Protecting Wood After Regular Covid Cleaning

[Dan Stuewe]

I spoke with the director of the covid-19 preparation at my church last night about the cleaning being done after each service. The cleaning crew is using Odoban (2 cap-fulls in 18 oz of water) to clean surfaces. I was told that after the disinfecting process they are using Pledge to help protect the wood after the cleaning. I know there are folks who have strong opinions on the use of Pledge, but I wanted to ask the collective wisdom of The Creek if using something like Pledge is helpful or if there is another product that might help protect the finish? I know the first question will be what is the finish on the wood and I really couldn't say except that I think it is a film finish.

Thanks.

[John TenEyck]

Below is the list of chemicals in Odoban from their Datasheet:

Water (CAS No. 7732-18-5) >90.0Isopropanol (CAS No. 67-63-0) <4.0Dipropylene glycol n-butyl ether (CAS No. 29911-28-2) <4.0Alkyl (C12-16) dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (CAS No. 68424-85-1) 0.30

It's 90% water. The glycol component is similar to those used in waterborne products to help them coalesce. That's the component I'd be most concerned about damaging the finish. But will it? Well, what's the finish? Probably oil based varnish would be my guess. And if it is, I doubt the cleaning will have any effect on it as long as the cleaners dry the wood after they wipe it. Will Pledge help? I doubt it. I can see it doing more harm than good if it builds up over time.

John

[Alan Lightstone]

A better question is whether 4% isopropanol can kill Covid-19. Considering that the minimum concentration the EPA says is necessary is 60%, I think that's highly doubtful. Of course, the old surgical adage that the solution to pollution is dilution has some validity here.

Oh, and then it's being further diluted. A wild guess is that a cap full is 4 oz. So the final concentration of isopropyl alcohol is approximately 1%.

I truly understand the great challenges in making an indoor place of worship safe. Perhaps a different choice of disinfecting solution might be better / more effective and still safe for the wood surfaces.

Of course, making the air safe is the real important challenge, and a very difficult one.

[Andrew Seemann]

A better question is whether 4% isopropanol can kill Covid-19. Considering that the minimum concentration the EPA says is necessary is 60%, I think that's highly doubtful. Of course, the old surgical adage that the solution to pollution is dilution has some validity here.

Oh, and then it's being further diluted. A wild guess is that a cap full is 4 oz. So the final concentration of isopropyl alcohol is approximately 1%.

The dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride is more likely the actual disinfectant, rather than the isopropyl. It is a pretty common biocide.

[John TenEyck]

The dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride is more likely the actual disinfectant, rather than the isopropyl. It is a pretty common biocide.

Yes, and it doesn't take much. The alcohol is likely there for some other reason, perhaps to help everything be miscible in water.

John

[Lee Schierer]

Below is the list of chemicals in Odoban from their Datasheet:

Water (CAS No. 7732-18-5) >90.0Isopropanol (CAS No. 67-63-0) <4.0Dipropylene glycol n-butyl ether (CAS No. 29911-28-2) <4.0Alkyl (C12-16) dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (CAS No. 68424-85-1) 0.30

It's 90% water.
John

Odoban also isn't listed as being capable of killing viruses!!

[Stan Calow]

They use Pledge in my church. It makes the pew slick. Pledge doesn't really add any protection anyway, just a temporary gloss that rubs on your clothes. Just my opinion.

[Alan Lightstone]

Wow. Diving into this, and it rapidly gets more complicated.

The EPA suggests avoiding dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride for household disinfecting due to concerns about toxicity.

I could find that compound on the EPA list of approved compounds for disinfecting Covid-19 in some other products, but as has been stated, coronaviruses are typically easy to destroy on surfaces - contact time of the disinfectant is key. Some on the site recommend 10 min contact time, which is a lot in this context. Plus, after dilution do you have enough concentration to do anything?

I can find quaternary ammonium compounds on the EPA effective list for Covid-19 in a few other products.

Yes, I know, Odoban is cheap and readily available in big box stores, but is it the best choice?

As far as using Pledge - meh...