Goodness, how we wish we were not writing this Journal post.
In the interests of safety, please ensure that you follow all of the best medical advice available. You can find the most up-to-date advice via the Australian Government Department of Health website. Follow the link here.
Please follow all the recommendations with respect to Social Distancing, Self-Isolation & Good Hygiene including cleaning and disinfection of all frequently used surfaces which includes handles and doorknobs.
We have previously recommended cleaning our handles with water only. This suggestion was based on prolonging the life of the applied clear finish. Given the current circumstances, this recommendation no longer applies.
We would recommend that you take ALL necessary measures to protect yourselves, your families, your employees and others. Please do ALL the necessary cleaning and disinfecting that you need to, whilst carefully following ALL the recommendations from health professionals including the types of products to use, and recommended dilution ratios, as well as associated safety measures, with respect to your chosen products.
We use OSMO clear finishes. We love them. They look beautiful and are made from natural materials. When we chose our clear finishes we did our best to consider the environment, and the health of our customers, but never in a million years did we anticipate that we would need to consider SARS-CoV-2 or that we would ever be in the awful global situation that we find ourselves now.
OSMO has recently released a few cleaning options for their products. They are OSMO Wash and Care & OSMO Spray Cleaner. You may like to consider these products for cleaning your handles.
OSMO Australia can be contacted here. The website contains a list of stockists, under the 'Where To Buy' menu.
We have asked OSMO to clarify if these products also contain any disinfectant and if they don't, what to do in order to disinfect whilst still protecting the clear finish. We are waiting for a response. In the meantime, we have set up a test station using Isopropyl Alcohol and diluted Bleach used over the top of a normal household cleaner and shall report back on the results.
The finish on your handles IS likely to break down fairly quickly once exposed to the chemicals in cleaners and bleach. However, one of the reasons that we have chosen to use OSMO is because it can easily be reapplied. Please plan to give your handles a little bit of TLC when they start to look a bit worse for wear and a bit thirsty. Your handles may require a light sand before you reapply the finish.
Your Invoice from us will usually contain details of the particular finish applied to your order. If you are unsure, feel free get in touch and we can look through our records or provide any further information. Please bear in mind that we are not health professionals.
Stay safe and please stay home, if you can.
Karryn & Dean