Most people love the luxury of owning their own spa or hot tub, but like swimming pools, these soaking spots require regular maintenance to keep them clean and sanitary. No one wants to get ready for a long soak and remove the cover to find discolored or foamy water. To prevent this unpleasant surprise from ruining your down time, follow these steps.
Test the waters. This is the first and most important step in maintaining a spa or hot tub even if the water looks crystal clear. You need to test the water at least once each week and following heavy use for the proper balance of pH (between 7.2 and 7.8), chlorine (1 to 3 parts per million), and calcium (150 to 250 parts per million).
Sanitize your spa or hot tub. Bacteria grows in warm moist areas, so it's essential to sanitize the water to keep bathers healthy. Using the right levels of chlorine, bromine, biguanide or mineral systems should prevent any problems.
Learn the correct balance of chemicals. Keep a guide handy when you test your water for the safe levels to maintain balanced spa or hot tub water. The levels of the pH, calcium and total dissolved solids need to stay within a certain range.
Keep the water clear. By using a clarifier or a stain and scale preventer in your spa or hot tub, you can maintain clear water that controls bacteria and water discoloration.
Drain the water. This sounds odd, especially when you've taken all the previous steps to maintaining a clean hot tub, but you need to do this step at least 4 times a year. If your spa or hot tub sees heavy use by more than 1 adult, then drain it more than once every 3 months.
While everyone enjoys the natural beauty of a flower garden, not everyone has the time or money for constant upkeep. A rustic flower garden can be the perfect solution for a low maintenance garden, creating a cozy, down-home feel without a lot of time or effort. A few simple tips can get you started.
step 1
Find your perfect garden location, whether along the borders of your house or tucked in the corner of your fence. Once you have chosen your space, remove all grass and weeds and loosen the soil slightly with garden hoe. For best results, sprinkle the top of the soil with organic compost to give your flowers a boost of nutrients.
Step 2
Create a rustic look with your garden's border by tying together fallen branches with natural material, such as hemp string or baling twine. Other great border choices for a rustic garden include railroad ties, large rocks or even weathered boards.
Step 3
Choose easy to maintain plants for your flower garden. Consider planting morning glory or other vine plants on trellises set against your wall or fence for a quick and easy cover. Sunflowers and snap dragons are other easy to grow plants that are perfect for the far edges of your garden.
Step 4
Place rustic decorations that can be transformed into planters for your flower garden. Place old wagon wheels flat on the ground and plant pansies or daisies inside the spokes. Old wooden barrels make perfect planters and are gorgeous with long growing plants, such as lobelia.
Step 5
Consider some easy to maintain extras for your rustic garden, such as bird or squirrel feeders, birdbaths, decorative rocks or a miniature windmill.
