TD-154: Decontaminating Glass Surfaces

A new technical document from Vitro Architectural Glass provides health, safety, and cleaning information for architects, specifiers, designers, and fabricators

Vitro® Architectural Glass has published a new glass technical document titled “Decontaminating Glass Surfaces” (TD-154). Developed in response to customer questions related to glass handling and safety during the COVID-19 crisis, the five-page primer addresses a range of topics of interest to glass fabricators and window manufacturers as well architects, specifiers, and designers. They include:

  • Using glass for protection and isolation in hygiene-critical environments
  • Machine-cleaning of glass
  • Localized cleaning of uncoated glass surfaces
  • Recommended cleaning procedures for coated glass surfaces
  • Recommended products for glass cleaning

Paul Bush, vice president, quality and technical services, Vitro Architectural Glass, said that, due to glass’s ability to be cleaned and sanitized easily, it has been used throughout history to protect human life during plagues, epidemics, and pandemics. In addition, the float glass process is completely automated, which means architectural glass is produced without human contact.

Decontaminating Glass SurfacesThe ability to easily clean and sanitize glass remains true with the COVID-19 outbreak. The “Decontaminating Glass Surfaces” document offers suggested methods for cleaning and sanitizing glass surfaces and is focused on the glass fabricator / processor but is applicable for glass in general. All or portions of these methods can be adopted for use to clean glass used in most glazing applications.

“The unique characteristics and properties of glass make it an excellent material choice for interior spaces where easy-to-clean surfaces and physical barriers between people and their environments are required,” he explained. “It is ideal for walls and partitions because it enables us to see what is on the other side of a barrier while protecting us from potentially harmful viruses and bacteria.”

Specialized applications for glass walls and partitions include isolation rooms, sterilization rooms, burn units, clinics, maternity wards, pharmacies, laboratories, and more. Although it is not antibacterial, glass with specialized coatings, such as Clarvista® coatings, can help ensure safer, more hygienic surfaces in showers, bathrooms, spas, swimming pools, and other damp, humid environments because they do not rust or stain. Rust and stains can create cavities in which bacteria and viruses can dwell.