How to clean and maintain a sauna
A sauna is one of the lowest-maintenance things you'll ever own, as long as you do a few small things consistently. Here's the schedule, by sauna type.
After every session (2 minutes)
- Sit on a towel and put one under your feet. This prevents 90% of staining.
- Wipe the bench with a damp cloth where you sat and where sweat dripped.
- Leave the door open (and vents open) so it dries fully. Closed, damp saunas grow mildew; open ones don't.
- Traditional: leave the heater on for 10 minutes after the last round with the door open to dry the room, then switch off.
Weekly or every few sessions
- Vacuum or sweep the floor and under the benches.
- Wash benches and backrests with warm water and a splash of mild dish soap or a dedicated sauna cleaner. Rinse with a damp cloth. No bleach, no ammonia, no pressure washers; they strip and grey the wood.
- Infrared: wipe the emitter guards and the glass door with a damp cloth. Keep water away from the emitters and electronics.
Every few months
- Light sanding of benches with 120-grit paper removes sweat marks and raised grain and makes the wood feel new. Takes ten minutes.
- Check the door seals and hinges; tighten screws.
- Traditional: take the stones out, rinse off dust, discard any that have cracked or crumbled, and restack loosely so air flows between them. Check heater elements for sagging or scale.
- Barrels: re-tighten the steel bands a quarter turn if they've loosened as the wood settles.
Once or twice a year
- Outdoor saunas: oil or stain the exterior. Penetrating oils (tung, linseed-based sauna oils) are easiest to reapply; film-forming stains last longer but need stripping eventually. Never finish the interior with anything but a paraffin-based sauna bench oil; varnish and paint off-gas at temperature and get sticky.
- Check the roof for debris, moss and seal around the chimney or vent.
- Wood-fired: sweep the chimney, check gaskets and firebricks, empty ash more often than you think.
- Electrical: look for discolored wiring at the heater terminals; if anything looks scorched, call the electrician.
Specific problems
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Dark sweat stains on benches | Sand with 120-grit; for deep stains, a 50/50 hydrogen peroxide and water wipe, then sand |
| Mildew spots | Scrub with warm water and a little dish soap; dry fully; improve ventilation. Persistent: diluted white vinegar |
| Grey, weathered exterior | Cosmetic. Sand lightly and oil, or let it grey evenly |
| Smell of hot dust (traditional, first use of season) | Normal; run it empty with the door open for 20 minutes |
| Infrared emitter not heating | Check the controller setting first; then call the brand, which is what the warranty is for |
| Cracked stones | Replace; cracked stones crumble and can short against elements |
| Door sticks | Wood swelling; sand the edge lightly and wax it |
What not to do
- Don't hose down or steam-clean the interior.
- Don't use bleach, ammonia, or scented cleaners; residue bakes into the wood and into the air you breathe.
- Don't paint, varnish or polyurethane any interior surface.
- Don't dry clothes or towels in the sauna.
- Don't store cleaning products inside; the heat degrades them.
Kept dry and wiped down, a cedar or hemlock sauna lasts 20 years or more. The heater and emitters are the parts that eventually need replacing, and good brands cover those for 5 years to life; see the warranty column in our rankings.