Because steam rooms are generally made with tile, stone, glass and other nonporous materials, they are less delicate and less prone to accumulate bacteria and mold than a wooden sauna. The same methods will work for your steam shower (or regular shower) as your steam room. The important thing is to match your cleaning method to the material you are cleaning or the problem you are addressing. Click here to learn how to clean your sauna.
To clean a steam room, you will want to scrub the walls and benches with a cleaning solution to prevent bacteria and mold growth. You should try to wipe the surface of any area which touches skin after every use. The entire steam room should be cleaned every two to four weeks. After cleaning, make sure the steam room is well ventilated so that it dries rapidly.
In cleaning and caring for your steam room, you will have two primary concerns: (1) the presence and the growth of mold and bacteria and (2) hard water stains caused by mineral deposits (usually calcium and magnesium), often referred to as “lime” or “limescale,” which accumulate on the surface of tiles, glass, faucets and drains.
Your primary weapon to deal with both bacteria and mold, as well as mineral deposits, will be to scrub regularly with a good liquid cleaning product. It is important to use a cleaner which is specified for the particular materials being cleaned.
Take special care with stone and wood as they can be damaged by many types of cleaners. If you have wood in your steam room, then you should follow this advice concerning cleaning and maintaining the wood in a sauna.
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Six Easy Steps to Clean Your Steam Room
- Spray (hold bottle 6 to 8 inches away from) the tile in your sauna with your antibacterial cleaner and let the cleaner sit on the tile for about five minutes.
- With a sponge or brush, begin scrubbing the tile. You will want to use long overlapping strokes.
- Once the walls are scrubbed, you will want to repeat the same process with the benches and seating areas of the steam room.
- Finally, mix some of your cleaner into a bucket and mop the floor. If you don’t mind getting on your knees, feel free to use the sponge or brush method on the floor as well.
- Now you should rinse the steam room. If you have access to a hose and sprayer, then begin rinsing from the top down. If you don’t, then use a milk jug or similar container to rinse the walls.
- Run your steam room’s exhaust fan or leave the door open and use a fan to circulate air to dry out the steam room.
Eliminating Bacteria and Mold
Bacteria. If you clean regularly, a simple mixture of water and vinegar will keep bacteria under control. Alternatively, all natural cleaner like this one, will get the job done and will not expose you or your steam room surfaces to harsh acids and chemicals.
Disinfectant Wipes, like these made by Lysol or these by Clorox are an extremely convenient option for daily wiping of surfaces like tile and glass.
Mold. If you clean your steam room regularly and vent it properly, you shouldn’t have to deal with mold. If, however, you do find mold in your steam room, you should invest in a powerful anti-mold product.
This product is meant specifically to handle mold, contains bleach, and comes highly recommended. Generally, you should avoid cleaning with bleach, but when dealing with mold, you want to eliminate it immediately and completely.
If you are looking for a cleaning product designed specifically for cleaning steam rooms and steam showers, there are not many available. Steam Room Kleena is one. It is expensive, but it will take care of both bacteria and mold.
Prevent mold and mildew by wiping down your steam room regularly. If your steam room has a ventilation fan, make sure to use it to dry your steam room after every use. If your steam room doesn’t have a ventilation fan, make sure to leave the steam room door open so excess moisture can evaporate.
Hot to clean for minerals (calcium, lime, limescale…)
Dawn and vinegar method – Mix equal parts dawn and vinegar. Put the Dawn-vinegar solution in a spray bottle and use to clean lime.
Glass doors – Limescale can accumulate on glass. If it is not cleaned, it can eventually damage the glass. If you clean glass which has not been cleaned in a long time had a thick build up of limescale, you might find that there are marks in the glass. This is because the minerals have etched the class. This is permanent and there isn’t really anything you can do at this point, except prevent further damage by cleaning regularly.
Trouble Areas
Grout
The two best methods for cleaning the grout between your steam room tiles is to use either a make-it-yourself baking soda concoction or a commercially sold cleaner designed specifically for cleaning grout. With either cleaning method, you are going to want to invest in a V-shaped brush like this. The V-shape bristles will be better at getting into the grooves between tiles than the typical flat brush.
Baking Soda Concoction. Mix two-parts baking soda with one-part hydrogen peroxide. Apply the concoction to the grout lines and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes and then scrub with your V-shaped brush. Now wipe up the dirty residue with a mop or sponge.
Grout-Eez. A faster method that doesn’t require whipping up your own concoction, is an acid wash product specially made for cleaning grout, like Grout-Eez. Simply pour along the grout lines between tiles and allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Next, scrub along the grout lines with a V-shape brush. Finally, use a mop and or sponge to clean up the dirty residue left over from scrubbing.
Warning – Grout-Eez is a powerful cleaner which is designed to be used on ceramic and porcelain tiles. Grout-Eez should not be used on natural stone (slate, marble, granite, quartzite…) Always read the label before using.
Drains
Your steam shower drain can become clogged by both hair and lime scale. To remedy both, pour a pot of boiling water down the drain. Next pour one cup of baking soda and then one cup of vinegar down the drain. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes and then pour another pot of boiling water down the drain.
Shower Heads, Faucets and Knobs
Lime scale tends to accumulate on shower heads, faucets and knobs. Because these are curved surface with small crevices, they can be particularly difficult to clean. For routine cleaning, just scrub shower heads, faucets and knobs when you are cleaning the steam room walls.
If you notice that limescale is accumulating, then the best way of dealing with it is to soak is to soak the shower head, knob or faucet in vinegar. Here are a few methods you can try:
- If the item you are cleaning can be removed, then remove it and soak it overnight in a bucket or bowl of vinegar.
- If the item is not easily removable, then you can try filling a ziplock bag with vinegar and using a rubber band to secure the bag of vinegar around the item you are cleaning so that it is submerged in the vinegar. Then soak it overnight.
- Alternatively, you can soak a paper towel in vinegar and then wrap the soaked paper towel on the surface of the item you are cleaning. Let it sit like this for one to do hours.
How Often to Clean Your Steam Room (or Steam Shower)
You should clean your steam room or steam shower every 2 to 4 weeks, but this advice is subject to your own judgment. If it looks clean and smells fresh, then it probably is and you can slide towards the 4 week end of the spectrum. If you have hard water and lime scale is a frequent problem, then you will probably have to clean more often.
If your steam room doubles as a shower, you will have to clean more often. The use of shampoo and soap will leave soap scum that you will want to wash before it accumulates.
Ultimately, you will have to examine your steam room or steam shower for lime scale, mold and mildew and clean as necessary.
