A Field Story: The Monday Morning Khun Sunee Opened the Archive Room

Khun Sunee is an administrative officer at a Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO) in Mueang Suphan Buri district. Her office stands not far from the Suphan Buri River, the local stretch of the Tha Chin. This year the river overflowed into the ground floor of the building to a depth of about thirty centimeters, and the water stayed for almost a week. Staff carried computers and the most important files upstairs as fast as they could, but the archive room at the back, with its cabinets and shelves of files going back many years, could not be moved in time.

On the Monday after the water drained away, Khun Sunee was the first to unlock the archive room. A heavy, sour, musty smell rolled out immediately. The boxes on the lower shelves were wet and sagging. Many binders had black and green mold spots along their spines. The concrete walls carried a straight tide line all the way around the room, and grey mold was starting to bloom in the corners. Within five minutes of stepping inside she was sneezing repeatedly and her throat felt raw.

The problem was not limited to the archive. The public reception area downstairs smelled stale too. The padded chairs for visitors had water stains, and the carpet in front of the service counter smelled bad. Villagers coming in to apply for flood relief payments and submit documents had to sit and wait in a room with poor airflow. Some older visitors coughed and said it was hard to breathe, and several staff members began taking sick leave as their allergies flared up.

This is the situation many government offices in Suphan Buri and neighboring provinces are facing during the 2026 floods. The very offices that are supposed to be the center of help for citizens are struggling with hygiene problems inside their own buildings at the same time.

Why Government Buildings Need Urgent Disinfection After a Flood

Government offices have particular characteristics. They hold large quantities of paper documents, they often have closed archive rooms with little air movement, and they welcome many members of the public every day. After a flood, the number of visitors usually rises sharply as citizens come in to report damage and request assistance. The building is both a workplace for staff and a busy public space at the same time.

Paper, cardboard and fabric furnishings are excellent food for mold. In the hot and humid weather that follows a flood in central Thailand, a closed room full of damp files can develop visible mold within days. Spores then spread through corridors and into air conditioning systems, so a problem that began in one back room soon affects the whole office.

The health risks

• Allergies and asthma. Mold spores floating in closed rooms cause coughing, sneezing, a blocked nose, itchy eyes and asthma attacks among staff and visitors.
• Leptospirosis. Rats fleeing the water settle in archive rooms and ceiling spaces and leave urine and droppings between shelves. Staff handling files without gloves are at risk.
• Diarrhea and contact infections. Germs from floodwater may remain on service counters, door handles, chairs and shared pens.
• Vulnerable visitors. Older people, those with chronic illness and children who come with their parents are more sensitive to mold and germs than most adults.

The impact on public service

When several staff members are off sick at the same time, services slow down, and that happens precisely when citizens need help most. Some official documents are also important records that must be kept under government regulations. If mold is allowed to spread from one file to the next, the damage can affect the office's work for years to come.

Why Usual Cleaning Methods Are Not Enough

1. Mopping and wiping with bleach. This kills germs on floors and walls that are reached, but it cannot be used in the archive room, because water and chlorine damage paper. The harsh smell in a closed room also irritates staff.

2. Running fans or air conditioning. These may reduce humidity a little, but once mold has started, moving air simply spreads spores throughout the building and into the air conditioning system.

3. Air freshener spray. It covers the smell briefly but does nothing to the mold, and a mix of perfume and mustiness can make visitors feel dizzy.

4. Repainting over mold stains. Mold under new paint returns within weeks, causing peeling and patches and wasting a second round of budget.

5. Waiting for the dry season. Some offices hope the problem will fade when the weather changes. In practice, mold keeps damaging files and affecting health in the months in between.

A government building after a flood needs thorough disinfection of public and working areas, together with mold and odor removal in closed rooms, using methods that do not soak the documents. That is the kind of job WHD plans for.

The Solution: Chemgene HLD4H Fogging Plus Ozone Treatment by WHD

World Health Disinfection (WHD) provides professional disinfection fogging and ozone treatment for offices, public buildings and organizations of all kinds. For government buildings after a flood, we divide the work according to the type of space.

Public service areas and offices: Chemgene HLD4H fogging

CHEMGENE HLD4H is a high-level disinfectant effective against bacteria, viruses and fungi. It is chlorine-free, non-corrosive and has no harsh smell. We apply it with an ultra-low-volume (ULV) fogger in reception areas, meeting rooms, corridors, toilets and workspaces, covering service counters, chairs, door handles and every shared touch point.

Archive rooms and closed spaces: ozone first

In archive rooms we rely mainly on the Master Ozone Generator. Because ozone is a gas, it does not wet paper. It penetrates the air, the gaps between shelves and the spaces between files, destroying mold spores and bacteria and breaking down musty odor molecules. After ventilation it reverts to oxygen and leaves no residue. Floors and walls in the archive are fogged separately, taking care that the mist does not land directly on documents.

Our six-step service process

1. Site survey. Together with the building officer, we check the flood level, archive rooms, public service areas, the air conditioning system and visible mold.
2. Joint planning with the office. We advise on removing damaged materials, separating wet documents for drying, and covering or moving important files before work starts.
3. Chemgene HLD4H fogging of public areas, offices, toilets and the floors and walls of archive rooms.
4. Ozone treatment. Archive rooms and other closed spaces are sealed and treated according to their size. No people, animals or plants may be inside.
5. Ventilation. Doors and windows are opened until all ozone has dissipated before staff return.
6. Re-check and advice. We check the smell and condition and advise on long-term humidity control and document storage.

A note on important records: Historically valuable or archival documents that are badly damaged should also be assessed by document conservation specialists. WHD's service focuses on disinfecting spaces and removing mold from the air and surfaces, to stop the spread and make rooms safe for the people who use them.

10 Reasons Offices in Mueang Suphan Buri Choose WHD

1. Documents stay dry. We rely mainly on ozone treatment in archive rooms.
2. Stops mold spreading. Lowers the chance of mold moving from one file to the next.
3. No harsh smell. Chemgene HLD4H is chlorine-free and suits public service areas.
4. Shared touch points disinfected. Counters, chairs and door handles. See our disinfection service.
5. Musty odor removed building-wide. Read more about ozone odor removal.
6. Fewer staff sick days. A clean environment helps reduce allergy symptoms.
7. Protects vulnerable visitors. Older people and children can wait in comfort.
8. Work outside office hours. No disruption to public services.
9. Long-term storage advice. Reduces the risk of repeat problems next rainy season.
10. Easy to reach. Call 065-556-6294 or LINE @whd268. We serve Mueang Suphan Buri, Song Phi Nong, Bang Pla Ma and nearby areas.

Before and After Fogging and Ozone Treatment

What Staff Say

"At first nobody wanted to go into the archive room. After a few minutes inside you could not stop sneezing. The team surveyed the building and explained that the archive would be treated mainly with ozone so the paper would not get wet, while the public areas would be fogged. They worked on Saturday, and when we opened up on Monday the musty smell was much lighter. Several colleagues said they could finally breathe properly."
— Khun Sunee, administrative officer at an SAO in Mueang Suphan Buri (field story)

In another case, the facilities manager at a district-level office had floodwater in a ground-floor meeting room and supply store. After the ruined carpet and materials were removed, our team fogged and ozone treated the rooms over a weekend. The office was able to use the meeting room as a reception point for flood victims' requests the following week.

What Offices Should Do After the Water Recedes

• Protect staff. Wear rubber gloves, a face mask and boots whenever entering archive rooms or areas that flooded.
• Separate wet documents and dry them quickly. Lay them out in a shaded, well-ventilated place, not in strong sun, and avoid thick stacks.
• Photograph and list the damage for reporting and repair budget requests.
• Remove damaged materials such as carpets, wet ceiling boards and collapsed cardboard boxes.
• Check electrics and air conditioning. Have technicians inspect them before use, and clean the air filters.
• Book fogging and ozone treatment outside office hours.

For daily care at service points, many offices keep a CHEMGENE HLD4H spray (750 ml) to wipe counters, pens and waiting-room chairs several times a day. If water is still standing around the building, our mosquito spraying service can reduce mosquitoes at the same time.

Caring for Damp Files: Practical First Steps

Staff often ask what they can do for wet files while waiting for professional help. The most important principle is speed: paper that stays wet for more than a couple of days in hot weather is very likely to grow mold. Start with the files that matter most, such as current case files, land and civil registration records and anything required for ongoing relief work.

• Handle wet paper gently. Wet sheets tear easily. Support them from underneath and avoid pulling stuck pages apart.
• Air-dry in the shade. Spread files on clean tables or racks in a ventilated room. Strong sunlight can fade ink and make paper brittle.
• Use fans indirectly. Let fans move air around the room rather than blowing directly onto papers, which can scatter loose pages and spores.
• Separate moldy items. Keep visibly moldy files apart from clean ones so spores do not spread.
• Replace boxes and binders. Wet cardboard boxes and swollen binders should be replaced rather than reused.
• Record what was affected. A simple list of damaged files helps with official reporting and any later restoration work.

Once files are dry and the room has been disinfected and ozone treated, documents can return to clean shelves with much lower risk of mold coming back.

Do Not Forget the Air Conditioning System

In many government buildings, split-type and ducted air conditioners run all day. If the indoor units or ducts were close to the floodwater, or if the building stayed damp for a long time, mold can grow on coils, drip trays and filters. When the system is switched back on, it can blow spores into every room and undo the work done elsewhere.

Before restarting the air conditioning, have a technician check the electrical parts and clean the coils, drain pans and filters thoroughly. Our ozone treatment of closed rooms helps reduce spores and odor in the room air, but physical cleaning of the units is still essential. Combining both gives the office the best chance of clean, fresh air when staff and visitors return.

Preparing Public Offices for Future Floods

Many offices in Suphan Buri sit close to rivers and canals, so it makes sense to plan for the next high-water season now. Move archive storage to an upper floor where possible, or at least raise shelving well above the floor. Store active files in sealed plastic boxes rather than cardboard. Keep a written flood plan that names who moves which records, computers and equipment first, and practice it before the rainy season.

Simple humidity control also goes a long way. A small dehumidifier and a basic humidity meter in the archive room can warn staff early when conditions favor mold. Regular checks, a few times a year, are far cheaper than another large clean-up. And when the next flood does come, having a trusted disinfection partner already familiar with the building means the office can recover and return to serving citizens much faster.

Looking After Staff Who Are Also Flood Victims

In many local offices, the officers working long hours to help citizens have also had their own homes flooded. They come to work tired, often after cleaning their houses late into the night, and then spend the day in a building that smells of mold. It is no surprise that allergy symptoms, headaches and exhaustion become common in the weeks after a flood.

Office managers can help in practical ways. Rotate the most physically demanding clean-up tasks, provide gloves, masks and boots for everyone who handles damaged materials, and make sure clean drinking water and handwashing points are available. Encourage staff with asthma or strong allergies to stay out of the archive room until it has been treated. Remind everyone to see a doctor if they develop fever, muscle pain or red eyes after contact with floodwater, as these can be early signs of leptospirosis. A healthy team is the foundation of good public service during recovery. Where workloads allow, short breaks away from the clean-up and a fair share of tasks help people keep going through a long and demanding period.

Communicating Clearly With Citizens

Citizens visiting a government office after a flood are often anxious and worn out. A clean, fresh-smelling waiting area tells them, without words, that the office is in control and ready to help. It is also worth letting people know what has been done. A short notice at the entrance explaining that the building has been cleaned, disinfected and treated for mold reassures older visitors and parents with young children.

Where possible, set up the waiting area in the best-ventilated part of the building while treatment of other rooms is under way, provide hand sanitizer at the counter, and wipe down shared pens and clipboards regularly. These small steps make a long and stressful visit a little easier for the people who most need the office's support.

Many people will also ask staff for advice about cleaning their own homes. Having simple, accurate information on hand, such as wearing gloves and boots, throwing away food that touched floodwater, drying the house quickly and watching for signs of leptospirosis, turns every visit into an opportunity to protect public health in the wider community.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will ozone damage paper documents?
A: We set the concentration and duration to suit archive rooms and never treat for longer than necessary. As a gas, ozone does not wet paper. Old documents of special value should be stored separately or assessed by conservation specialists.

Q: How many days will the office need to close?
A: We recommend working at weekends or outside office hours, and staff can return once ventilation is complete. The actual time depends on the size of the building.

Q: Can you fog rooms with computers and office equipment?
A: Yes. We adjust the distance and volume of fogging, and recommend covering electronic equipment during the work.

Q: How can a government office engage your service?
A: Contact our team to arrange a site survey and request a description of the scope of work, which the office can use in its own procurement process. Call 065-556-6294.

Q: Will the mold come back?
A: If humidity remains high, mold can return. We advise on humidity control, keeping boxes off the floor and away from walls, and regular ventilation.

Q: Which areas do you serve?
A: Mueang Suphan Buri, Song Phi Nong, Bang Pla Ma, Si Prachan and nearby provinces, as well as Bangkok and its surrounding area. Message LINE @whd268.

Get Your Office Ready to Serve Citizens Safely Again

A clean building is at the heart of public service during flood recovery. Contact World Health Disinfection today.

Book Ozone Treatment – Click Here

See Disinfection Service – Click Here

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

Related Links

• Ozone treatment for odors and chemical residue
• Dust mite removal for padded chairs and carpets
• Residential ozone disinfection for staff housing
• All WHD articles
• External sources: WHO – Floods and health and Thailand Department of Health