I know a lot of you ladies are in the house-buying mode, or are gearing up to in the near future. Figured I'd pass this on (it's part of an email I just wrote to my friends, but I thought it might be useful!):
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Just a word to the wise about jetted tubs, ladies - without some really diligent maintenance from the beginning, all the lines get full of dirt, skin cells, and bacteria, sitting in moisture...and that sh#t multiplies. Our home inspector filled the tub, turned on the jets, and said "hey, you see that black stuff coming out of the jets? That's pretty much sloughed off skin & bacteria from the people who live here now."
I was SO grossed out. He said it would just take a few rounds of bleach in the tub, but he was woefully, woefully wrong. I have filled that tub up, ran it, drained it, and scrubbed it out about 20 times since I've lived here. Using a combo of bleach, cascade, and some real expensive bio-cleaner. I paid some guys to come in and professionally clean it. Ladies, it would curl your hair to see the crud that is STILL coming out of the jets. In the beginning, there was a lot of debris, but it cleaned up/washed down the drain pretty easily. At this point, it is like I have cut through all the superficial stuff and gotten down to the real deal. The stuff that is coming out is like exfoliated skin - really, really sticky and greasy. I'm on my 3rd scrub brush because that sh#t just doesn't wash off. It's like the inside of the jets is akin to the inside of a smokestack of an Auschwitz oven. It's like they used the tub to dissolve a body with hydrochloric acid and the residue is still in the jets. We've discussed just ripping out the tub (a nice Kohler tub that's only 6 years old) because I don't know if I will ever get it clean enough to actually use. Yet it's teasing me because everytime I see it, I think of a nice relaxing bath with a glass of wine!
So, word to the wise - when you look at houses to buy, beware of the jetted tubs. And at this point, you couldn't pay me enough money to use a whirlpool tub in a public place, like a hotel. GROSS!
Re: Jetted tubs...
I can believe it. At least I'm only dealing with a tub that had only 2 adults and 2 kids using it...not a tub that has had probably hundreds of people bathing & fornicating in it.
Just sent a message to Kohler asking if there is anything I can do. I've literally cleaned out the tub about 20 times so far and still isn't clean.
Ugh, that's so gross! Thanks for the PSA, cuz I totally want a jetted tub when we buy a house. I feel for you, hopefully it clears out soon.
And OMG about your brother and the hotel tub, spalko!!
Ugh, that's so gross! Thanks for the PSA, cuz I totally want a jetted tub when we buy a house. I feel for you, hopefully it clears out soon.
And OMG about your brother and the hotel tub, spalko!!
That is REALLY gross! I guess we must have gotten lucky!
We have a really big one in one of our bathrooms, but it is self cleaning after it is shut off, so thats probably why ours is clean. It sounds like it is ready to take flight when it cleans itself!
Yeah, that would be nice to have. Although honestly if our home inspector hadn't pointed it out to me, I'd never have noticed - the black specks coming out when I first started cleaning it were smaller than pieces of pepper. The gunk only really comes out if you put some sort of cleaner in, let it soak, and then run it for awhile. Unless I clean it it doesn't really have stuff coming out...but at this point I don't think I'd be able to enjoy it knowing what's in there!
Jetted tubs have always grossed me out, but that's REALLY gross...
I don't think I'd ever be able to use it after seeing all the crap come out of it
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