Sauna usage & maintenance guidelines

Sauna is a great way to unwind, relax, and warm up during the cold weather. Among many health benefits, sauna is thought to be able to relieve pain, improve performance in sports, temporarily relieve cold symptoms, and reduce stress. However, it’s important to use a sauna in moderation.

Avoid saunas if you have any high-risk medical conditions. Saunas are considered safe for most users, but some people need to take extra precautions. If you are taking medications or have any medical conditions, also if you are pregnant or trying to conceive – always check sauna question with your doctor first. Some illnesses, such as a cold, might benefit from a short visit. Others might get worse. You should definitely avoid using sauna, if you have high blood pressure or heart disease.

In a steam bath (also called Russian) the air temperature reaches 70°C and the humidity reaches 80-100%. Before going to the sauna room, you need to take a shower and stay in the sauna for the first 10-15 minutes. It is recommended to visit the sauna 2-3 times. Before you go to the sauna again, it is good to cool down to avoid stress on the heart. Low temperatures and high humidity do not frustrate people, but they are pleasantly warming up and relaxing.

Using moderate temperature of around 70°C is beneficial not only for your health, but also for your sauna, which is important if you seek to prolong its service life. High humidity and moderate temperature prevent timber splits, gaps in walls and resin leakages, which may appear if extremely high temperature is used.

To prevent this from happening, make sure sauna temperature does not exceed 80°C.

If this has already happened and resin leakage has appeared, the resin drops have to be removed by using sandpaper or a polishing device. Most of the time, the resin will appear first above the heater. To avoid skin burns, it is mandatory to remove resin before it starts leaking. Do not perform this action while the sauna is still hot, let the sauna and the heater to cool down first. If resin is still liquid, we recommend cleaning it with a special cleaning agent, please refer to your Sales Manager for the cleaning product available.

To generate high humidity, water the benches and sauna walls before turning on the heater/kindling up the oven. This will not allow for wood to dry out and prevent from movement in the walls, which may appear for its natural origin put in extreme conditions. Therefore, we recommend watering the sauna before use and sticking to moderate temperatures of below 80°C and thus enjoying healthy bathing sensations. Moreover, the specialists say, that the best health effects can be attained by using the sauna 4 to 7 times a week at a temperature of below 80°C, for approximately 20 minutes at a time.

BASIC SAUNA USAGE GUIDELINES

It is important to follow certain sauna safety and health guidelines every time you visit a sauna.

  1. Never wear any jewelry in a sauna and make sure your swimsuit does not contain any slimming panels or metal parts. The metal may heat up and possibly burn skin.
  2. Never wear any creams or lotions. They not only will run with your sweat and make an oily mess, but also, they will clog up your pores and keep your skin from breathing and sweating.
  3. Bring a clean, cotton towel to sit on. This will help keep you clean, as well as protect the benches from body oils.
  4. Protect hair with a towel or turban, regardless of its length. The intense heat can dry out the hair shafts, causing hair to be brittle and possibly break off.
  5. Do not eat before you take a sauna as you could become nauseated.
  6. Never eat in the sauna or drink alcoholic beverages. Drinking alcohol can possibly lower blood pressure and cause dizziness.
  1. Be very careful when moving in the Sauna, as the benches and floors may be slippery.
  2. Never throw water on the stones when there are people near the stove, because hot steam may burn their skin.
  1. After leaving the sauna, step into cooler air, a swimming pool or a cold shower to cool down.
  2. Alternate between the hot and cold to get the most out of a sauna experience.
  3. To prevent your body from dehydration, drink plenty of cool water—between 2 to 4 glasses—after leaving the sauna.
  4. Follow up with a shower, but skip on the soap. Start off using warm water. Once the sweat is all gone, lower the temperature to a pleasantly cool one. This will help your body cool down further.
  5. If you must use soap, go for a mild, natural soap. Saunas cause your pores to open up, and harsh soaps can irritate your skin.
  6. Moisturize your skin after you use the sauna. Your skin can quickly become dry when it hits the air again.
  7. Stick to moderate temperatures of around 70°C and attain the best health effects from sauna.
  8. Do not stay in a sauna for longer than 15 to 20 minutes. It’s okay to get out sooner if you start to feel uncomfortable. The human body is not made to withstand such high temperatures for long periods of time.
  1. Leave the sauna immediately if you start to feel dizzy, nauseous, or lightheaded.
  1. Do not leave children or disabled people without supervision in sauna. Sauna is strictly forbidden for babies and not recommended for younger kids.
  1. Do not leave the sauna unattended, if you use the wood-burning heater.
  2. Do not hang clothes to dry in the Sauna, as this may cause a risk of fire.
  3. Rest for at least ten minutes after getting out of a sauna. Don’t jump straight to your next work out.Instead, find a cool place where you can sit still or lay down. This will give your body some time to recuperate and your heart rate to slow down.

SAUNA MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES

SAUNA CLEANING

Proper maintenance of the sauna will keep the environment clean, prevent bacteria and mold from growing, and make sure you get a great experience each time you use it.

Keep your sauna clean to prevent the build-up and spread of bacteria. Wash your feet before entering the sauna. As your sauna routine may include jumping into the lake and going back and forth many times, make sure you do not bring unnecessary debris.

Scrub the benches, walls, and backrests after use. If you have a personal sauna and use it regularly, you’ll want to clean it once a week using a natural cleaning product, such as vinegar. Never use anything with chemicals. Here is what you should do:

  • Vacuum the sauna to get rid of dust, hair, and dead skin cells.
  • Dip a hand brush into a bucket of water and scrub down all the areas. To disinfect the sauna, wipe down the benches and backrests with diluted white vinegar.
  • Use baking soda on stubborn stains, especially oil-based ones.
  • Rinse the wood down with clean water when you are finished.
  • If stains are particularly difficult to get out, use a light sandpaper to sand down that part of the wood.

 

Also make sure to clean the ashes from the wood-burning oven each time after sauna usage. Never clean it while it is still hot, let it cool down first.

SAUNA VENTILATION

Ventilate the sauna each time after usage. After usage, once you clean the sauna, leave the door open in the warm season and vent-hole in the cold season so that sauna can be aired out completely.

Empty wooden bucket and place it upside down to dry, preferably outside the sauna.

Lit up the heater to make sure it is completely dry after sauna usage.

REGULAR MAINTENANCE

Rinse out the sauna. Clean out your sauna with soap, diluted white vinegar, baking soda and a hose to rinse it down. You don’t want anything stronger than a mild cleaner, so avoid stronger chemicals. Also make sure that the cleaner is suitable for wooden surfaces in humid rooms and follow the instructions and never clean a sauna while it’s still hot, let it cool.

Sand the benches annually. At least once a year, make sure to sand down your benches with fine sandpaper. This will help get rid of any impurities that may have gathered over the year, as well as smooth out the surface again. When you are finished, the wood should be a “like new” white color.

Clean out mold. If you notice mold, go after it immediately.

Mop the floor. It can be beneficial to mop the floor with a deodorizing cleaner to get rid of any odors left over. Remember to avoid stronger chemical cleaners, and stick to soap and water.

Periodically pressure wash the exterior. If your sauna is a separate building outdoors, use a pressure washer to clean off the outside. This will keep your sauna looking nice. Be very careful not to use the pressure washer on the interior. The wood inside the sauna is softer, and the pressure washer can damage it.

Perform general maintenance. Like any room or building, your sauna will probably also have little things that need work. Make sure to tighten any loose screws and brush out water spots as they appear. This will keep your sauna in good condition, and prevent you from having to do more work later. If your sauna has a wooden door, the humidity may cause the door to swell. Keep an eye on the door’s hinges to make sure it opens and closes properly.

SAUNA TREATMENT

SAUNA EXTERIOR

Pine-wood

Pinewood is a natural material and it changes depending on weather conditions. Therefore, it is recommended to process a sauna exterior immediately after assembly with wood impregnation to protect it and prolong its service life. We definitely recommend that you process the door and windows with a wood impregnation agent, and do it namely both inside and outside. In general, we recommend for the conclusive finishing a weather protection paint that will protect wood from moisture and UV radiation after the product is assembled. Consult a specialist regarding paints suitable for unprocessed softwood and follow the paint manufacturer’s instructions. Sauna service life will be much longer after having properly painted. We recommend that you inspect it thoroughly at least once a year.

Using Oil

Over time the wood is affected due to sunlight, precipitation, and other weather conditions, therefore the outside of the sauna should be oiled at least twice a year in order to keep its color and look. Linseed oil is one of our recommendations for the exterior parts as it is natural, forms a weatherproof layer, thickens the wood and brings out its texture. We strongly recommend treating the door and windows with a wood impregnation agent, both the inside and outside, in order to protect them from twisting.

Thermo-wood

All timber products, including the ones produced from thermo-wood it is mandatory to impregnate to protect them in different weather conditions. Semi-transparent oil, wax or pigment coating protects the thermo-wood from exposure to UV and maintains its natural appearance. Most often brown pigment containing outdoor oil or paintings are used. After coating, the thermo-wood looks a bit darker.

SAUNA ROOM

Usage of different sauna wood oils for particular parts – will keep natural wood color, reduce moisture absorption and protect from dirt. Before starting using the sauna you should decide whether you are keeping your sauna natural or you are willing to use preservatives inside the sauna. You may also use it only for particular parts, like benches, floor or for the whole surface inside. Sauna wood oil will keep the natural wood color, reduce moisture absorption of wood and protect it from dirt.

Proper maintenance of the sauna will simply extend its lifetime.

Sauna usage & maintenance guidelines – Sauna is a great way to unwind, relax, and warm up. However, it’s important to use a sauna in moderation.

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