Home & commercial infrared sauna maintenance guide with a checklist ( Indoor & Outdoor )

It is important to always make sure you maintain any product you get to avoid unnecessary expenses on them. In this same vein does the Infrared Sauna fall also. It is pretty important to ensure you maintain your sauna frequently as this would make it serve you better and longer. A properly maintained sauna means a better sauna heating experience. In this article we shared home, commercial, indoor, outdoor, barrel, dry & infrared sauna maintenance, care, and cleaning guide with a checklists.

It is actually easy to maintain your sauna though some might think it to be difficult and hard to maintain. If you compare its maintenance to that of maybe a swimming pool or anything of the like, you would find out that owning a sauna and maintaining it is easy and cheap.

Care and Maintenance of a Sauna

It is no news that you love your sauna and that is the reason why you are searching for ways to make it serve you better and stay for long. There is just one secret ingredient to this; it is called care and maintenance. It is quite easy to maintain your sauna whether it is the outdoor or indoor type. It is easy in the sense that it is of low cost and low energy and time-consuming. The more you maintain it the longer it lasts and the more attractive it looks both on the outside and the inside. All saunas no matter the kind or type, be it indoor and outdoor sauna all have similarities in maintenance but due to where they are kept, one of them might tend to face more environmental hazards than the other.

Every part of the sauna is important and should be taken care of accordingly and properly. From the doors to the door hinges, floors, heaters, bulbs, etc. they are all important and need thorough cleaning and checkups. Appropriate cleaning tools and equipment should be used for the designated item. Frequent cleaning should be done for a more attractive sauna. Most saunas come with manuals from their manufacturers. Following the guide and instructions in it tells you how best to take care of your sauna. In areas above your expertise, it is always important to call for the help of a sauna expert or one from the manufacturing company so as not to compound your issues or make it more expensive to handle. 

A properly cared and maintained sauna guarantees a great heating experience to its user and for one, who uses it for commercial purpose, makes your sauna more attractive to a customer which means more business for you.

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how to Maintenance Infrared Sauna ?

1. When using your sauna, you can try to get a cushion for your sauna so you get to rest comfortably and prevent stains, sweat, dirt and dead skin from the wood directly.
2. As an alternative to the cushion is the use of towels. You can lay about two towels on the surface area you wish to use. The best thing about the use of towels is that you can easily remove them and have them laundered.
3. Have a protective mat laid on the floors. This would prevent it from being slippery and restrict falls by causing friction.
4. Mold and bacteria ted to thrive in warm and moist places. Endeavor to remove the cushion or towels after a while and have them cleaned.
5. Make use of disinfectants to get your sauna cleaned after use to remove any mold or bacteria. Be careful the type of disinfectant you choose as some do seem to be harsh. The most preferable to use would be diluted hydrogen peroxide, vinegar or baking soda. These can be used to clean the backrest, walls, benches, windows, doors, etc.
6. Sweep and clean up the sauna floor after every use. If you are not the only user, then make sure everyone making use of it remembers to keep the floors clean after use so it looks nice and clean for anyone to use.
7. If you make use of a wooden sauna, you would need to take the backrest out to dry to prevent it from being destroyed by mold and moisture.
8. Do not use chemicals to clean your sauna. Your sauna produces steam and this can make harmful chemicals create fumes which in turn are harmful to the body and dangerous to your health. It is better to stick to the earlier mentioned items of vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide or ensure to always keep your sauna clean as often as possible.
9. If you find some tough stains on your sauna use sand and sandpaper to remove then. A through the use of sand and sandpaper should be done about once or twice a year for a proper look and smoothness.
10. Unless you have some sort of experience in fixing things concerned with a sauna, it would be advisable to contact the company you bought it from if you need something repaired. This is so you don’t probably get to make the problem worse and more expensive to fix.
11. If the wooden bench of your sauna has started feeling weak then it requires change. This is because of moisture and wear and tear from use. Then get a new one to avoid any incidents.
12. If you wish to replace the polish on the wood endeavor to contact a sauna expert for advice on the right type of wood polish or finishing to use. Making use of the wrong one can create harmful fumes when the sauna begins to steam up.

 Maintenance your Indoor Sauna

The Infrared Sauna placed indoors actually needs no protection from the elements or harsh weather conditions but some basic maintenance would still be needed. 

1. It is essential you clean the interior of your sauna regularly with mild soap and a soft cloth so as not to harm the surface of the wood and keep it looking fresh and attractive. 
2. Vacuum the floor often or periodically to remove dust or any form of debris.
3. When using the sauna, endeavor to always place a towel on the surface so you don’t get to have sweat or some dead cells staining the wood. 
4. As a result of the regular high heat and temperature produced by your sauna during sessions, it will not require a deep clean like that of your bathroom. Still, you would need to do some regular checks to prevent any form of bacteria from developing. Make use of mild and gentle soap to perform any cleaning process.
5. Occasionally use a fine sandpaper and some fine sand to clean off the surface of the benches or any interior stain. This should be done maybe once or twice a year. This would help you remove the stains properly and give you a smooth surface.
6. Never make use of harsh chemicals to clean your interior. They can have a bad effect on your sauna. 

How to Maintenance Outdoor Sauna ?

Outdoor saunas are placed outside and tend to be exposed to different kinds of weather and hazards. The outdoor sauna is exposed to rain, wind, snow, sunlight and all kinds of environmental or weather elements all year round. No matter how durable and strong it might seem to be, it still needs some maintaining. Here are a few tips on how you can easily maintain your outdoor sauna.

1. Don’t forget to lay towels on the benches whenever you want to make use of them to avoid sweat and dead cells being left on the wood.
2. Vacuum cleaning the sauna is important and should be done after a few uses to remove dust or any external dirt that may be in the sauna.
3. For one living in a wet or snowy environment, you would need to check your sauna regularly for any form of water spillage. The wood from your sauna should have at some point start adapting to the environment but it is still important you check out for things like that to know of any form of repairs you need to make to your sauna.
4. Use low-pressure wash to clean the exterior of your outdoor sauna to remove any mildew, dust or debris. This would help your sauna retain its beautiful and attractive exterior design.
5. You would need to re-apply exterior stain for areas with sunnier climate. A sunnier climate might affect the wood and make it fade. Try to make use of the UV inhibitor stain.
6. Check your sauna periodically for any form of crack. Yes, the sauna was designed to withstand elements and stay durable for longer periods, but due to change in temperature and heat, it can tend to crack. Endeavor to check frequently and change when or repair when necessary. 

Home Sauna Maintenance Checklist

Like the commercial sauna, the home sauna needs some maintaining as well to help it last and serve you longer. To enjoy a good sauna session, you need to properly maintain it. Here are a few ways you can maintain your home sauna;

1. Scrub the benches, walls, and backrest after every use. If possible, you should leave a cloth at the door so when you are done with your session you could get to cleaning. Use water and mild soap to add some cleaning power. This would make the wood keep looking clean and prevent sweat or dirt from staying on them for too long.
2. Always lay a towel on the surface whenever you wish to be in the sauna to avoid dead skin and sweat from remaining on the wood which is what creates dirt on the wood. 
3. Mop and clean the floors after a few uses to remove debris, dirt, hair or any form of unwanted elements from the floors. Make use of mild deodorizing soap to give it a nice aromatic smell. 
4. Endeavor to sand you benches yearly to keep it looking smooth and clean. Use sandpaper for this process as it would help remove stubborn stains.
5. Disinfect the drains, ventilation, and grates frequently to remove any form of mold and prevent bacteria or pathogens. Always take them out when you are about to clean. 
6. Air your sauna frequently to dry it up and invite some nice fresh air into the sauna. 
7. Perform general maintenance on your sauna as frequent as possible. Check your sauna frequently for any repair of things that need fixing. It is necessary to check and fix them frequently to avoid facing a large number of problems later on. 

Maintenance your commercial sauna

Every sauna needs maintenance whether it is for home use or commercial purpose. Actually, they both have sort of the same maintenance methods just some slight differences. This is because the commercial sauna is mainly for business purpose and therefore used more frequently and daily and is supposed to be bigger and more spacious.

1. The floor should be mopped and cleaned daily and as frequent as possible. Careful attention should be paid to the floor around the benches. It should be scrubbed properly if necessary.
2. Since it is used daily, you should sand down the benches about twice a year at most. Use sandpaper or maybe a sanding machine since it is a larger-sized sauna. Make use of disinfectant regularly to wipe down your benches and always endeavor to wear a dust mask.
3. Do not paint the walls of your sauna or any part of the interior of the sauna. The wood should be allowed to breathe. For a heavily used sauna, you should occasionally wipe the ceilings and walls of your sauna with a damp and not wet cloth. This helps you remove dust or any form of dirt.
4. Endeavor to scrub the removable plastic grating of your sauna daily with disinfectant. When trying to scrub it, it should be taken out totally from the sauna and aired to dry as well.
5. Always make sure to check the door hinges and handles as often as possible and repair any broken one or tighten the loosed ones. Apply oil on the hinges regularly to avoid them being stiff or rusted. 
6. It is essential to make sure you replace your sauna stones annually.
7. It is important you paste a copy of your sauna rules, dos and don’ts for people to see before making use of the sauna.

Note: When making use of disinfectants always remember that most of them are highly corrosive and can harm the wood of the sauna. Ensure to follow precautionary procedures when making use of them in the sauna. Hydrogen peroxide is popularly the preferred choice because it leaves no toxic remnant.

Sauna Steam Room Maintenance

Steam Room Cleaning:

Do not use a pressure washer in washing the steam room. Use warm water and thoroughly rinse the seats and floors of dirt after every use. Make use of mild soaps to clean the seats regularly. Always avoid using abrasives as they could harm the surface. Make use of alkaline detergents or solvents during this procedure to clean the seat and walls.

It is important you clean every corner of the floor and thoroughly as well. If possible you can make use of hot water; brush and detergent on the floors to enable you easily remove any grease from the floors. 

Descaling the Steam Generator:

When you are about to descale the steam generator, switch it on and let the water boil after which you should turn off the generator. You will find a hexagonal nut on top of the generator which you are going to have to screw off. Take note though, that screw is going to be hot because you just turned on the generator to boil the water. Via the pipe with the aid of a funnel, put in citric acid powder into the tank. At this point, you can now put back the nut you removed. The generator will automatically flush itself and rinses the tank after about 15 minutes after which you can now make use of your steam generator again.

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Barrel Sauna Maintenance Technic

1. Frequent cleaning of the floors always does the trick for your floors and keeps them looking great even after long use. Do not make use of harsh cleaning agents or ammonia except you would like your wood looking gray which doesn’t seem fine. Use mild liquid cleaners to clean it as often as possible to remove dirt and debris or any form of stain.
2. You can afford to use a sauna preservative on your interior. One which has a specifically formulated sealant and can help prevent any form of discoloration on your wood. 
3. Depending on the seasons and moisture levels in the home you might find that the doors might begin to have some form of swellings. To keep this in check, you can remove the friction door catch and adjust the pressure setting. You can replace the light bulb with any 40 – 60 watt bulb of any color of your choice. It is always advised sometimes to make use of amber-orange bulbs for soft, warm and comfortable light. 
4. It is generally a recommendation that you stain then outside of any outdoor sauna to protect its wooden surface from any element be it rain or the likes.
5. The heaters usually require a little or mostly no maintenance at all. When trying to clean it, ensure to use a soft cloth with a mild, non-abrasive cleaner. Never make use of steel wools in this cleaning as they tend to leave iron particles and create rust stains. Only call a qualified person or a sauna manufacturing company personnel should you need to open the electric box. Frequently check the stones to see if there is any one of them broken or cracked. You might need to change your stones after some 6 to 10 years for maximum and better steam room experience.
6. Excessive exposure can be somewhat harmful to a person’s with health issues. It is advised that you consult your doctors before use of the steam room. 

Maintenance your Dry Sauna

1. This step is very much essential in making you enjoy the best of your dry sauna. Ensure to keep the floors clean at all times. Sweep the floors to keep them clean of dirt, hairs, dust, or debris as the presence of them tends not to make your sauna presentable. This cleaning should be done very frequently and as often as possible.
2. Clean the benches and the walls after every use. Because the benches are made of wood, try as much as possible not to allow much amount of water to get saturated or soaked into it. Use a mild soap and a soft cloth or sponge to clean the benches and walls with a little amount of water. By doing this more often you tend not to have tough stains left on them. 
3. There are different ways to clean your heater but this is majorly determined by the kind of heater you use. 

If you do make use of a wood burner then you would need to take out the buildup constantly to clean it. 

For an electric burner, all you need do is get a non-abrasive cleaner, use a sponge and clean off any dust, debris, dirt or fingerprints that might be on it. 

If it is the sauna stones you use in heat generation then get ready to soak them in a mild soap about once a month and check for any cracked or broken stones and have them replaced. 

1. Due to frequent usage of the dry sauna, over time the benches and walls may become victims of discoloration. You can easily tackle off this by using sandpaper on the wood surface. Just apply a little fine sand over the spot and scrub with the sandpaper till the discoloration goes off.
2. Check your sauna regularly for any other thing that might need fixing, tightening or replacement. Maybe like door hinges, handles, screws, and others. 
3. After checking for damages and fixing them and also keeping your sauna clean, it is important to try preventing further damages as well. Ensure anyone using the sauna is laying towels on the benches and not sitting directly on them to avoid leaving any dirt, sweat or dead skin on the wood of the benches, backrests or walls. 
4. Make sure you keep a paper stating the rules and regulations, dos and don’ts of the sauna to ensure that the sauna is properly used and help avoid further damages or issues.

Cedar Sauna Maintenance

Step 1:

Keep it original. As much as changing the color or look might seem appealing, do not change the color. Don’t paint, spray, varnish or stain it for any reason. The wood needs to breathe and leaving it natural is the best way. Natural wood tends to feel soft when penetrated by heat and brings out a nice, enjoyable aroma. A stained or painted surface would tend to feel hot when heated thus releasing heated fumes which are not good for the health. 

Step 2:

Never forget to clean your sauna after each use. If possible, keep a cloth by the door of your sauna so whenever you are done or anyone using it is, you would remember to clean it. Wipe it clean with mild soap and clean water. Wipe off all the parts you touched from backrest, walls, and benches. Constant cleaning after use would keep the sauna in great condition for a very long time and you won’t need to scrub off any tough stains later on.

Step 3:

After cleaning and mopping up your sauna, you would need to open the doors to dry it up. Opening up the doors allows some fresh air in to remove any odor or form of bad smell.

Step 4:

Whenever you see dirt or mold beginning to form on the surface of the wood, it is essential you use a hand brush to clean it off. Use warm water and a bar of mild soap to add some cleaning power to it. 

If the soap cleaning doesn’t get it looking as new, then you can make use of sand and sandpaper to clean it but this is advised to be done periodically. Should you see mold forming up or no leaving, then you can bleach it up after which you can return to step 2 for final cleaning. Open it up for air until the bleach and its smell totally evaporates.

Step 5:

For a sauna used very often and frequently, you would need to mop it often to remove dust, dirt, debris or maybe any form of hair. Mop and clean it thoroughly using a mild deodorizing soap to give a nice smell. 

Helo Sauna Maintenance

Step 1:

It is not advised to paint, varnish, spray or stain the surface of the sauna interior. Since it is made of wood, it is best to allow the wood to breathe. Artificial finishing on the wood can create a hot surface for the wood thereby making it release fumes which are harmful to the body. 

Step 2:

One of the simplest and easiest ways to keep your sauna well maintained is by frequent cleaning after each use. Keep a cloth or soft hand brush by the door so you can get it cleaned after use. Just an about 30 second’s scrub is good enough for your sauna. Use water and mild soap to accomplish this and not an abrasive cleaning agent.

Step 3:

After you are done with the cleaning process, it is good to leave your sauna open for a while to allow it to dry up and some good fresh air to go in. This will help the wood and other parts of the sauna dry up fast.

Step 4:

If you find some hard stains on the surface and interior of your sauna, that is if you had missed step 2 maybe a couple of times, use a hard brush, warm water, and mild soap to brush it off. If you wish to get them looking fresh and new, use sandpaper and fine sand to scratch off the discoloration of the wood. It should become smooth and fine after some seconds scrub.

Step 5:

If you tend to use your sauna regularly, endeavor to mop the floors of your sauna often to remove any trace of dirt, dust, hair or debris from the floors. 

Step 6:

Inspect your sauna as often as possible to check for anything which needs some attention either fixing or repairs. Check the screws for any one that requires tightening. Frequent checks will help you attend to any repair issues as they come so as not to have them compounded later on.

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Maintenance Checklist for Saunas

1. Try to always discourage users from entering the sauna directly from a swimming pool as the chemicals from it, for example, chlorine, is sure to reduce the durability and longevity of the wood and could lead to discolorations.
2. Go into the sauna when it has successfully cooled down to make the appropriate inspections on it. Should it not meet your standards or requirements, be sure to get it fixed to create a healthy, safe and nice sauna environment for yourself and customers, that is if you run a commercial sauna.
3. Frequently inspect the benches and floors. Check them for loose flats, fasteners, rough spots, cracks or broken areas as these could tend to cause injuries to users.
4. Always try to check the control and heaters as often as possible. Inspect to know of any broken stones, high limit cut-off switch and timers, any thermostat not operating properly or any loose knobs. 
5. Often inspect the safeguard fence of the heater. Always make sure the safeguard fence is in good and sturdy condition for use. If not, repair following installation instructions or ask for professional help.
6. Have a well-trained, licensed and insured electrician on call. Have him check for loose or frayed wires, electrical shorts, properly functioning high limit switch, any burnt out heating elements and thermostats. 

Most especially for commercial sauna owners, if your users enjoy a very frequent usage of your sauna then you would need to run these checks more often than you even might think. Most commercial sauna owners are advised to refurbish their sauna after every 10 years but a sound maintenance check and replacements of some parts can lengthen the period of this interval.

How to Clean a Sauna?

After each use, you must ensure to clean the sauna so you don’t get to leave the dirt or stains on the wood for too long so it doesn’t become a permanent dent. There are a few steps you need to follow to achieve a good regular cleaning exercise for your sauna.

Scrub backrest, walls, and benches:

After each use, it is advised you take out time to clean and scrub the area you sat on or others did if it is a sauna that can occupy more than one person at a time. About 30 seconds of scrubbing with a brush, soap, and water and rinsing with clean water can just about do the trick. 

Use Hard Brush on Stains:

When cleaning, it would be better to use a hard brush on any stain found on any part of the benches or its surface. Early scrubbing off of stains like that would help your sauna retains its fine colored surfaced. Always try to lay a clean towel on the surface of the sauna before seating to prevent any form of dirt, dead skin or sweat from getting into the wood.

Clean the floor:

It is necessary to clean the floor always. You should ensure you clean the floor at least weekly to remove dirt or hair particles.

Use Disinfectant:

Use disinfectants to wash the drains and ventilation areas so as to prevent them from breeding pathogens and bacteria.

Just as we said you need to clean your sauna after each use, you also might need to clean them regularly as a normal cleaning exercise. Just the way you do your normal home clean-up. It would serve you better to make sure your sauna is well and properly taken care of and maintained.

Rinse it frequently:

You should endeavor to rinse out your sauna frequently maybe like after some days. You would need to clean it out with soap, something mild and not too harsh so it doesn’t have an adverse effect on the wood. After that, you rinse it out with water. It would be preferable to use a hose as it would allow you to rinse it out efficiently.

Sand your Benches:

Always try to sand your benches maybe once or twice a year to keep that beauty and color still glowing. It will help you get rid of anything that might have gathered on it throughout the year and also make sure he surface remains smooth.

Wipe off molds:

Whenever you notice any sign of mold or a gathering of it, always try to clean it off immediately. Some saunas do come with their chemical solution but in cases where there are none, make use of bleach solution and then you would need some disinfectants to help prevent them.

Mop Floors Regularly:

Always try to mop the floors regularly with soap and water and deodorizing cleaners to give it a nice smell. Some sauna manufacturers provide you with their cleaning agents. In cases where they don’t provide, stick to soap and water for better sauna maintenance. Don’t make use of harsh chemicals in cleaning your sauna. 

Exterior cleaning:

Endeavor to clean the exterior part of the sauna. It helps keep your sauna looking nice and attractive from the outside. This cleaning should be done periodically and not always. If your sauna is mainly kept outside, then you should make use of a pressure washer. Try not to use the pressure washer on the interior because of the difference in the wood texture.

General Maintenance:

Try to carry out general maintenance on your sauna as often as needed. Just like a normal room or normal appliance, your sauna sometimes needs attention on maintenance like repairs and the likes. Try to make sure you attend to them as often as they come to avoid a large workload later on. Once in a while, check your door hinges and other appliances in your sauna to know which might need fixing.

Sauna Maintenance Cost

The Control Panel:

Changing the control panel is not as expensive as you might presume. The control panel allows the user access to control the temperature and humidity inside the sauna. Changing it averages about between $290 and $600,

Lighting:

Sometimes referred to as mood lights differ in price because of the various sizes and kinds. Most of them change colors and possesses different ranges of colors giving you a choice to pick depending on your mood. The mood light ranges from $100 to $1000.

Seating:

The seating in a sauna also comes in different sizes and construction materials as though some are more durable and attractive than others. This keeps the price of this at $65 to $650.

Sound System:

Some saunas do come with sound systems. Some of them are of high-quality and others not that good while others do not have that feature at all. You can choose to install one if your sauna doesn’t have or replace the previous one. The price differs depending on the system you choose to purchase but they all range between $100 and $1500.

Ventilation:

A good sauna deserves the right ventilation. It requires adequate and proper airflow and vents. You can have an electrician wire up a fan and an air vent system should they need fixing. Most of them do charge about $65 or $85 per hour.

Wood Preservation:

Most great saunas are made of wood and wood after a few years would require the addition of a wood preservative. A gallon of this averages at $35 to $45 for one.

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