How to care for your sauna
A well-built cedar sauna lasts for decades if you let it dry after every session and do a short check each season. This is everything we tell new owners at delivery.
After every session
Two minutes
- 01
Leave the door open and the vent cracked
The most important habit. The room needs to dry out completely between sessions. Damp cedar in a closed room turns grey and develops odours.
- 02
Rinse the benches with clean water
Pour a ladle of fresh water over the benches, then wipe with a cloth. Sit on a towel during sessions and you will rarely need more than this.
- 03
Empty the bucket
Standing water swells the staves and stains the floor. Tip it out and hang the ladle.
Every month or two
A quick look
- 01
Scrub the benches
Warm water, a stiff brush, and mild soap if needed. Rinse well and let it dry with the door open. Never use a pressure washer or bleach.
- 02
Check the stones
Restack any that have shifted so air moves through the pile. Once a year, pull them, rinse the dust off, and replace any that have cracked or crumbled. Fresh stones make noticeably better steam.
- 03
Lightly sand any rough spots
Fine sandpaper on the bench tops brings back the smooth, pale cedar. Wipe off the dust afterwards.
Spring and fall
An afternoon
- 01
Oil the exterior (optional)
Bare cedar turns silver-grey within a few years and stays structurally sound. To keep the warm colour, apply a penetrating exterior oil every one to two years. Exterior only. Never oil or seal the interior.
- 02
Tighten the bands on a barrel
Cedar expands and contracts with the seasons. If a band on your barrel has loosened, a few turns of the nut tightens it. We show you how at delivery.
- 03
Wood-fired: sweep the chimney
Once a season for regular use. Burn dry, seasoned hardwood or birch and very little creosote will build up. Empty the ash pan when it is half full.
- 04
Electric: check the controller and seals
Make sure the sensor is clean and the door seal is tight. If a heater ever behaves unexpectedly, turn it off and call us.
Winter care
- 01Keep snow cleared off the roof and away from the walls so melting snow cannot sit against the cedar.
- 02Allow a longer warm-up in cold weather. At minus thirty, a wood stove needs an extra twenty minutes and a second load of wood.
- 03Take the bucket inside afterwards so the water does not freeze.
- 04Use it regularly. A sauna that is heated twice a week stays drier than one that sits unused.
