How to Get Sand Out of Your Hot Tub | 5 easy ways

Nothing bursts your bubble like the feeling of sand grinding against your feet when trying to take a relaxing dip in your hot tub after a whole day’s work. And to make things worse, removing sand and other debris from your tub can be quite challenging.

So, do you want to know how to get sand out of a hot tub?

There are various methods that you can use to clean sand from your hot tub ranging from using a garden hose siphon, spa wand, or a pool vacuum.

But, how do each of these actually work?

Let’s find out…

How to Remove Sand from A Hot Tub

Though these tips will help you tackle the annoying sand problem in your hot tub, you’ll agree that not everyone always looks forward to cleaning their hot tubs every week.

That said, the best thing to do is prevent sand entry into your pool in the first place. (I’ll shed more light on this below.)

Anywho, some of the best ways that I recommend for getting sand out of your hot tub include:

1. Siphon Using a Garden Hose

Siphoning dirt out of your pool is one of the easiest processes that you can ever use. It’s pretty straightforward, quick, and easy to set up and perform.

You’ll only need to get a puncture-free garden hose and a collecting bin where you’ll channel all the sucked-up water into. You can as well just direct the pool water onto your lawn and do away with the collecting bin altogether.

To do this:

1. Attach some weight on one end of the hose to stop it from floating around and dip it inside the hot tub.
2. Suck on the hose’s other end and place it inside a collecting bin or a bucket that will hold the water set to come in.
3. Ensure that you put the collecting bin at a lower altitude than that of the base of your hot tub to allow gravity to work properly.
4. Water will start flowing out of the pool and into your lawn or collecting bin. Slowly direct the hose’s mouth to areas with concentrations of sand to clean it as you move.

Note: This process uses up a lot of water so you have to hurry up to avoid wasting much of it if you don’t intend to drain-clean your pull just yet.

Also, if you’re afraid of dirty water getting into your mouth, then you could use a spa wand instead. It’s an awesome siphoning tool that works with little effort from your side and does not waste water during the process.  

This video will give you a clearer picture of what I am talking about.

2. Connect A Pool Vacuum

If your tub sits close to your pool, then you can also always channel the pool’s vacuum to your tub to get rid of the sand and dirt.

To do it:

1. Plug the pool hose into your tub’s skimmer port.
2. Turn the valve to “waste” to prevent the sand from floating into your pool.
3. With the other end of the hose dipped in the hot tub, turn on the pump.
4. Move the hose through every inch of the tub’s bottom to get all the sand that’s lodged at the base.

Hint:  You also need to work fast here to prevent water wastage as the pump will be sucking water at a very high speed.

3. Use Silly Putty

Silly putty gives you a chance to relive your childhood and clean your hot tub at the same time. This is also a great way to get the kids to do the work for you! 

The putties are waterproof so you don’t have to worry about them breaking down.

To use the putties:

1. Take one out of the pack and mold it into a preferred shape using your hands. I’d suggest you go for flat and broad to give you a bigger cleaning surface area.
2. Take the molded putty and place it above the settled sand in your tub.
3. Gently press the Silly Putty against the sand grains to make them stick onto the putty’s squishy surface.
4. Slowly lift out the putty to prevent stirring up the surrounding sand and brush off the trapped sand away.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 above until you’ve gotten rid of all the sand.

4. Using a Grit Gritter

The Grit Gritter offers another alternative for removing sand that doesn’t require a lot of machinery. This tool works pretty much like a conventional eye dropper with the exception that it is much larger and has a wider mouth at the base.

The grit gritter is a very handy tool when you want to do spot cleaning in your pool. It’s the best device for cleaning sand grains that have piled up in one area of the pool. It will suck all those grains out without stirring the water so much.

To use it:

1. You just have to press its bulbous head to create a vacuum then release it to suck in the sand accumulated at the bottom of your pool.
2. Afterward, discard the picked sand contents in a bin away from the pool to prevent re-entry.
3. Repeat the two steps above until all the sand clears away.

5. Drain and Clean

If all the above ways do not seem to be viable for you at the moment, then you could always drain your tub and clean out the sand afterward.

Draining the tub gives you ample time to do proper cleaning of the tub’s base and surroundings. It helps to get rid of contaminated water that may have been carrying all that sand in the first place.

How to Prevent Sand from Getting into Your Hot Tub

To prevent sand from getting into your hot tub:

1. Get a hot tub cover

This is, by far, the most effective way of preventing sand from getting into your hot tub.

A hot tub cover will come in really handy if you live in sandy and highly windy areas. It works like magic to keep your tub water free from contaminants by sealing the surface from external access.

2. Rinse your feet before stepping into your hot tub

Sand on the feet is probably the second, most common way that sand gets into our hot tubs.

So, to prevent this, you must consider installing a rinsing bowl next to your hot tub where you can rinse sand and other debris off your feet before stepping into the hot tub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does sand damage hot tubs?

If left unchecked, sand and other debris will eventually damage your hot tub.

One of the most common ways through which sand destroys hot tubs is by clogging the drainage, causing serious backflow into your tub.

That’s why you have to practice prevention in the first place and always clean your tub to avoid sand build-up.  

Why do I have sand in my hot tub?

The cause of sand in your hot tub is probably because of the weather elements.

If you leave your hot tub uncovered for a long time when it’s not in use, then passing winds will carry and deposit small amounts of sand into the water over time.

Another reason is when you carry sand from other places and get into the hot tub without rinsing yourself. With time, these sand grains will become so many that using your hot tub will be such an uncomfortable experience.