How to sanitise your wooden table tops safely
With so many changes affecting the restaurant and hospitality sector in the face of COVID-19, it’s not surprising that occasionally people are hitting snags. We have had heard lately from a couple of sites that their wooden table tops have become sticky and discoloured. The tables had been properly constructed and manufactured, and we couldn’t understand initially what was causing the problem. So, following a hunch, we researched what the issue might be and soon found this article that covers the subject very responsibly.
We spoke to a furniture supplier we work with regularly, Sam at Furniture Fusion, and discovered they had also come across the same problem. The issue seems to be that restaurant and coffee shop owners are using a different type of disinfectant to clean their tables to make them COVID-safe, and sometimes this can contain D10. This D10 and some other chemicals will slowly break down and dissolve the lacquer that usually protects the table top. It is important to stress that this issue applies to other surfaces like bar tops and any other wooden finish that has been given a lacquer finish. If you are a restaurant or coffee shop owner with wooden tables, it’s worth checking the ingredients of your cleaning products and checking if they could potentially damage the top surface.
How are we at Engaging Interiors are doing in the current climate
At the start of the pandemic we wrote about why it was a good time to refurbish your restaurant or coffee shop. Many of you have decided to take this opportunity to improve the interior design of your venues or to have a refit, and we have started working on and pricing new projects. These businesses have adapted well over the last few months by offering a good take away and delivery service, and they are now confident to either open a new site or refit their existing seating area while still preparing and sending out food from their kitchen space. It is great to hear about businesses in this sector who are managing to turn a difficult situation into a commercial opportunity.
We have also seen an increase in residential work, as people spend more time at home or switch to home working. This is a growth area for us, building on our extensive experience working with private home owners to create the interior they have dreamed of. Like many companies across all industries, due to the pandemic our overall work load has reduced enough that we no longer need to be VAT registered. This means we can work with individuals without charging VAT, which can make a big difference to the final bill for our fees. If you are considering changing the interior design of your home, or need advice on how to make the best use of your available space, then get in touch to see how we can help, and pass these savings on to you.
