What is the most luxurious thing to do in extreme winters?
To enjoy a relaxing time in the sauna.
Saunas have plenty of health benefits, especially in winters. It restores moistures in dry skin, improves blood circulation, and cleanses the skin from bacteria. People often overlook cleaning their saunas. They enjoy a great time inside the sauna, step out of it, and completely forget its cleanliness.
When people are inside a sauna, they breathe and sweat. The bacteria from breathing and perspiration contain bacteria that make a comfortable home inside the sauna. When meeting heat and humidity, these bacteria turn the sauna unhygienic. The walls of saunas become discolored and stained.
The discolored, molded, and bacterially infected walls do not give a good sauna experience. Thus, it is essential to take good care of the outdoor sauna’s cleanliness. Many people prefer barrel design for an outdoor sauna, as it’s one of the best outdoor sauna designs.
Today’s article will explore some simple tips and tricks for cleaning and maintaining outdoor saunas.
Tips For Cleaning And Maintaining Your Outdoor Sauna
1. Always Take A Shower Before Sauna
The first tip on the list is to shower before using the sauna. When people enter the sauna without taking a shower, they might bring in lots of stuff on their bodies. When people sweat, it contains residue of the cosmetics they use. Such as makeup, perfume, deodorant, hair oil, body creams, etc.
This residue leaves tough stains on the bench and ruins the sauna’s interiors. Moreover, inhaling these substances is not suitable for health. Hence, always clean your body by taking a shower. Enter the sauna without applying any creams, gels, or moisturizers.
The second tip for sauna cleanliness and maintenance is wiping sauna benches after each use.
2. Wipe The Benches After Each Use
Do not wait to clean the saunas when it gets tough stains or look unhygienic. Instead, wipe it after every use so that stains don’t build up and become difficult to clean.
Simply take a damp cloth and wipe the benches to clean dirt, sweat, or hair. After that, vacuum the sauna to leave it squeaky clean.
If you do not clean right after enjoying a sauna, take help from towels. Use soft and highly absorbent towels on the bench. The towel will absorb the sweat and other residues. You will just have to remove the towels; no need to wipe the benches.
The third on today’s list is to let the sauna air dry.
3. Let The Sauna Cool Down And Dry
After the sauna session, turn off the sauna according to the instructions. Leave the sauna door open to let the humid air exit and dry air fill in the sauna.
Closing the sauna door right away will trap the humid air inside. It will trigger dampness and molding on the sauna’s interior wall.
Once a week, clean the floor of your saunas. Let’s talk more about it in the following paragraphs.
4. Mop The Sauna Floor
Many people use a high-pressure hose to spray water on the sauna floor. High-pressure cleaners and pipes can damage the sauna floor and walls. The excess water will ruin the interior and exterior woods.
The best way to clean the sauna floor is by mopping it with clean water and disinfectant solution. You can also add a few drops of hydrogen peroxide to mop the floor. When dried, hydrogen peroxide decomposes into harmless materials, making it safe for saunas.
The fifth tip for cleaning and maintaining your sauna is to sand the stains on sauna benches.
5. Sand The Sauna Benches
A big greasy stain on the sauna benches is a big turnoff to enjoy the sauna. Try removing those stains with good liquid soap and a damp cloth. But, if the stains are too tough, grab fine sandpaper.
Gently sand the stains to make your benches as good as new. Sanding the benches also removes the unevenness and roughness.
Up next, we have…
6. Apply Wood Penetrating Oil On The Exteriors Of The Sauna
Sauna barrels are made from premium quality woods to endure rough weather conditions. But, with time and many uses, these woods might need some extra protection. Hence, apply a wood penetrating oil to protect the sauna’s exterior and make it look brand new.
Using wood penetrating oil might change the exterior’s color by a few shades.
The seventh tip on our list is cleaning the sauna heater.
7. Clean The Sauna Heater
Sauna heaters do not need a frequent or thorough cleaning. Wiping the sauna heater with a damp cloth is enough. Make sure to check the sauna stones frequently. As exposure to intense heat might crack them. If you find that sauna stones are split open or will crack soon, replace them at your earliest.
Also, do not add any other stones to your sauna heater. Strictly use the stones that are recommended by the seller.
The next tip on today’s list is taking care of sauna doors and vents.
8. Sauna Doors And Vent
Sauna doors and vents should always work properly to give you the best experience. Wooden doors expand when exposed to heat and do not close properly.
If you feel that frequent sauna usage has expanded your door, and its side with fine sandpaper. The door will easily close. Also, when the sauna is not in use, slightly grease the door hinges to avoid rusting.
Do not forget to clean your sauna vent. Use a soft brush or a damp cloth to clean off the dust. If you find loose screws, tighten them to fix the vent. Use sandpaper to sand the corners of the vent to make it even and smooth.
Moving forward, we have…
9. Turn off the Heater While Cleaning the Sauna
Cleaning the sauna with detergents and other solutions while the heater is on is unhealthy. The solutions can emit harmful gasses, which can make saunas interior unsafe.
Plus, thorough cleaning raises the body temperature. If the heater is turned on while cleaning, it will cause excessive sweating, which is unsafe. Thus, keep the sauna door open while cleaning and turn off the heater to maintain an ideal temperature while cleaning.
The last tip on today’s list is never to use hard water on the interiors and exteriors of the saunas.
10. Never Use Hard Water Inside Or Outside Of The Sauna
Hard water and outdoor saunas don’t get along really well. Hard water can ruin the woods of the outdoor saunas. Thus, make sure you never use hard water to wipe clean the sauna’s walls, doors, or floors.
Always use soft water or drinking water for cleaning saunas.
It’s Cleaning Time…
We hope that these cleaning tips and tricks will help you make your saunas squeaky clean, and hygienic.
Do you have any more outdoor sauna cleaning tips? Please share it in the comments below.
