spa Cover Lifter to reduce stress on the seams & keep the cover off the ground
Use handles only for opening and closing the cover - NEVER lift or pull the cover by the skirt
Never drag the cover on the ground
Maintain proper water balance & sanitizer levels
Remove the cover completely when adding chemicals & leave it off for half an hour after
Use a floating Spa Blanket to protect the jacket from spa chemicals in evaporating water

Weather Protection

Spa covers hold up well to wind, rain, and snow, but an extra ounce of prevention will help your cover go the distance.

Snow

Fact: a single cubic foot of snow weighs about 30 pounds. That means an 8’x8’ spa cover with just 3” accumulation is supporting an extra 500 pounds - even more with wet snow or ice!

That kind of weight can easily damage or break an insulating core, leaving you out in the cold. Save yourself (and the cover) this trouble by gently removing accumulated snow. A push broom works great!

Rain

Rain doesn’t generally cause any issues, but it’s important to understand that covers aren’t rainproof. In periods of heavy rain, water can pass through jacket seams, around the insulating core, and finally, through weep-holes in the underside of the cover.

After heavy rain storms, check the water level of your spa and adjust it if needed.

Wind

Unsecured hot tub covers can lift off of the spa or fly away, even in moderate wind. Always securely attach and lock the tie down straps after using the spa.

We've Got You Covered

If you’re dealing with a waterlogged, heavy, inefficient spa cover, cut your losses and replace it! A well crafted DuraTherm spa cover with WeatherShield NextGen outdoor fabric is the perfect solution! Beautiful, lightweight, and durable, our custom made spa covers will stand the test of time.

Highest quality cover

I purchased this cover in 2020. I chose the highest quality material. This past summer, it started "taking on water". I knew it was going to need replaced soon, but I thought I might make it through the winter. Last week, I opened it and it tore the screws from the lift right out of the side of my hottub. So much for the lighter material. I feel like I should get more than 3.5 years out of a cover. I got 5 years out of the manufacturer's cover.

4 years before falling apart

I’ve been very happy with the cover up until the four year mark, at which time the fabric started ripping and the seams falling apart. The tub is not sheltered at all, and I live in New England, so the cover did endure some abuse from the elements, but I expected that with a little duck tape I could squeeze at least five years out of it, but no way. The cover is falling apart in every way - the seams, the fabric, you name it. For $500 (2019 prices), I expected more life than I got.

Never buy from here

I bought a cover from here and bought all the extras for it. Double wrap and all. The top is all wrinkled and bumpy and after contacting the company. They tell me the top is manufactured in Mexico and I am suppose to pay for shipping to replace the inside panels. I already paid for a new top. It's not my fault you hire people that don't do the job right. Let alone from another country, I'm not paying for training. Never never never buy anything again from here. I will just live with a lumpy top and a lesson well learned

My opinion after 76 days of use

I have only had my new DuraTherm cover for 76 days, so cannot attest to what its longevity will be, but here are my thoughts thus far.

I have owned three spas along with about five or six covers over a period of more than 25 years. I live on the WA coast, so my spas are subjected to some pretty harsh weather. My spa is under a roof on a deck, so somewhat protected, although the rain has no problem blowing in sideways here.

Initially I am quite pleased with my new DuraTherm cover and also the WeatherShield fabric it is made of. My covers have all been made of the traditional vinyl up until now, so this is quite a change. I really like the look of the fabric over the vinyl as it gives the spa a much more upscale look. The cover appears to be well-constructed with good quality materials. The sewing is done in a professional and neat manner. The thing I would like to see changed would be for the skirt to be somehow made to be more weighted and heavy-duty. The skirt is basically decorative in my opinion and just blows open at the slits in the big winds we get here. On my last vinyl cover, I had the option of ordering a continuous skirt over one with slits, and I felt this gave the cover a higher degree of insulation around the edge as it fit the spa well and kept the wind from affecting the spa shell-to-cover junction. I understand that a well-fitting cover should seal this space adequately, but the addition of the continuous skirt I had before gave me great peace of mind that the cover was sealing itself to the spa in the best way possible.

Also, my new DuraTherm cover came with four labels sewn into the seam on one end of the cover. (See photos) The labels are all white, while the cover is coffee brown. I personally do not like this look at all and feel it cheapens the overall look of the cover quite a bit. I don't believe any of the other covers I've owned have had even one label displayed in such a manner on the cover. Worst of all, the label that is under the "Risk of Drowning" label is a paper sticker adhered to a non-stick paper base. It says on it: "Warranty Voided if Removed." As you can see in the photo, it is already starting to curl and deteriorate, so not sure how this will look in a year or two. The one label that can void the warranty if destroyed is made of paper! My point is that this flurry of white labels on my beautiful new coffee cover is very detracting. If a label is truly necessary, like perhaps the drowning risk label, why not have it sewn on the inside of the skirt or somewhere else out of view. If it weren't for these labels, this would be a 5-star review.

It's too soon to say how I will like this cover over time. If there are any negatives to add, I will update my review in the future. I am hoping that my over $800 investment will turn out to have been a wise one. So far, so good.

I would like to add that the staff at SpaDepot was very helpful and easy to work with.

High quality cover

My hot tub retains heat significantly better with this cover compared to the old cover I was using previously. I am using the metallic heat shield.