A Story from the Field: Teacher Malee and the Nap Room That Was Too Quiet

Teacher Malee is the head of a child development centre in Bang Ban district, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. Bang Ban sits beside the Chao Phraya River and is used to high water almost every year, but in 2026 the flood came faster and rose higher than many people expected. The centre's single-storey building, which cares for several dozen children aged two to five, stood in more than half a metre of water for almost three weeks.

On the day the water dropped enough to walk inside, Teacher Malee and two assistant carers opened the door to the main classroom. The first thing that hit them was a damp, musty smell mixed with mud, so strong they had to cover their noses. The children's nap mats, stacked in a low cupboard, were soaked through and dotted with black mold. Plastic toys had floated out of their baskets and were scattered across the floor, mud packed into every groove. The foam crawling mats had swollen with water. The walls, once covered with the children's crayon drawings, now carried a tide line, and mold was creeping along the bottom edge. In the children's bathroom, with its tiny toilets and low sinks, mud had settled into every corner and a sewer smell rose from the drains.

Within days, parents began calling to ask when the centre would reopen, because many of them needed to get back to work. At the same time, other parents asked anxiously whether their children would really be safe in rooms that had been underwater for nearly a month. Teacher Malee knew that young children put things in their mouths, sleep on the floor and crawl around all day. Ordinary cleaning might not be enough. She discussed the situation with the local administration and contacted World Health Disinfection (WHD) to plan the centre's recovery before the children came back.

Why Childcare Centres Need Special Care After a Flood

Children aged two to five have immune systems that are still developing, and their everyday behaviour puts them in contact with germs far more than adults.

• Everything goes in the mouth. Toys, spoons, cups and hands that have just touched the floor all end up in children's mouths throughout the day.
• Playing and sleeping on the floor. Children spend most of their time on floors, mats and cushions, the very surfaces that sat in floodwater.
• Sensitive airways. Mold spores and musty air in a closed room can easily trigger symptoms in children with allergies or asthma.
• Close group contact. If one child picks up a floodwater infection such as diarrhea, it can spread quickly to the rest of the group.

The germs that come with floodwater

Floodwater in Bang Ban flows across rice fields, through villages, past animal pens and through drainage systems. It carries bacteria such as E. coli, leptospirosis from rat urine, and organisms that cause skin infections into the building. When the water recedes, these germs remain in the mud, in tile grout, on table and chair legs, inside storage cupboards and in every kind of fabric. Mold grows quickly in damp, closed rooms, especially on nap mats, blankets, curtains and the lower part of walls.

The impact on parents' and the community's trust

A child development centre is where parents leave the most precious thing in their lives. If a centre reopens while the rooms still smell musty, or if children fall ill in the first weeks after reopening, confidence drops immediately. On the other hand, if the centre can explain that it has carried out a proper, systematic recovery, parents feel reassured and are ready to send their children back. For centres run by local administrations, this trust is also part of the community's confidence in public services.

Why Ordinary Cleaning Is Not Enough for Young Children's Rooms

• Strong bleach. It may disinfect surfaces, but chlorine fumes lingering in a closed room irritate children's airways, and residue that is not fully rinsed off can irritate the skin of children who lie on the floor.
• Washing toys in plain water or dish soap. This removes visible dirt, but toys with grooves or hollow insides can still hold mud and germs.
• Drying nap mats in the sun for a few days. Sunlight helps a little, but mats that sat in floodwater for weeks hold moisture and contamination deep inside the filling.
• Air fresheners. These add more chemicals to the air children breathe without removing the cause of the smell.
• Repainting walls straight away. If the walls are still damp, mold comes back, and the smell of fresh paint is not ideal for young children in the first days either.

What a childcare centre needs is a process that disinfects every surface children touch, deals with mold and odors in the air without leaving fragrances or residues, and gives enough time for ventilation before the first child walks through the door.

The Solution: Disinfection Fogging + Ozone Treatment Planned Around Children's Safety

WHD plans this work specifically for child development centres and kindergartens. We work only when no children are present and build in enough ventilation time before the reopening date.

Disinfection with Chemgene HLD4H

Our disinfection service uses CHEMGENE HLD4H, applied as an ultra-fine mist with ULV equipment. It covers floors, walls, tables, chairs, shelves, mat cupboards, children's bathrooms and the kitchen. It has no harsh chlorine smell and is not corrosive to ordinary surfaces, which makes it well suited to spaces where safety matters most.

Ozone treatment for musty odors and mold spores

Our ozone treatment service uses high-output ozone generators in classrooms, nap rooms and storerooms. Ozone spreads through the room like air, reaching curtains, cushions and gaps that no cloth can reach. It helps destroy mold spores and breaks down odor molecules, then naturally decays back into oxygen. It leaves no fragrance and no coating behind in the room.

Our process for childcare centres and kindergartens

1. Survey with the teachers. We look at classrooms, nap rooms, bathrooms, the kitchen, storerooms, the playground and the flood line, and agree priorities together.
2. Help deciding what to keep. We help teachers decide which mats, fabrics, books and toys should be discarded and which can be cleaned and reused.
3. Main clean-up and toy preparation. Teachers or contractors wash off mud and heavy dirt first. Cleaned toys are laid out in open baskets so the mist and ozone can reach them.
4. Fogging every area. Classrooms, nap rooms, children's bathrooms, the kitchen, corridors and indoor play equipment.
5. Ozone treatment in closed rooms. Rooms are sealed and treated for a time matched to their size and odor level.
6. Thorough ventilation. Doors, windows and fans are opened, with a buffer of time before reopening. We also recommend that teachers wipe the surfaces children touch most with clean water once more before use.
7. Re-check and handover. We check odors and risk spots again and provide information the centre can use when talking to parents.

10 Reasons Bang Ban Childcare Centres Choose WHD

1. We understand childcare settings. Every plan puts children's safety first.
2. Every corner is covered. Fine-mist disinfection reaches table legs, under cupboards and room corners.
3. No harsh smell. Chemgene HLD4H suits children's rooms.
4. Odors removed without perfume. Ozone treatment breaks down smells and turns back into oxygen.
5. Fewer mold spores in nap rooms. Helps reduce triggers for allergies and asthma.
6. Help sorting what to discard. No risk of keeping heavily contaminated mats or toys.
7. Flexible scheduling. We can work at weekends or in the days before reopening.
8. Builds parents' confidence. You receive clear information about the steps taken.
9. Complete support. Mosquito spraying around the centre to reduce dengue risk while water stands, and dust mite removal for mats and bedding.
10. Easy ongoing care. Use the Chemgene spray on door handles, rails and tables according to the usage instructions.

Before and After: Teacher Malee's Centre

What Our Client Said

"Our biggest worry was the children, because they put everything in their mouths. The team explained every step, helped us decide which mats to throw away, worked when no children were here and told us clearly how long to ventilate before reopening. When parents asked questions, we could answer with confidence."
— Teacher Malee (name changed), head of a child development centre, Bang Ban, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya

Checklist Before Welcoming Children Back

• Have an electrician check every socket, switch and appliance that was underwater, especially low sockets within children's reach.
• Discard nap mats, blankets, pillows and soft toys that sat in floodwater for a long time, along with storybooks that have turned soggy or moldy.
• Wash plastic toys with clean water and detergent and dry them completely. Consider discarding toys with hollow insides that cannot be cleaned.
• Check the drinking water system, water filters and storage tanks, and clean them or replace filter cartridges as needed.
• Throw away all food, milk and ingredients that came into contact with floodwater, and wash kitchenware thoroughly before use.
• Inspect the playground and sandpit. If mud or floodwater has mixed into the sand, replace it.
• Tell parents the reopening date and the steps already taken, and ask them to inform teachers immediately if a child develops a fever, diarrhea or a rash.

How to Communicate with Parents So They Feel Confident

Many families in Bang Ban have just been through the flood themselves, so their concern for their children's health is especially high. Good communication makes reopening much smoother.

• Share the plan in advance. Give clear dates for cleaning, disinfection and ozone treatment, and the reopening day.
• Explain the steps in simple language. For example: work is done when no children are present, the disinfectant has no harsh smell, ozone turns back into oxygen and the rooms are ventilated before reopening.
• Show before-and-after photos. Pictures of clean classrooms and freshly arranged toys show parents how much care the teachers have taken.
• Ask for parents' help. Invite families to bring a freshly washed blanket and pillow for their child, and to tell teachers about any unusual symptoms.

When parents understand that the centre has been looked after carefully, trust returns, and children can go back to learning and playing with their friends happily.

Room by Room: What Matters Most in a Childcare Centre

• Nap room. Children spend one to two hours a day breathing close to the floor here. Mats, blankets and curtains are the priority for removal or ozone treatment, and the floor must be fully disinfected.
• Main classroom and play corners. Low tables, chairs, shelves and block corners are touched constantly. Fogging covers every leg and underside, and toys are treated in open baskets.
• Children's bathroom. Small toilets, low sinks and floor drains are where sewage backflow entered. They need careful cleaning and disinfection, and the drains should be flushed and checked.
• Kitchen and milk preparation area. Food-contact surfaces need washing with clean water after disinfection, and all food stored at floor level should be discarded.
• Entrance, shoe racks and corridors. These carry mud in from outside every day. Disinfecting them reduces the chance of germs being tracked back into classrooms.
• Outdoor playground. Slides, swings and climbing frames should be washed down, standing water removed and the area checked for mosquito breeding spots.

Thinking room by room helps teachers prepare each space in the right way and makes sure that nothing children touch is overlooked. Many centres find it useful to print a simple checklist for each room and tick items off as they go, so that the whole team can see progress at a glance.

Why Long Floods in Bang Ban Need Extra Attention

Communities along the Chao Phraya in Bang Ban are resilient and experienced with high water. Many buildings are raised, and families know how to move belongings to safety. But when water stays for weeks rather than days, as it did for many places in 2026, the problems inside buildings change in character.

Short floods mostly leave mud on the surface. Long floods soak deep into materials. Plaster, timber door frames, plywood cupboards, foam mats and fabric absorb water steadily for weeks, and they release that moisture slowly for weeks afterwards. That long wet period is exactly what mold needs to establish itself inside walls and furniture, not just on the surface. It also means that odors are no longer only in the air; they are bound into the materials themselves.

This is why centres that reopen with a quick wash often find the smell returning after a few days of closed windows and air conditioning. It is also why we combine surface disinfection with ozone treatment, which can reach into soft and porous materials, and why we stress ventilation and drying in the days that follow. For a building that houses young children, taking the extra few days to do the job properly is time well spent.

Looking After Teachers and Carers, Too

Teachers and carers are often the ones who wade back into a flooded centre first, carrying out soaked mats and scrubbing floors long before any professional team arrives. Their health matters just as much as the children's, because a centre cannot reopen without them.

• Protective equipment. Boots, rubber gloves and masks should be provided for everyone involved in the clean-up, and any cuts on hands or feet should be covered completely.
• Clear roles. Decide who sorts toys, who handles the kitchen and who deals with the bathrooms, so that nobody spends all day in the dirtiest areas.
• Rest and hydration. Clean-up work in hot, humid weather is exhausting. Regular breaks and drinking water reduce the risk of accidents.
• Health watch. Staff who develop a fever, headache, calf pain or diarrhea after the clean-up should see a doctor promptly and mention their exposure to floodwater.

Bringing in a specialist team for the disinfection and ozone stages also lifts a heavy burden from staff. Instead of trying to make every corner safe by hand, teachers can focus on preparing lessons, welcoming children back and supporting families who are still recovering at home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How many days before reopening should we schedule disinfection and ozone treatment?
A: We recommend at least one to two days before children return, to allow enough ventilation time and to let teachers set the rooms up again. Our team will help you choose the right dates.

Q2: Is the disinfectant safe for children?
A: Fogging is carried out when no children are present. Chemgene HLD4H has no harsh smell and is not corrosive to surfaces. After fogging and the specified ventilation time, we recommend that teachers wipe the surfaces children handle most with clean water before use.

Q3: Will ozone remain in the children's rooms?
A: Ozone naturally decays back into oxygen. Once ventilation has been completed for the time our team specifies, the rooms are ready to use, with no coatings or fragrances left behind.

Q4: Do toys need ozone treatment too?
A: Toys should be washed free of mud first and then placed in open baskets in the room during fogging and ozone treatment so they are treated at the same time. Soft toys that sat in floodwater for a long time should be discarded.

Q5: Do you work with centres run by local administrations?
A: Yes. We serve child development centres run by local authorities, private kindergartens and day nurseries, and can provide a quotation to support your approval process.

Q6: Which areas do you serve?
A: We serve Bang Ban, Bang Pa-in, Sena, Phak Hai, Bang Sai, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and nearby areas. Contact us by phone or LINE to check availability.

Q7: Our centre only had a little water inside. Do we still need ozone treatment?
A: It depends on how long the water stayed and how the rooms smell now. If water entered only briefly and the rooms dried quickly with no musty odor, thorough cleaning and disinfection fogging may be enough. If the building was closed and damp for a long time, or if mats, curtains and cupboards hold a smell, ozone treatment is strongly recommended. Our survey will tell you honestly which option suits your centre, so that you spend your budget where it really makes a difference for the children.

Let the Children Return to Clean, Safe Rooms to Learn and Play

Book a survey of your centre and plan ahead of reopening with the WHD team today.

See Our Disinfection Service – Click Here

Book Ozone Treatment – Click Here

Call 065-556-6294 | LINE: @whd268 | Email: worldhealthdisinfection@gmail.com

Related Links

• Ozone treatment for odors and chemical residue
• Ozone disinfection for residential spaces
• Master Ozone Generator
• All articles

External sources: World Health Organization – Floods and Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand