anyone else find cleaning the jets in a whirlpool bathtub harder than it looks?

yeah, because the dirt is in the pipes, not on the jet faces you can see. what's worked for me: water above the jets, a couple of cups of white vinegar and a spoon of dishwasher powder, jets on for 15 min, drain, then a cold rinse run. while it drains go round the jet openings with an old toothbrush - a lot of them twist out if you want to get behind. once a month and it never gets bad again.