Sauna Care and Maintenance Tips

Compared to a hot tub or pool, a sauna takes minimal maintenance. Occasional sweeping or vacuuming the floors, as well as wiping down of bench tops and backrests with very diluted soapy water and a clean rinse will help keep your sauna in tip-top shape. If sauna floors become wet, duckboards can be flipped up to enhance drying. Here are a few tips to keep your sauna looking great and operate properly all year round.

Foot washing. Before entering your sauna, rinse your feet under a hose, shower, or in a bucket situated near the entrance. Especially, as you progress through your sauna routine, whether a cold shower, jumping in a lake, or rolling in “clean” snow between sauna sessions, your feet can bring in unwanted soil and debris. Rinsing your feet as you first enter and re-enter means less clean up later and lessens the abuse to floors, duckboards, and benches.

Towels and rugs. Even though sweating is a byproduct of any great sauna experience, it can cause discoloration and staining from accumulated perspiration and body oils. One of the easiest ways to minimize this is to use towels over benches and backrests, and rugs over floors and duckboards. Even wrapping your lower half with a towel will make difference in your sauna benches’ appearance. Rugs placed over floors and duckboards are good for wiping feet before stepping up on to lower benches and more “feet friendly” during the cold winter months.

Wood maintenance. Overtime and with use, the appearance of exposed wood to moisture, air, and sunlight will change gradually. Cedar will naturally begin to yellow slightly in a sauna. Applying any type of wood protectant or sealant inside a sauna is not recommended. However, with long-term use, benches and backrests may need a light sanding. An orbital sander and several 220 grit sanding discs (start with 80 or 120 grit for deeper dents and scratches) can bring back a wood surface to its original appearance and smoothness. Sanding also takes care of any “raising of the grain”, which happens when bare softwoods are exposed directly to sweat and water. Before sanding, cover the sauna heater with plastic. A large garbage or lawn bag works great, keeping fine dust off rocks and elements. If you happen to have a shop-type vacuum with a power tool adapter, mess is kept to a minimum. When finished sanding, vacuum all surfaces with a soft brush attachment. Then wipe the sauna benches and backrests with a slightly damp towel.

Sauna doors and vents. Moving components of a sauna, such as doors and vents, may need adjusting or sanding/planing. If the door sticks it is usually at the place where there is no space between the sauna door and jam or threshold. Look at the spaces around the sauna door as you open and close it. You should be able to see rub or wear marks on the door and jam or threshold at the narrowest point. Check for loose hinge screws which can cause the door to sag. If hinge screw holes are stripped, replace with longer screws. Or, jam a couple of wooden match sticks (dipped in glue) into the holes and break them off flush at the screw hole entrance. Then re-use the old screws. If the door will still not close properly, locate high spots on the door and mark them with a pencil as to how much material may need to come off by sanding or planning. If the door is closed, but does not stay closed, there several things you may try. Check to see the ketch can be adjusted out further simply by turning ball or roller assembly. Also, thin pieces of cardboard may need to be added between the hinge and the jam. These ¼” width strips can be built up or wider strips folded to a proper thickness and added only to the pin edge of the hinge. Remember to only add enough to acquire the distance needed between the door and the jam so the door can close normally. One can also check the door stops to see if they are preventing the door to be full closed and latched at the ketch. In most of these cases, you are able move the door stops back further by placing the edge of a block of wood against the door stop at nail locations and hitting the block firmly with a hammer. Likewise, if there are spaces between the sauna door and the door stops, they can also be moved toward the door the same way without damaging the door stops.

Vents are regulators of the amount of heat, fresh air, and humidity inside a sauna. Because they usually are made of wood, they too can change with use. A sticking slider can be adjusted simply loosing the screws slightly which fasten the vent frame to the wall. Or, one may need to remove the vent and inspect the slider for possible sanding of its edges. Sanding the corners at a slight angle or radius of the slider will help lessen the drag when operating.

Sauna heater and rocks. Your electric sauna heater will take virtually no maintenance and care. Whether you are installing sauna rocks for the first time or replacing them after five or ten years, they should be rinsed thoroughly so as to remove small particles before placing them between and around heating elements. Loosely inserted rocks will allow better airflow through the heater while it is operating. Sauna rocks may breakdown from continued exposure to extreme temperature changes. When it comes time to replace sauna rocks, the properties of peridotite and olivine make them popular choices. If the electric heater stops working, let the heater cool done before pushing the built-in reset button, usually located underneath the heater. If the reset button does not click and stay recessed, it is recommended you call an electrician to assess the problem. If the reset button resets properly and the heater still cuts out, the heater may not be acquiring the adequate airflow allowing a safety limit sensor to be employed. Try repacking the rocks more loosely, covering the tops of the elements with only one layer of rocks.

If you have or are considering a wood burning sauna stove, they will need more safety requirements and maintenance. Minimum safe clearance requirements around the wood sauna heater recommended by the manufacturer should be followed and nearby combustible surfaces properly protected. The ashes should be placed in a dedicated metal bucket or container to be disposed. An insulated, stainless steel chimney is highly recommended. Creosote can build up in the chimney pipe and should be cleaned periodically so as not to create a fire hazard. If your sauna’s roof has wood shingles, a spark arrestor at the chimney’s outlet is highly recommended. Many wood heated saunas have met their doom when not following any one of these basic guidelines.