What to Do About Pee in Your Hot Tub?

Recent surveys have showed that as many as 30% of people report having peed in a pool or hot tub. Many people think peeing in the hot tub is not a big deal; in truth, it has a number of negative consequences for their fellow users.

Urine contains a nitrogen compound called urea. When urea is combined with chlorine, it breaks it down into a by-product called chloramine. Chloramine is harmful if it contacts the skin, via the hot tub water, or if it is inhaled, via the steam from the hot tub.

The symptoms caused by contact with chloramine are burning, itchy eyes, skin irritation anywhere on the body, and a persistent cough. Moreover, chloramine can be a serious aggravate for people with asthma, and frequent inhalation of chloramine can increase a person’s sensitivity to certain types of bacteria and fungi.

When someone has peed in your hot tub, clean it well, as soon as possible.

What You Can Do to Keep Your Hot Tub Urine-Free

Prevention may be the best defense, in this case. Here are some steps you can take to keep your hot tub free of urine and other contaminants:

Post a sign where your family and guests will see it before they get into the tub, saying that peeing in the tub is harmful to other users, and request that they use the bathroom prior to going into the tub.
Verbally remind family and guests that peeing in your hot tub is not acceptable behavior because it puts the other users of the tub at risk for infection, especially the children.
Request that all users shower (ideally with soap) before entering the tub. We may not want to think about it, but many people have traces of urine and feces on their bodies every day, even if they believe they do not. Showering before hot tubbing will wash off the any contaminants on users’ bodies including lotions, makeup, oils, etc…

Other Options for Getting Rid of Urine

Use a “shock” sanitizer that neutralizes urine by oxidizing it. When shocking your hot tub water, you must wait for its chlorine levels to drop before using the tub again. Also remove and clean your hot tub filters thoroughly.

Flush and Drain the Tub

You can flush and drain your hot tub water to remove urine and other types of contaminants that may be lurking in it. When the tub is empty, scrub the sides of the tub with a product made for removing urine stains and odors, to make sure you get rid of all traces of urine, and other unwanted “spoilers” from your hot tub.

For more information you can visit our brands pagesbuyers guides, or simply fill out our “Free Local Hot Tub Quotes” form to get competitive prices on hot tubs and swim spas in your local are

4 thoughts on “What to Do About Pee in Your Hot Tub?

  1. I’m sorry, but this is simply overblown. I’m not advocating peeing in a hot tub, but urea compounds are in sweat and the skin in general, and furthermore you’re overlooking the fact that the water is scrubbing fecal particles off of people’s butts constantly. Urea is all throughout that too.

    If you had over the course of a year (say) 5 bladders emptied into your tub, I strongly doubt you’d have anywhere near the urea content of a hundred person-visits, which is easy in a couple months.

    Plus, there’s no ick factor anyway. Urine is sterile.

    1. Clean the hot tub, then DON’T allow your partner back in!! Let people know that it’s NOT a party tub, it’s for private use ONLYll Let them get pissed off…so what. The thing about hot tubs is while you’re all in there, you NEVER know who’s peeing and who’s lying.

Leave a Reply