Table Tops and Coronavirus

With cafes now open in Australia cafe owners are having to take on board measures to stop the transmission of coronavirus in the air, on surfaces, and especially on table tops.

Coronavirus on hard surfaces

Recent studies show that Coronaviruses can live for up to 5 days on hard surfaces. So to avoid spreading the virus, table tops should be cleaned regularly. What is heartening to know is that with the right products and methods, Coronaviruses, including Covid-19, can be killed quite easily.

Coronaviruses are ‘wrapped’ in a protective layer of proteins and liquids (fats). The good news is that soap, disinfectant, and alcohol van dissolve the layer of fat and kill the virus.

How to clean your cafe table tops

While you may be tempted to clean everything with strong chemicals or disinfectants, we are advising our customers to continue to use warm soapy water for all tabletops. This was our view before Covid-19 and it still remains the same advice when taking into account the need to kill the virus, although your table tops need to be cleaned frequently.

Soap is likely to be more effective the longer it’s left on the surface but since we’re all being told to wash our hands for 20 seconds, presumably the virus is removed or killed within this timeframe. That said, the more you get into the habit of cleaning surfaces whether it be your hands or a table top, the more likely the virus is eliminated.

Disinfectants, sanitisers, bleach, and alcohol should all be avoided, particularly on timber table tops since these can destroy the protective lacquer coating that is provided on most timber tops.

Caring for your table tops

Most table tops are damaged by what can only be termed as an over vigorous approach and this is likely to be more the case due to anti-virus measures. Even cleaning your table top with soap will cause wear over time on vulnerable surfaces such as natural materials (mostly wood) and stone surfaces (including marble) which can also be easily damaged.

Lacquered tops

If your table tops are timber or even veneer, they have most probably been finished with a lacquer. In this case, take extra care to remove any soapy residue after cleaning and leave the surface dry.

Oiled outdoor tables

Outdoor furniture is often oiled to protect it from the elements and the more you wash these with soapy water, the more you will need to re-oil them.