Noticing a funny smell in your infrared (IR) sauna? Bacteria buildup from improper cleaning may be the culprit.
While IR saunas can impart various health benefits to your body, you still need to take care of it just like your own body and ensure it lasts longer for years to come.
In this article, join Sun Stream Saunas in uncovering cleaning tips you can implement in your next session to keep the foul odours away and maintain their freshness.
Cleaning the Areas In Your Infrared Sauna
You might be surprised, but cleaning and maintenance is a quick and easy process. Unlike traditional saunas that generate moisture, infrared variations work on dry heat, which means you need to do little to no cleaning.
Granted, they still do require occasional cleaning because you still sweat out toxins after every use. These cleaning tips exist more as suggestions and guidelines you can follow, to help preserve your unit and maintain its performance for years to come.
Here’s how you can keep the various areas in your IR sauna clean:
Bench
The bench is arguably the most heavily-used area, which is why we’ll need to take extra care to clean it.
Why? Because sweat can attract bacteria and cause foul odours to develop. While harmful elements in your sweat itself don’t have a bad smell, its resulting metabolisation by attracted bacterial cultures can release unpleasant smells.
To minimise any foul odours from occurring, we highly recommend putting a clean towel on the bench and under your feet during infrared saunas Perth sessions. This ensures that your towel will catch any sweat, oil, dirt, or debris your body will release.
The towels can also prevent sweat stains from forming while providing a layer of comfort to sit on.
Flooring
Next to the bench, your flooring is a magnet for bacteria and dirt that your feet drag in, which makes deep cleaning in this area a must.
A good way to do this is to vacuum once a month to collect any accumulated dust or dirt particles. Additionally, cleaning of your flooring from time to time with a 1:1 ratio of filtered/distilled water and white vinegar solution won’t hurt.
White vinegar is cheap, non-toxic, and eco-friendly, making it a safe choice for cleaning. It also doesn’t stain the wood, unlike when using baking soda.
Note: Using vinegar on infrared saunas Perth built with hardwood (like Canadian Western Red Cedar) is not recommended as it will eat away your hardwood’s finish.
Thankfully, most IR saunas are made of softwood. Our Sun Stream models, in particular, are made of 100% Canadian Hemlock, a type of softwood with hypoallergenic properties and no characteristic odour.
Another great way to minimise any dirt and dust buildup is to give yourself a quick rinse, pat, and dry before stepping in. Why? If your sauna is indoors, your body is the only pathway for dirt, dust, and other contaminants to enter. A great way to keep dirt out is to have a mat at its entrance for your feet to wipe.
Sauna Walls, Windows, and Heater
Your walls, windows, and heater take the least abuse out of all areas. However, you may still need to perform the occasional wipe-down using a damp sponge soaked in a safe cleaning solution of your choice, to remove buildups of dirt, dust and bacteria from time to time.
Note: We recommend avoiding painting or varnishing the interior. While it’s up to you to customise your property however you see fit, we keep the interior wood of our models purposely untreated to let it ‘breathe’ when heated.
You can, however, use lacquer on the exterior wood. For example, we use low-sheen lacquer, and Titebond wood glues on our models to provide the healthiest, toxic-free session possible.
Lastly, we highly recommend wiping off any noticeable signs of moisture or sweat in any of the areas with a clean towel after every use OR letting the sauna run for a few minutes to evaporate any excess moisture.
Get Infrared Saunas in Perth by Choosing Sun Stream Saunas
While IR saunas require minimal cleaning overall, we suggest implementing these quick and easy cleaning tips in your next maintenance schedule to help keep the air in your product fresher for longer and prevent any issues from taking root.
If you’re convinced on adding its routine into your own life (Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, or any point in Australia), don’t hesitate to contact us and see why our models are highly recommended by doctors, athletes, and health and wellness enthusiasts nationwide.