DIRECTOR CHAIR SAFETY AND SAFE SET PREPARATIONS
In response to the current climate of the pandemic, we are issuing our safety recommendations for director chair usage and disinfecting guidelines for safe sets as restrictions on production begin to ease.
The answer for keeping sets and director chairs safe beyond the traditional need for masks, gloves, cleaning and handwashing remains clear.
Do not replace your current chairs with plastic ones! Not only is plastic already proven to be terrible for our environment in terms of biodegradability, it also is dangerous when it comes to the virus. Recent studies tested the stability of Covid-19 on different surfaces. Not surprisingly, wood was one of the most sanitary materials when it comes to minimizing the stability of covid. In fact, covid was viable up to 7 days on plastic surfaces whereas the virus was undetectable after 2 days on wood.
Just like wood cutting boards are the preferred choice amongst chefs over their plastic counterparts, director’s chairs are the same. The reason for this choice is that wood has natural antimicrobial properties that plastic does not. Why are wood boards the preferred choice for chefs? Plastic is porous and can harbor bacteria and viruses in microscopic places and Covid-19 has been proven in several scientific and medical studies to live the longest, almost 7 days, on plastic or stainless-steel surfaces.
ACTION:
The first, and most recommended course of action is to have fresh replacement canvas sets for your director chairs. Why risk the health and safety of your directors or actors/actresses when you can easily replace their canvas sets with new, sanitary sets. In addition, canvas can be washed!
That’s right, canvas can be washed with soap and water and/or sprayed with disinfectant and/or steam cleaned and reinstalled on the chair frame. Just a 5 minute wash with soap destroys any evidence of covid on the surface. This versatility is why we feel the iconic wood director’s chair is the ideal choice for film sets.
There’s more than it’s quality and durability that make director chairs a staple on studio sets for over 75 years. Wood frames can be easily wiped with Lysol and/or other disinfectant wipes and canvas can be steam cleaned with no damage. Canvas is a durable, strong material unlike their plastic counterparts.
Best cleaning recommendations for cleaning your canvas:
1 - spray with an antiseptic like Lysol and let dry. Drying usually takes less than 3 minutes.
2 - wash with warm water and air dry. Most director's chair canvas are made of cotton and washing is easy. However, we don't recommend drying them in a dryer because it might melt the plastic dowels in the seat portion of the chair. We recommend air drying.
3 - Use a steamer to steam clean the surfaces safely and without the use of harsh chemicals. A garment steamer, commonly found on film sets and rental companies, is a great way to quickly kill any bacteria or virus, The steam reaches a temperature of 212F which is enough to wipe out any virus on a surface. It's the best and easiest method that can be repeated often.
We are both cautious, optimistic and prepared as we begin to look at how this pandemic has impacted our film industry and in response, we are doing our due diligence to help keep you all safe. Beyond these recommendations, we are offering specials to reserve new chairs or fresh, clean canvas sets and will be offering safety masks and gloves to all of our customers.
We care about your health and wellness and are eager to get back to normalcy however we realize the importance of making our sets as safe, secure and as clean as possible and these recommendations will help us all get there much faster.
As always, we are here to answer your questions and/or concerns and look forward to seeing all that we create in the future.
1 Alex W H Chin, Julie T S Chu, Mahen R A Perera, Kenrie P Y Hui, Hui-Ling Yen, Michael C W Chan, Malik Peiris, Leo L M Poon “Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental conditions”
Open AccessPublished: April 02, 2020 https://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-
2 Jill Seladi-Schulman, PhD “How Long Does the Coronavirus Live on Different Surfaces?” April 29, 2020 https://www.healthline.com/
3 NESE O. AK; DEAN O. CLIVER; CHARLES W. KASPAR Decontamination of Plastic and Wooden Cutting Boards for Kitchen Use J Food Prot (1994) 57 (1): 23–30. https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-
Leave a comment