Places of worship – churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples – are unique places designed to inspire and uplift the members of the faiths they serve. Several times each week, large groups of people gather there to connect with their faith and their community to be spiritually fulfilled.
For this reason, primarily, it's important for these places of worship to be clean and tidy when people come for service. In fact, it's a distraction for all in attendance if you can tell that it hasn't been cleaned recently. Carpets that haven’t been vacuumed, metal surfaces with smudges and fingerprints, dirty windows, and messy restrooms all detract from the purpose of the space.
Recently, we posted blogs about cleaning restrooms and offices in places of business. For those areas, the advice we posted applies to places of worship as well.
One thing that separates places of worship, though, is they tend to have a lot of wood surfaces, and if you don't clean them the right way, you can damage the finish. Due to the pandemic, it's understandable that some people have tried to be very thorough in disinfecting surfaces, including wood, to stop the spread of germs. However, cleaning wipes and bleach-based products should not be used on finished wood.
A better option is Murphy's Oil Soap or a similar product, which is formulated specifically for cleaning finished wood surfaces. After allowing the wood to air dry completely, you can spray and polish with a product like Pledge. This not only protects the wood, it also reduces the likelihood of viruses spreading because it’s more difficult for the virus to survive on polished wood.
One important thing to be aware of is that there are different types of finish on wood. The two main ones are referred to as a “hard finish” or an “oil finish.” One way to determine which type of finish you're trying to clean is to get some boiled linseed oil, which is available at hardware stores, and rub a few drops into a hidden part of the furniture, just in case it stains. If the oil is absorbed, you have an oil finish. If it beads up, you have a hard finish.
That's why it's a good idea to also test your cleaning method and products on a hidden area of the wood, just to make sure it won't do any damage. Additionally, doorknobs and handles, light switches, and microphones, should be cleaned using packaged wipes such as Clorox or Lysol Wipes.
At Clean Break Commercial Cleaning, we offer professional cleaning services throughout the Orlando area for a wide range of businesses, including office buildings, churches, schools, bank branches, retail locations, restaurants, medical/dental facilities, and more. Licensed and insured, we recruit, hire and train only the most reliable team members, emphasizing the importance of professionalism. For more information, including a free estimate, please call 321.616.5775 or fill out the contact form on our home page.