Much like having a pool, owning a hot tub can be a great luxury—but it also comes along with quite a bit of work. Keeping the chemicals perfectly balanced in your hot tub, as well as following other general care and maintenance musts, can be time-consuming and costly. The good news is that there are a few hacks that can make your life easier while keeping your hot tub in tip-top shape.

Drop a Couple Tennis Balls

When guests enter your hot tub without first rinsing off, they're introducing all kinds of chemicals from lotions, hairsprays, makeup, and other products that can throw off your hot tub's delicate balance. You can help to counteract some of this by dropping a couple of fresh tennis balls in your pool; these can help to soak up some of those unwanted chemicals and keep your water cleaner. Just be sure to swap them out regularly for the best results.

Soak Your Filter Regularly

While changing your filter cartridges every few months is a must, you can optimize your hot tub filter's performance between replacements by taking the time to soak and thoroughly clean them. You can easily make your own filter cleaner using a bit of dish soap and warm water—or there are store-bought options available. Soak and scrub your filter cartridges once every few weeks to keep them functioning best.

Wipe Your Cover Clean

Putting a cover on your hot tub while it's not in use can help protect the water from being contaminated by outside elements. However, your cover can get dirty over time and become prone to mold and mildew growth. Take time to clean your hot tub cover at leas once a month using a bleach solution of one part bleach to nine parts water. From there, spray the solution onto the cover, let it sit a few minutes, and rinse with warm water.

Invest in a Hose Filter

When filling your hot tub, fill it with the cleanest water possible by attaching a filter to your garden hose. If you can't find one of those, you can also fill your hot tub by running your hose water through the hot tub's filter instead of placing the hose directly into the hot tub itself.

Caring for your hot tub does take a bit of work, but with these aforementioned hacks, you can save yourself a little time and hassle.