Most hot tub owners know maintaining proper pH, alkalinity, calcium and sanitizer levels are necessary for clean and clear water. These are all products we put in the water, but there is another additive we must remove from the water to have great water chemistry. Phosphates in your spa water, if left untreated, can cause problems such as cloudy water and the inability to hold a proper sanitizer level. So, what are phosphates, and how do we get rid of them? Phosphates are naturally occurring minerals and can be found in everything from the soil, the water, the food we eat as well as in our bodies. Phosphates also serve as a food source for algae, which combines with the warm water of a spa, make perfect conditions for an algae bloom. Small concentrations of phosphates are safe and found in most city’s drinking water. The most common way phosphates are introduced into hot tubs is through laundry detergents used to clean swim suit dedicated for hot tub use that is washed without detergents to prevent phosphate build up. For hot tubs with already high phosphate levels, a weekly treatment with SpaGuard phosphate remover, will get rid of phosphates already in the water as well as preventing future phosphate buildup.