Anyone with a whirlpool bathtub

[RoyalPrince]

i found this article on msnbc about whirlpool bathtubs both private and hotels and their containing bacteria and other bad things... good informational read and makes you want to reconsider the whirlpool bathtub or recreational spa for that matter...

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11641584/">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11641584/</a>

 

[ladybug]

YIKES!!! Whenever I've used these (or any tub at a hotel for that matter), I've always used lysol wipes before getting in, but I didn't realize it could be lurking INSIDE the jets! Ewwww!!!!

 

[anonymous]

Ugh, and our HOSPITAL had whirlpool tubs in the rooms when I gave birth to ds. I don't even want THINK about what could be lurking in that one. Liza

 

[ladybug]

EWWWWWW!!!!

 

[BigBee]

BLECCHHH!

 

[Seana30]

We use to have a whirlpool bath in our old house. One day I realized that the water would just sit in the jets till the next time one of us took a bath.

The water recycles itself thru the jets so I would put a bottle of bleach in the tub and run the jets before anyone took a bath.

It got expensive to do this, but I LOVE my whirlpool baths!!

Seana

 

[Brad]

I know what You talking about .

The study was done before about 10 years ago,I sould plumbing supplies for about 18 years , we also had a Kitchen and Bath Shoroom.

The Whirl Pool Tubs can causr a lot of problems,

I caught Leagoneers from the stagnet water and thats how I lost a Lung.

Most Mfg's Tubs do DO NOT pump the jets completly empty,
and this is where the bacteria grows and breeds, once it is in the system
left unchecked, Every time it is used the Germs are in the air and the water.
The Best thing to do is with the Tubs that Do not Pump the system
completely Empty, is to about once a month fill the tub with water then pour in a
half gallon of bleach, Turn the Jets on Low, leave the room for about 20 mins... Drain Tub, Refill turn jets on a for a min then drain.

 

[julie]

We have a jetted tub at home and ever two weeks (whether we have used it or not during that time) we fill it up with HOT water and bleach and run the jets for 10-15 minutes. That kills any potential bacteria lurking in there, and face the facts... you aren't ever going to get it all out of anything-EVER.

I wouldn't give up my private jetted tub for the world, I LOVE that thing. I think twice about one in a hotel room though. Don't really stay away from hot tubs with chlorine though.... (BTW, this applies for both Mark and I).

Good info to pass on, but there are ways to be proactive about it, at least your personal tub.

 

[Scarlett81]

I would NEVER use a hotel jet tub-don't care if its the Ritz. Of course at a good hotel you could request they fill it with bleach and run the jets.

But I use mine all the time. And no-I could never give it up.

 

[thelizardqueen]

While that is disgusting, and sort of makes you think twice, I'm not about to give up hottubs whether they're from a hotel or not. If I avoided every little thing that caused a germ, I wouldn't be eating, drinking, and would be living in a bubble. Tap water contains germs, but yet I drink juice and kool-aid made with tap water, etc. I rinse my veggies with tap water, I eat food that I'm sure has some sort of micro germ, and I'm fine. Just my two cents though. I'm not going to limit myself in life because of a "what if...".

 

[wuffles]

I always use hotel spa baths (I think this is what is meant by whirlpool bathtubs.. I'm just a silly Aussie <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">) and won't be stopping! I will also swim in public pools etc and have never caught anything more serious than a cold. I guess the day I do, I'll stop <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[Faust]

Theres a huge difference between "living in a bubble", and doing stuff that isn't needed to be done that brings much more risk upon yourself. I've partied in hottubs/spas in the past when I was single (mostly associated with girls and partying), but now I wouldn't get in one. As the article stated, that top layer of mist where your head is situatied, breaths in that heavy aresol of bacteria/viral/mold/fungus soup, directly into your CF lungs, and the concentrations are in the millions. I'm not too freaked out about general contact with bugs, like drinking water and such, but directly breathing a nasty microbe aresol into my lungs, no thanks, I have enough problems. This article didn't change my mind, i've known this for a long time. The only way I'd think about getting in one, is if it was a strong chlorine based system, that wasn't public.

 

[princessjdc]

Ive known about it ever since I found out I had psuedomonas cause that one likes to live in them places too. Knowing that I dont get in it often, my parents have one, and once in a great while Ill get in it. My mom puts chemicals in it and makes sure everything is ok, and my doc said that, since it isnt public and just family then it is ok, if Iget in it sometimes but not all the time.

 

[anonymous]

I have a question regarding running bleach through the jets in a whirlpool bath. I do this - fill the tub with warm water, pour in 1/2 gallon of bleach and run the jets for 10 minutes then drain the tub. After you do this, do you have to refill with cold water and run clean water through the jets to rinse or just drain the tub??? I didn't do the rinse cycle but am thinking I should before using it again???

Also, we have a hot tub, too. We use bromine instead of chlorine. We do drain it at least every three months, clean it with lysol, refill it and adjust the chemicals. We don't have a lot of people in it - just our family. We can't run bleach through those jets because (1) can't mix bromine and chlorine and (2) I've been told bleach ruins the seals on the hot tub. If you monitor the bromine level regularly, use shocker regularly, clean it at least quarterly (during the summer we usually drain and clean it monthly), and you limit who you allow in the hot tub, are they still risky to use??? Also, how do you clean the jets in a hot tub??? Does the bromine prohibit growth in the jets or would you still need to clean out the jets????? If so how???

 

[anonymous]

These are the instructions my unit recommends:
once every other week-fill tub with warm water, add 1/2 cup automatic dishwashing detergent (or for larger tubs like mine, add 1 cup), run jets 15 minutes. Drain, fill with cold water, run jets 15 min, drain.
The next time you clean (2 wks later) follow the same procedure only use 1/2 cup (or 1 cup) bleach, drain, do the rinse, etc.