Essential Tips for Your Outdoor Home Sauna Maintenance and Care

Maintaining and caring for your outdoor home sauna is cheaper than pools and hot tubs. The best home saunas require minimal maintenance and repairs. However, if you own an outdoor home sauna, you must keep it in good condition to prolong its life span. To achieve this, it’s important to know how to properly maintain and care for it.  

Besides sweeping and vacuuming the floors, wiping the backrests and benches occasionally will help keep your sauna in great condition. But there are more maintenance and care tips you should know, as seen below.

The more You use Your Outdoor Home Sauna, the More Maintenance is Required

Whether you have a one or two-person home sauna, the frequency of use will determine its maintenance needs. One of the most important things to do upon completing your home sauna installation is to protect all wooden surfaces before using the sauna for the first time.

Repeating the maintenance procedure at least once annually would be ideal. However, if you use your outdoor home sauna often, you want to treat the wood frequently. Use a breathable wood preservative to treat your sauna's wooden frames, elements, and components.

Use preservatives every now and then. Remember, preservatives enhance the wood’s resistance to moisture and dirt, easing its cleaning process. Clean the sauna thoroughly before embarking on the maintenance process. Wipe seating and wooden surfaces to remove dust. Use a soft cloth or brush to clean ceilings and walls. 

Avoid Disinfectants: They are not Ideal for Saunas

Instead of using a disinfectant for your sauna, consider a suitable detergent for wood. Always follow the cleaning instructions on your detergent of choice to the letter. Remember, cleaning agents unsuitable for wood can bleach your wooden home sauna and cause irreversible damage. Never use flowing water or a pressure washer when cleaning your sauna.

Excessive moisture and intense pressure can cause permanent damage to the top surface and structure of the wood. However, you can sand the wood to remove stubborn dirt or stains by gently moistening the wooden surface with water and allowing it to dry. Proceed to polish it with sandpaper. Clear the dust created and use a wood preservative to treat the sanded area. 

Use Dirt-repellent Products to Protect the Wood

Apply a dirt-repellent product longitudinally to the wood’s grain. Choose a finishing product designed for saunas to maintain the ceilings and walls of your home sauna. This product is often moisture- and mold-resistant and specially designed to form a thin dirt and water-repellent protective layer on the wood. Use a suitable preservative to treat the seating surfaces of your home sauna bench.

Avoid using vanishes or paints as they prevent the wood from breathing. Inspect the fastenings of the supports and benches when caring for and maintaining your home sauna. Re-tighten any loose screws whenever necessary.

Understanding the Proper Use of Your Outdoor Home Sauna

Properly using a luxury home sauna is crucial to prolonging its lifespan. Here are tips to help you use your sauna effectively.

·       Rinse Your Feet

Always wash your feet in a bucket or shower before entering your outdoor home sauna. Failure to do so means introducing soil and debris into the unit, increasing the chances of contamination. 

·       Curing 

Cure your outdoor home sauna, especially if you’re using it for the first time. Adjust the unit’s temperature to high and let it run for approximately one hour, depending on your home sauna design and type.

·       Use Rugs and Towels

Sweating while inside your home sauna means the unit is working effectively. However, perspired body oils from your sweat can leave stains and discoloration on the sauna’s backrests and benches. To prevent this, wrap yourself in a towel and step on rugs to clean your feet. 

·       Avoid Hard Water

Hard water contains calcium and magnesium salts. Avoid using hard water because when the steam cools down, calcium and magnesium salts precipitate and form a lime buildup, which can be difficult to clean.

When that happens, you’ll lose the aesthetic value of your unit and could end up spending lots of money on cleaning and maintenance. To clean the damages resulting from hard water, clean the affected areas using sanding discs and rinse with a mild cleaning product or water.

How to Conduct Maintenance Checks on Your Outdoor Home Sauna

Caring for and maintaining your outdoor home sauna starts with regular inspection. The easiest way to conduct an inspection is during your sauna sessions. Keeping your sauna clean every day is less challenging. However, you must also monitor the smaller details to ensure your unit serves you accordingly. Here are some of the core things to watch out for.

• Inspect the wood thoroughly, both externally and internally. Ensure it’s not cracked, charred, stained, or warped. 
• Check the exterior and framing for any deterioration or UV damage. Watch out for water ingress, peeling vanish, or weathered and loose screws. 
• Check any electrical elements. If you have an at-home sauna with red light therapy, ensure the bulbs are operational. Hire a professional electrician to inspect the wiring regularly. 

If you identify issues requiring repairs, tend to them immediately. Delaying the repair process could reduce your sauna experience or even render the unit hazardous. 

Maintaining Wood Fired Heaters

Are you waiting longer than usual for your outdoor home sauna to warm up? Ensure that the heater is working well. Besides spoiling your sauna experience, a damaged heater can be a safety risk.

To keep your heater working well for longer, consider inspecting it at least once annually. To conduct regular checks, you’ll need to remove the stones and clean the wood-burning oven. Use a flashlight to inspect your structures and surfaces thoroughly. If you notice cracks or holes, replace the heater with a new one. 

Cleaning Your Outdoor Home Sauna Heater Stones

Failure to clean and re-stack your sauna’s heater stones exposes them to flattening over time. Re-stacking is a great way to ensure airflow between the stones. All you need to execute the cleaning process is to brush the stones using warm water and a soft-bristled brush. Are your stones showing signs of crumbling or turning yellowish? Do they sound hollow when you tap them together? That’s a call to replace them. 

Finally

For easy outdoor home sauna maintenance, follow these simple yet essential tips when and after using your sauna. Always remove excessive moisture after using your outdoor home sauna shower combo by wiping the benches and leaving the door open for a while. Caring for and maintaining your sauna reduces operational costs while guaranteeing a healthy lifestyle.

Additionally, avoid wearing wet swimsuits in the sauna because the water could damage the benches. Wrap yourself with towels or covers when using your home sauna to keep your bench looking fresh for longer and feel comfortable as you sit on the hot wood.

Use a moist cloth to wipe the bench every time after use, and avoid using running water to clean the bench. Besides prolonging your home sauna’s lifespan, these simple tips will improve your experience.