Like any investments you may make make, care should be taken to protect it. Your sauna is no different. While saunas do not require an intensive amount of care, there are certain things that can be done to enhance their performance, comfort, and allow you to maximize the lifespan of the room itself. One of the easiest things you can do to enhance the interior of your sauna and prolong it’s lifespan is by protecting or treating the wood inside the room.
Learning how to care for your sauna wood is a simple, easy measure that can be taken to increase the longevity of your sauna. In this article, we’ve written a step by step guide on how to protect and treat the wood on the interior of your sauna room. We’ve also some things you should not do to the interior wood of your sauna. For more, take a look at the guide below.
What Do You Use To Treat And Protect Sauna Wood?
The best product for protecting the wood in your sauna is paraffin oil. Paraffin oil is a natural product that is hypoallergenic, meaning it is color and fragrance free. While you can choose to wear gloves or hand coverings while applying paraffin oil to the wood of your sauna, they are not required.
Paraffin oil will work on all wood types used in sauna rooms. One thing you should be aware of when choosing to treat your sauna wood with paraffin oil is that it will enhance the fibers of the wood, so it’s always best to apply a small amount to an unnoticeable area of your sauna prior to treating the entire room. Paraffin oil has been used for decades in sauna rooms and is one of the most popular and effective ways to protect your sauna wood and improve it’s performance over a long lifespan.
Should you apply a small amount of paraffin oil to the wood and not enjoy it’s appearance, we advise a regular bench wipe down. You should not have to clean your sauna benches after every use, though some folks do choose to. There are many avid sauna users that have never treated their wood, or cleaned it outside of splashing occasional water on the benches.
The wood used in saunas is specifically chosen to be the longest lasting in high heat and humid areas, regardless of whether or not you choose to treat it the wood should last for quite some time. Should your sauna wood be rotting or breaking down, we’d advise replacing it.
If you are in need of replacing your sauna wood, give us a call or contact us online. We can custom cut any size material you need for your sauna room, whether it’s a small patch or the entire room. We will always put your best interests first and take tremendous pride on our customer service and delivery. Call (763)688-1488 with any questions you may have!
Steps to Treating Your Sauna Wood To Better Protect It:
- Ensure that your sauna is as dry as possible prior to beginning treatment.
- You may choose to turn on your sauna prior to treating, to further evaporate any moisture.
- Warm your paraffin oil prior to use, when it is warm it will absorb more quickly (you may simply place the bottle next to your sauna heater while it warms) – paraffin oil is not flammable but do not place the bottle on the sauna heater rocks themselves.
- If you’ve purchased your paraffin oil from Sauna Supply Company, the kit includes a sponge. Use this to spread the oil on wooden surfaces, typically your sauna benches.
- For any tight corners, you may choose to use the enclosed brush.
- Let the paraffin oil absorb anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Observe how quickly the oil absorbs into the wood. If it absorbs in a shorter time period than 30 minutes, many people choose to spread a bit more product.
- Wash your cleaning supplies and store them for their next use.
- Dispose of leftover empty paraffin oil bottles.
Cleaning and protecting your sauna wood really is that simple! It’s a straightforward process that provides major benefits to your sauna room.
Don’t Do This To Your Interior Sauna Wood
Treating and protecting the interior of your sauna should be done only with paraffin oil or a damp cloth. You should never stain or paint the interior of your sauna, due to the extreme heat and humidity inside the room itself and the chemicals found in these types of products.
Should you desire to darken the interior of your sauna by applying anything to the wood, we recommend an approved sauna wax.