Do I need to condition my spa cover if it's covered

[BigD23]

I'm getting a new cover for my hot tub. At my old house, where it was in the open, it suffered badly from a hailstorm and would get waterlogged whenever it rained.

Fast forward to the new house, the hot tub is underneath a screened in porch (we have a walkout basement, screened in porch is on the 1st/entry floor). As such the cover may get wet when it's windy and raining, but otherwise stays dry. It gets very little to no direct sun. We are in Virginia, so summer highs in the 90s and humid, winter overnight lows maybe in the mid 20s on average.

Given that - do I need to use spa cover conditioner? I'll have to wash/wipe with dishwashing liquid in the spring when there is pollen, but do I really need to "condition" it?

 

[Oly]

No, save your money for spa libations.

 

[Newdude]

Like everything else, all covers are not created equally, and good ones can be very pricey. You should fair a lot better with the current setup. Mine always collected a lot of water but the blazing sun is what weathered it. Having yours protected will definitely help

The guy that bought mine said that he had had several hot tubs over the years and always used armor all to restore the cover when it would start to weather. He didn’t care at all that the cover was faded and said it would clean right up. It’s an easy and cheap thing to try when the time comes.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

I am under a patio here in Arizona but it's so dusty here, and it does get some sun regardless.

I use regular Armor All for that purpose about 3-4x a year. I still think it will help to keep the cover lasting longer. It's cheap. The cover gets so dirty from the dust I have to wash it periodically anyway....

Dishwashing detergent is actually kinda harsh stuff.. it might take oils out of the cover.... Doing the Armor All afterwards seems to help with that as I use detergent as well on mine...

 

[Newdude]

Ha. Forget my second hand info and go with Fred’s first hand info. We must have been typing at the same time.

 

[Mdragger88]

Only if u want ... FWIW I use 303 aerospace protectant- it has a multitude of uses like the car. Not really necessary to buy a dedicated “spa” product.

 

[BigD23]

Great info. Thanks everyone!

 

[BigD23]

Only if u want ... FWIW I use 303 aerospace protectant- it has a multitude of uses like the car. Not really necessary to buy a dedicated “spa” product.

Also thanks for this! I was not familiar with 303 before now, but uses on my father-in-law's boat, cars, hot tub covers... SWEET!

 

[BMK]

I also use 303 for my cover. 4 years out in the open ...direct sunlight in summer, snow and ice in winter, it still looks pretty darn good.