Cleanliness is next to godliness, they say, but it’s not always obvious the best way to clean God’s house.
Even though the spread of the coronavirus on surfaces (such as pews) is not well documented, churches are motivated to be extra safe. Multiple superspreader events have happened inside churches, and while these were crowded events in which transmission happened person-to-person, you can’t blame a house of worship for not wanting to be the next coronavirus haven spotlighted by a media that loves to pick on a church.
One local public radio affiliate, KUNC in Colorado, warned that “church pews can be petri dishes during the pandemic.”
Churches have limited capacity, opened windows, mandated masks, barred singing, and of course, constantly sprayed, scrubbed, and disinfected every surface.
Disinfecting pews, though, is a tricky thing. Churches of all ages and all denominations have been trying to figure out how to do this, and experts and companies have piped up with their opinions. And anyone going to church these days is bound to see the effects with their bare eyes.
If you have old-fashioned hardwood pews, you may have noticed that the tops of them are far lighter than the rest. That’s because the dirt, the finish, and maybe the built-up old cleaning fluids are being wiped away by your co-parishioners spraying standard household or institutional cleaners after each service. If your church has been aggressive enough in scrubbing, the wood may be starting to splinter.
If you had padded pews, it’s another story. Soft surfaces are actually less hospitable to the virus than hard surfaces are, but the Boston archdiocese has nevertheless ordered all pads removed from pews, reportedly.
The companies that make pews have advice: Vinegar is a good disinfectant for wood that doesn’t damage wood or its finishes. Spraying some watered-down rubbing alcohol on upholstered pew cushions and then vacuuming it up works, according to Waggoners, a prominent dealer in pew cushions.
Of course, along with all of these new adaptations to a different time, some houses of worship have a very old-fashioned solution: no seating at all. In mosques and Eastern Orthodox churches, it’s typical to have no chairs or almost none, thus solving one problem.
