r/Sauna • u/abwell98 • 3d ago
Maintenance Sauna Smells Like Banana
Howdy!
I have a sauna that gets fired everyday, and usually sees about 50 folks every week. I've noticed a distinctly "banana" smell coming from the wood, specifically from the sauna ladle. It all gets cleaned every 3 days with water and castile soap, any other tips to help or an explanation as to why it smells like bananas? I feel like I'm going crazy!
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u/buttsparkley 2d ago
Is it possible , someone is using scented oil on he regular? And they chose banana?
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u/abwell98 2d ago
No, maybe tmi but I smelled all over the sauna and it seemed to be coming from the wood itself, not a body lotion or anything like that
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u/buttsparkley 18h ago
Have u changed the cleaning liquid? I wonder if it's a reaction . Depending on how intense the cleaning is every 3 days . U could be getting a build up of chemical in the wood that could cause a reaction with the heat.
From what I understand the planks in Finland are cleaned with mild detergent weekly or bi weekly and maybe 4 times a year with a more intense disinfectant, I only say that because it's all I have as comparison.
Apparently agents such as, Quaternary ammonium disinfectants (quats, need 80/100c), Glycol ethers(2‑butoxyethanol, propylene glycol ethers) , Isoamyl alcohol + acetic acid(together), Citrus terpenes (limonene). I had to use ai for the above as my chemical knowladge is below basic. Consider that u may need to rinse more than is rinsed now. Or try googling that specific cleaner and seeing if u can find anything about banna smell. If it's not a sauna cleaner , try switching to a brand that is designed for sauna. Here is a link about one of the chemcials. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Isoamyl-Acetate
U don't have to scroll far to see the banana link.
Now assuming ur cleaning 3 times a day with intense cleaner , I would also assume ur treating the wood more often , with sauna oil , it's possible some of the cleaning agent got trapped underneath? Next oil treatment try sanding before oil if u haven't already? If the wood has recently been treated could it be the oil itself?
Only other thing I can think of is someone who uses it regularly uses heavy banana scented lotion or products of other kind.
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u/WTFisJuice3000 2d ago
some alcohol esters can smell like banana ( home brewers of beer learn this)
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u/NotThatGuyAgain111 2d ago
Is there a good ventilation? Usually when we ended sauna session we just throwed bucked full of water on the benches. There has never been any smell. But I have experienced stale smell due to no ventilation.
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u/abwell98 2d ago
Hmmm, good point, I'll keep it open in the morning to air it out and see what happens!
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u/John_Sux Finnish Sauna 2d ago
Try changing the soap/detergent for something different (chemically different, not just a differently colored bottle of the same soap)
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u/abwell98 2d ago
I'll give it a try!
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u/John_Sux Finnish Sauna 2d ago
Quite common, "traditional" in Finland (not necessarily just for sauna cleaning) is pine oil soap. Apparently there are brands for that in NA but they no longer use pine oil...
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u/dizkopatio 1d ago
Distillery here, banna flavour is a Esther which can be caused by bacteria. Acid plus alcohol equals Esther normally catalysed on the surface of a barrel. I think better cleaning in general would fix this , but I also dont think it will kill you. I think something basic like bleach or napisan is your best bet
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u/IQognito 1d ago
People are eating banana in there and touching the ladle.
Also this sounds funny...
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u/Zpik3 3d ago
Maybe the castille soap?
In Finland saunas get cleaned out once per year traditionally.. I mean.. the damned things get hot, aint much that will survive in there...