There are a few things you can do to keep your hot tub cover looking brand spanking new and preserve it so you can use it for a lot longer.

Clean your cover using soap and warm water.  Hot tubs create chemical residue that will damage the outer lining of your cover as time goes by.  If you keep it clean, say by cleaning it twice a month, you will help preserve it.

If you protect the outer lining of the spa cover, this will help prevent water from getting past it and into the inner lining and the foam core because you will help eliminate cracking.  As soon as water gets to foam core of the cover, you are well on your way to needing a new one.  This is when things start to go downhill.

Beneath the outer lining, there is generally an inner lining made of plastic that directly surrounds the foam core.  Check this lining for rips and tears and also see if there is anything inside there that may cause friction against it and possibly rip it.

Cover your hot tub cover.  If you put something–tarps work well–over the entire hot tub, you can help prevent sun damage to your cover.  During times when you are away or aren’t using your spa for extended periods of time, consider doing this.

It will help you preserve your investment.

Not only do they get heavy, they become moldy and smelly if not maintained properly. Poorly made or cheap spa covers tend to get “heavy” faster and make the life of the owner just that much more difficult.

The purpose of a spa is relaxation, not frustration.

When the foam core of the cover starts to take on water, this is when it gets saturated and difficult to maneuver easily. The real culprit is bad insulation. Good, well made, solid hot tub covers prevent warping, saturation, and mold.

They last longer and save the owner money, not only because you don’t have to replace it as often, but because they maintain the water temperature more effectively, which saves on your electricity bills.

Besides, heavy covers can be dangerous, especially if children are trying to operate a tub.

If you own a hot tub, make sure that your kids are playing safe and aren’t getting too wild in the jacuzzi.  If you need to be away for a few minutes, place the hot tub cover on the tub just to be extra safe.

One thing that goes unheeded sometimes is actually taking hot tub covers off the spa.  This can be dangerous as there are accounts of individuals trying to gain leverage against a waterlogged cover and falling into the spa water headfirst.

Kids can drown in one inch of water.

You should always check how well your hot tub cover is holding up.  If it is too waterlogged or is becoming difficult to put on and easily take off, it may be time for a new one.

The key to all safety is really just being aware of the situation and being prepared to react.

Be safe.

If a hot tub cover is above your head or a few feet over the water line of your hot tub, it can be unsafe for you and other occupants. Spa covers can become very heavy and if they are blown over by a gust of wind, they can either cause bodily harm or trap one inside the hot tub.

One solution to this possible problem is to purchase an automatic hot tub cover removal system, which will move the cover over the side of your tub and makes it possible to store the cover on the side of the jacuzzi. This is a very convenient option for the person who is concerned about not only safety, but about keeping their hot tub looking nice.

This type of machine can make your life a lot easier. First of all, you will not have to drag the hot tub cover over the spa before you hop into your tub. You will just push a button and your cover will move before your eyes. It makes it very convenient to store your cover and can extend your cover’s life.

Read about different types of hot tub covers.

Hot tub covers can actually harm you. It is incredibly important to have a child-safe hot tub cover, meaning that it can withstand a child walking on it and clamps down shut keeping children from opening it and possibly going into the hot tub.

The same protections should keep your pets from entering the jacuzzi too.

These things should be obvious. What is less obvious is the occasional story of an adult being trapped in their hot tub after their hot tub cover has been blown by a gust of wind and has trapped them inside.

Unfortunately, this has happened before. Water-logged hot tub covers are of insecure weight and can be too heavy for a grown adult to lift. Always be careful in every aspect of your hot tub.

Perhaps a hot tub cover with an alternative to a foam core would be better and would have less propensity to become waterlogged.

There are some companies that build jacuzzi covers that use air chambers within the cover to insulate and keep heat inside the hot tub.

Be careful in the way you store your spa cover while you enjoy a nice, well-deserved soak. Do not store it in such a way that it could fall on you. These things can be very heavy. Sometimes, people will have it propped to one side of their tub so that it sticks up a few feet into the air.

This could be dangerous if there was a gust of wind that knocked the hot tub cover over, and it can be quite heavy especially if it has taken on considerable water.

It might also be a good idea to buy a new hot tub cover every two or three years.

Read more about the different types of hot tub covers.

Unfortunately, a lot of hot tub owners wait until they get that first heating bill before saying, “You know what, I think a spa cover would be a good idea.”

Not only does a hot tub cover protect friends and family, keep plants and animals out of your hot tub, and protect the interior of the tub, it also saves you money on heating costs.

A cover that insulates heat more efficiently will save you hundreds of dollars every year. More importantly, your tub will be ready to use any time you feel like jumping in. You don’t want to hop in and feel luke warm water surround you. You want your hot tub to be piping hot.

Hot tub covers are made in all shapes and sizes, so it should not be difficult to find a cover that will suffice for your situation. But if you are one of the lucky people who have an incredibly expensive, custom-built hot tub in your backyard that looks like it’s made out of rock or in the side of a cliff, you may have a more difficult time.

It may be expensive to have custom hot tub covers built, but it is well worth the expense to protect the larger investment in the hot tub itself.

Read about the ultimate hot tub covers.

This is very common because often during winter if you live in a locale where it snows, you will notice that the water inside your hot tub cools off.

You may notice that snow that collects on the top of your hot tub cover does not melt.  This does not mean that your spa is so well insulated that none of the heat is leaving through the spa cover.

You may also notice that the water in you tub is cooling.  This may lead to confusion, because if no heat is leaving your hot tub (which you assume because the snow does not melt), then why is the hot tub water cooling down.

This all goes back to the topic of insulation.  Your cover may not be up to snuff in this category.  Hot tub covers have a foam core generally covered in some type of nylon.  The foam core of your cover is what insulates heat.

The way it works is there are air particles trapped between tiny foam balls that are bound together.  The air that is trapped inside the foam stays the same temperature because it is trapped and does not move.

If you have a weak hot tub cover, the insulation may not be up to par.  The reason your hot tub is cooling off is because water inside the tub evaporates and condenses on the bottom side of the jacuzzi cover.  This water cools and falls back into the hot tub, cooling it off considerably.

Read how to properly maintain hot tub covers  and make them last.

Here is a list of some of the most important qualities good hot tub covers have.

First off, you want the cover to be safe. This is the most important part of all and if you are not careful, you may purchase a cover that is not childproof or is faulty in some crucial way. A hot tub cover that was built following the guidelines of the ASTM is by nature going to be more safe than one that is not.

The ASTM is a regulatory body that looks after issues concerning safety.

A strong, rugged, vinyl covering will help protect the “working parts” of a hot tub cover and will ensure that it lasts long and looks presentable for as long as possible. The chemicals in a jacuzzi or spa a very strong and can erode a cover quite quickly if it is not up to snuff.

You know that saying, don’t judge a book by its cover? It applies to hot tub covers as well as other parts of life. The most crucial element of a hot tub cover is the internal foam core. The better quality this element is, the more heat you will be able to keep in the tub, which will save you hundreds of dollars in heating bills.

A warranty is a beautiful thing. If you can find a quality spa cover and find an even better warranty–something like five years–then you are set. You definitely want one of these.

A good hot tub cover has a well-built skirt that hangs around the outside of the cover, allowing rain or other precipitation and dirt to fall off the sides and not get caught inside the cover. You can tell a good quality jacuzzi cover from a bad one by the quality of the skirt. A good one helps keep heat in the tub and dirt out.

Grommeted drain holes are an often overlooked element of a hot tub covers. These are small eyelets that allow any moisture caught inside the cover to precipitate out. This is crucial because this prevents mildew and mold from destroying the spa cover.

Read more about how to make hot tub covers last.

When looking for a new hot tub cover, it is important to look for a cover that has plenty of insulation. The hotter the climate you live in, the lower the insulation ratio you need. This is obvious.

You also want to make sure that the new hot tub cover you purchase you choose to buy is strong enough to keep out animals and any other creatures that may want to try to get into the warm water of the hot tub.

It is very important that the hot tub cover you choose is strong enough to support the weight of a child or children who may try to climb onto the top. Often, kids will horse around near or on a hot tub because they are unaware of the true danger they can be in if they are not supervised.

Hot tub covers should be strong enough to not break under the weight of a curious misguided child.

You also may want to consider purchasing hot tub covers with a locking mechanism that will also serve to keep kids out of the hot tub. You just want to be as safe as possible when dealing with hot tubs or pools, because activities that involve water can be very dangerous.

Hot tubs are meant to be fun. The last thing you want is for someone to get hurt.

One way to ensure that a hot tub cover stays protected and working is buying one that has a polyethylene vapor barrier for sealing their spa covers foam cores.

The better the foam core is protected, the more effective hot tub covers will be.

A 6mil layer of polyethylene vapor barrier is enough to protect a standard spa cover, but thicker layers will be even better.

The foam core of hot tub covers are made out of expanded Polystyrene, which is made out of small plastic beads that are expanded with steam, then dried and “attached together.”

Even though the individual beads are waterproof, water can saturate between the beads and saturate the foam. This water saturation reduces the insulating ability of spa covers and adds greatly to the weight.  Heavy hot tub covers sag and look ugly.  Furthermore, they don’t insulate as well when they get heavy.

Foam cores of hot tub covers are usually sealed with polyethylene, a protective chemical that naturally breaks down over time when mixed with the other compounds found in hot tubs.  When it starts to break down, the cover will start to take on water and the effectiveness of the spa cover will be greatly decreased.

This is one thing you definitely want to avoid.  The more protective a hot tub covers coating is, the longer it will protect your hot tub.  When you are shopping for a spa cover, you want to make sure the model you consider has the proper coating.