A Story from the Field: Customers Were Queuing, but Khun Nok Was Not Ready to Open

Khun Nok runs a coin laundromat with a drop-off wash-and-iron counter in Thawi Watthana district, on the western edge of Bangkok, surrounded by several housing estates. The shop has eight front-loading washers, four dryers, an ironing station, shelves of customers' drop-off laundry and a small waiting area with a drinking water machine.

When floods reached western Bangkok in late September 2026, water came into the shop about thirty centimeters deep and stayed for several days. Khun Nok switched off the breakers and managed to lift almost all of the customers' laundry to higher shelves, but the bases of the machines, the legs of the ironing tables and the entire floor were underwater.

When the water receded and she pushed open the glass door, a damp, musty smell mixed with the stench of stagnant water hit her immediately. The ironing board covers had sprouted black mold spots. The plastic laundry baskets were coated with mud. The gap behind the row of washers was packed with debris carried in by the flood, and the washers' drain pipes were sending a foul smell back up into the room.

Meanwhile, the shop's LINE account was overflowing. "Are you open yet? We have curtains, blankets and clothes soaked in floodwater all over the house." Khun Nok knew this was exactly when her neighborhood needed a laundromat most. But she also knew that if customers took home laundry that smelled musty, or if their clothes touched surfaces still carrying germs, the reputation she had built over years could be ruined in a single week. So she called World Health Disinfection (WHD) to have the shop disinfected and ozone-treated before reopening.

This article is for laundry shop owners, coin laundromat operators and dry-cleaning counters in Thawi Watthana, Taling Chan, Bang Khae, Nong Khaem, Phasi Charoen and nearby areas who are weighing the same decision after the 2026 floods. It explains the risks, the common mistakes, and a practical way to reopen with confidence.

Why a Laundry Shop Needs Extra Care After a Flood

A business that sells cleanliness and freshness

Customers choose a laundry shop based on a very simple result: clean, fresh-smelling clothes. If the shop itself smells musty, that odor clings to folded laundry waiting on the shelves and to clothes tumbling in the dryers while customers wait. Customers notice the moment they open the bag at home, and they rarely give a second chance.

A flood of flood-soiled laundry

After the water drops, customers bring in huge quantities of fabric that sat in floodwater. These items may carry bacteria from sewage, such as E. coli, along with mud and silt. The shop must separate the drop-off point for dirty laundry from the area where clean laundry is stored, and disinfect surfaces that touch soiled fabric frequently throughout the day.

Humidity is already high

Washers and dryers add moisture to the air all day long. Combined with dampness left by the flood, the walls behind the machines, the ceiling and the corners of the storeroom become places where mold can grow very quickly. Many laundromats also have limited ventilation, which keeps the air humid well into the night.

Health of staff and customers

Staff who sort flood-soiled laundry without gloves risk skin infections, especially through small cuts. Customers waiting inside a shop full of mold spores, particularly children and people with allergies, may start coughing, sneezing or rubbing itchy eyes.

Expensive machines are vulnerable

Commercial washers and dryers contain circuit boards and coin mechanisms. Running them while they are still damp can cause short circuits. Restoring the shop must therefore go hand in hand with an inspection of the machines by qualified technicians or the manufacturer's service team.

What Most Shops Do, and Why It Is Not Enough

• Mopping and opening straight away. The floor looks clean, but the gaps behind and beneath the machines and the floor drains are still full of mud and germs.
• Running the dryers to warm and dry the room. This lowers humidity a little, but it does not remove mold spores lodged in walls and ceilings, and it puts uninspected machines at risk.
• Spraying air freshener or lighting scented candles. This masks the smell for a while, but perfume mixed with mustiness can give customers' laundry an odd smell that is worse than either alone.
• Using strong bleach. Residue left on surfaces can spot or discolor customers' clothes, and the chlorine smell can transfer to fabric.

There is another trap that catches many owners: the drains. Laundromats pump large volumes of water into floor drains and sewer lines every day. During a flood, those lines can fill with silt and sewage, and the water seals in drain traps can be lost. Once the shop reopens, every washer that empties pushes air and odor back up through any weak point. No amount of mopping fixes that. Drains need to be flushed, checked for blockages and disinfected as part of the restoration, otherwise the smell will return the first busy afternoon.

A laundry shop needs a method that deals with surfaces, hidden gaps and the air, without leaving a strong chemical smell behind. It also needs to fit around the reality that the shop must reopen quickly, because customers need it now.

The Solution: Chemgene HLD4H Disinfection Fogging Plus Ozone Treatment by WHD

WHD starts with our disinfection fogging service using Chemgene HLD4H, applied through ULV foggers whose fine mist reaches behind washers, under shelving and around the legs of ironing tables. This is followed by our ozone treatment service, which helps reduce airborne mold spores and break down musty, stagnant-water and drain odors embedded in the shop. Chemgene HLD4H does not have the sharp smell of chlorine bleach, so it does not leave an odor that could transfer to customers' clothes.

Our process for laundry shops

1. Shop survey. We check the water line, mold spots, floor drains, the storeroom and the drop-off and pick-up counters, then agree on the order of work with the owner.
2. Clean-up advice. Customers' stored laundry is moved out of the shop. Ironing board covers and any moldy materials are discarded. Mud is washed off the floor and out of the gaps behind the machines.
3. Protecting machines and electronics. Power is switched off, and control panels, coin acceptors, change machines and CCTV cameras are covered, following the advice of technicians and machine manufacturers.
4. Chemgene HLD4H fogging. We focus on floors, machine bases, laundry baskets, folding tables, ironing tables, shelving, waiting chairs, doors and the restroom.
5. Closed-shop ozone treatment. Using a Master Ozone Generator, we run a controlled dose. No people, pets or plants may be inside during treatment.
6. Ventilation. Doors and exhaust fans are opened so the ozone breaks down into oxygen. Our team tells you when it is safe to re-enter.
7. Re-check and a new layout. We check odor and advise on separating dirty drop-off from clean storage and on humidity control.

10 Reasons Thawi Watthana Laundry Shops Choose WHD

1. No harsh smell left behind. Chemgene HLD4H does not leave a chlorine odor that could cling to customers' clothes.
2. Reaches behind the machines. ULV mist gets into gaps that mops and cloths cannot reach.
3. Odors broken down at the source. Ozone treatment tackles musty and drain smells rather than masking them.
4. Fewer airborne spores. Waiting customers breathe more comfortably.
5. Care for machines and electronics. Covering and controlled ozone dosing reduce the risk to sensitive parts.
6. Fast reopening. We plan the work so you can open while demand is at its peak.
7. Cleaner workflow. We advise on separating dirty and clean laundry zones to reduce cross-contamination.
8. Clear ventilation timing. Staff know exactly when the shop is safe again.
9. A message for customers. You can tell customers the shop has been disinfected after the flood.
10. Daily support. Chemgene HLD4H spray keeps baskets and folding tables clean between customers.

Before and After Restoration

In Our Client's Words

"For a laundry shop, a bad smell is the end. I tried spraying air freshener first, and it only made the smell stranger. After the team did the fogging and ozone treatment, most of the mustiness was gone. On reopening day, regular customers walked in and said the shop smelled as clean as before the flood. We also reorganized the dirty and clean laundry areas as they suggested, and customers felt more confident."

Coin laundromat and laundry service owner, Thawi Watthana, Bangkok (illustrative scenario from the field)

Checklist Before Reopening a Laundry Shop After a Flood

• Have an electrician inspect wiring, breakers and earthing before turning the power back on.
• Have a technician or the manufacturer's agent inspect washers, dryers, circuit boards and coin acceptors.
• Flush drain pipes and grease traps and confirm they are not blocked with mud.
• Clean the drums according to the manufacturer's instructions and run empty cycles before accepting customers' laundry.
• Clean dryer lint filters and exhaust ducts.
• Carry out disinfection fogging and ozone treatment, then ventilate fully.
• Set up a drop-off point for flood-soiled laundry, separate from clean storage, and provide gloves for staff.
• Post a sign asking customers to shake mud out of fabrics before loading them into machines.

Advice You Can Share with Customers: Washing Flood-Soiled Laundry Safely

A laundry shop can help its community by sharing a few simple tips. They protect customers' health and also extend the life of your machines.

• Wear gloves when handling fabric that sat in floodwater, and wash hands after every contact.
• Shake or rinse mud off before loading items into a machine, so silt does not clog the drains.
• Wash flood-soiled items separately from laundry that was not in the water.
• Use the hottest water temperature the care label allows, and dry items completely by tumble-drying or in the sun.
• Fabric with heavy mold, rotting fibers or an odor that remains after two washes may need to be thrown away.
• Mattresses, pillows and stuffed toys that soaked in dirty water for a long time should not go into coin machines. They should be discarded or handled by a specialist service.

If customers or staff develop a fever, calf pain or an itchy rash after handling flood-soiled laundry, they should see a doctor and mention that they were exposed to floodwater. General advice is available from the Department of Health.

Drop-Off Laundry Services: Extra Points to Watch

A drop-off wash-and-iron service has slightly different risks from a self-service laundromat, because laundry from many households is stored together in the shop for several days. If shelving, laundry bags and storage cabinets still carry a musty smell or mold spores, freshly washed clothes can absorb that odor all over again.

Pay special attention to the shelves where finished laundry waits for collection, which should be as far as possible from the dirty drop-off point. Folding tables and ironing tables should be disinfected daily, and hanging rails should be wiped down before customers' garments go on them. Replace all ironing board covers and foam pads that were touched by floodwater, because these materials absorb water and mold deeply.

For any customer laundry that was in the shop during the flood, tell customers honestly which items were exposed to water or high humidity, and offer to rewash them before returning them. That kind of transparency protects trust far better than handing back clothes that smell musty.

Reopening Right Matters More Than Reopening First

In the days after a flood, every laundromat owner feels the pull to open as soon as the power is back. Demand is enormous, and there is a fear that customers will go elsewhere. That fear is understandable, but it helps to think about how customers actually choose a laundry shop over the long term.

Most laundromat customers are regulars. They live within a few minutes of the shop and come back week after week, often for years. A family that drops off five bags of flood-soiled bedding and gets them back smelling musty does not just ask for a rewash. They tell their neighbors, post in the village LINE group and quietly start driving to another shop. The cost of that lost relationship is far higher than the income from a couple of extra days of trading.

Opening a day or two later, with a shop that smells genuinely clean, a clear separation between dirty and clean laundry, and a simple notice saying the premises have been disinfected after the flood, sends the opposite message. It tells customers that you take their families' health seriously. In a neighborhood where everyone is recovering at the same time, that reputation can bring in new regulars who were disappointed elsewhere.

What to Expect on the Day of Service

Many owners have never booked a professional disinfection service before, so here is what a typical service day looks like in a laundromat:

• Arrival and walk-through. Our team arrives at the agreed time and walks through the shop with you to confirm which areas are included and which items must be moved or covered.
• Preparation. Customers' laundry, food and drink, and any personal items are taken out. Power to the machines is switched off, and electronics are covered.
• Fogging. The team fogs the shop zone by zone with Chemgene HLD4H. You and your staff wait outside during this stage.
• Ozone. Doors are closed and the ozone generator runs for the time calculated for your shop size. Nobody enters during this period, and a sign is placed on the door.
• Ventilation and handover. Doors and fans are opened. Once the ventilation period is complete, the team walks through again with you, checks for odor and explains how to keep the shop fresh.

Because every shop is different, our team confirms the exact timing for each stage during the survey, so you can plan staff, notify customers and schedule your machine technician around it.

Keeping the Shop Fresh in the Months After the Flood

Once the shop is open again, a few habits will keep musty odors and mold from creeping back during the rest of the rainy season:

• Leave washer doors open between uses so the drums and door gaskets can dry out. Wipe gaskets regularly, since they trap moisture and lint.
• Run exhaust fans during and after opening hours. Good airflow is the cheapest mold prevention there is.
• Empty lint filters after every dryer cycle, and schedule regular cleaning of exhaust ducts.
• Pour water into floor drains that are rarely used, so water seals in the traps do not dry out and let sewer smells back in.
• Check behind machines monthly for dampness, leaks or early signs of mold, especially on walls that were below the flood line.
• Consider periodic ozone treatment if the shop is naturally very humid and odors tend to build up over time.

These steps take little time but protect the thing a laundry shop depends on most: the moment a customer opens a bag of clean clothes at home and smells nothing but fresh fabric.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long does the shop need to close for disinfection fogging?
A: It depends on the size of the shop and the extent of the damage. For a typical laundromat, we usually plan to finish within the time the shop is already closed. Our team will confirm timing after the survey.

Q: Will ozone damage the rubber door gaskets on the washers?
A: We use a controlled ozone dose sized to the shop and cover ozone-sensitive parts where appropriate, to minimize any effect on rubber components.

Q: Will the disinfectant get onto customers' clothes?
A: We ask for customers' laundry to be moved out first and tell you how long surfaces need to dry before laundry goes back on them. Chemgene HLD4H does not have the sharp smell of chlorine.

Q: What about the inside of the washer drums?
A: Drums should be cleaned and run empty according to the machine manufacturer's instructions, and a technician should check the electrical systems before use.

Q: How often should we repeat treatment?
A: After a flood, one round following the clean-up is usually enough. Shops that are humid all year round may consider periodic ozone treatment to keep odors under control.

Q: Do you serve areas near Thawi Watthana?
A: Yes. We serve Thawi Watthana, Taling Chan, Bang Khae, Nong Khaem, Phasi Charoen and other parts of Bangkok and its surrounding provinces. Call 065-556-6294 or LINE @whd268.

A Clean Shop, Fresh Laundry, and Customers Who Come Back with Confidence

Laundry shops and coin laundromats in Thawi Watthana can book a survey with WHD 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
• Chemgene HLD4H 750 ml disinfectant spray
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Health references: World Health Organization (WHO): Floods · Department of Health, Thailand