Fred, I'm afraid the first answer to your question is the dreaded, "It depends." Certainly, there are wood finishes that can be damaged by many kinds of cleaners, so proceeding without knowing the finish materials could be something of a shot in the dark. Second, it may be that thoroughly cleaning the wood surfaces, while not actually disinfecting them, may serve your purposes. A good source of information is the National Park Service, and I know that that agency issued a bulletin about museum cleaning for COVID-19, on 2 June. Sometimes it can be difficult to find items on the NPS website, since they are concerned with so many subjects; I can send you the cleaning bulletin, if you like. To see what is available, follow:
https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/public-health-update.htm
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Bruce MacLeish
Curator Emeritus, Newport Restoration Foundation
Cooperstown NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-23-2020 02:51 PM
From: Fred Nation
Subject: Safe cleaners for wood surfaces
We have benches and handrails with wood finishes we are afraid will be damaged by bleach-based and other cleaners/disinfectants. Any recommendations for a cleaner that won't harm the finish, but will disinfect?
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Fred Nation
Executive Director
Swope Art Museum
Terre Haute, Indiana
Fred
Nation@Swope.org
812-238-1676 ext 113
Terre Haute
Indiana, USA
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