A story from the field: three weeks of giant pots, and the day the warehouse goes back

Khun Sudarat is forty-eight and a long-standing volunteer leader in a subdistrict of Sena, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. When the 2026 floods cut off several villages, many families had no dry place left to cook. Sudarat and her fellow volunteers set up a community kitchen. The space came from Khun Wichai, the owner of a local rice mill, who lent them a grain warehouse standing on higher ground. It happened to be empty between harvests, and he handed over the keys without hesitation.

For three weeks the warehouse became an enormous kitchen. There were rows of gas burners, giant pots and woks, chopping tables, water tanks, crates of donated vegetables and meat, stacks of rice sacks, and hundreds of boxed meals packed every day and sent out by boat. Volunteers rotated from four in the morning until late at night. Everyone was exhausted, and everyone was proud.

As the water receded and families could cook at home again, it was time to close the kitchen. Khun Wichai needed his warehouse back to store the new season's paddy. Sudarat walked around the building and knew the job was not finished. The concrete floor was tacky with grease. The dishwashing corner had standing water and rotting scraps. A temporary drain line smelled foul. Flies and cockroaches were everywhere, there were rat droppings along the stacks of crates, and a heavy mix of cooking smells, garbage and damp hung in a building with a high roof and very few windows.

"He lent it to us out of kindness," she told the team. "We have to give it back in better condition than we found it."

Temporary relief kitchens: set up fast, worked hard, and they leave a lot behind

Disaster kitchens are usually set up in a hurry in spaces that were never designed for cooking: warehouses, multipurpose halls, car parks, machinery sheds. They rarely have proper drainage, extraction hoods or grease traps; if they do, these are improvised. When large volumes of food are cooked every day for weeks, the space accumulates a long list of problems:

• Grease and fat coating the floor, the walls near the burners, beams and even the roof structure.
• Food scraps and dishwater running into floor joints, cracks and temporary pipes.
• Wet waste from vegetable peelings, meat trimmings and used meal boxes waiting for collection.
• Pests: flies, cockroaches and rats drawn in by the smell of food.
• Built-up humidity from boiling pots, steam and floors that stayed wet all day.

For a grain warehouse, every one of these matters. Rice absorbs odors easily, and any insects or rodents left behind can damage an entire season's harvest. A kitchen that was a lifeline for the community can, if it is not closed properly, become a problem for the person who made it possible.

Why the space must be returned truly clean, not just swept

Health of the next users

Rotting food and dishwater are breeding grounds for bacteria such as E. coli and other germs that cause diarrhea. Areas where rats have nested carry a risk of leptospirosis, which people in Thailand call rat urine fever. The mill workers who will return to the warehouse deserve a safe place to work.

The owner's harvest

Paddy and milled rice stored in a building that smells of food, oil or mustiness can take on those odors. Insects or rodents that remain can damage the crop. For a rice mill, that is not a small inconvenience; it affects income and reputation with buyers.

Community relationships

Generosity offered during a crisis deserves to be repaid with a clean, ready-to-use space. That trust is what makes it possible for the community to find a kitchen space again the next time disaster strikes.

Volunteer health

Volunteers who have worked hard for weeks are often worn out, and some have small cuts from knives or burns from hot equipment. Clearing a dirty space without protection can lead to skin infections at exactly the moment people are most run down.

Why the usual cleanup is not enough

• Pouring bleach on grease: Bleach does not dissolve fat. The grease stays put and becomes a surface where germs can cling.
• Hosing everything into the drain: If temporary pipes or sumps are clogged with fat, water backs up and the smell gets worse.
• Leaving the warehouse doors open: High-roofed warehouses exchange air slowly, and odors that have soaked into roof timbers and walls do not simply drift away.
• Air freshener sprays: Perfume mixed with rotting-food smells produces something worse, and the source is untouched.
• Blanket insecticide spraying: Residues may settle on floors that will soon hold food. Use methods appropriate to a grain store, and call a pest-control specialist when there is a significant rodent problem.

How kitchen smells get locked into a warehouse

Volunteers are often surprised that a warehouse still smells of cooking days after the burners have gone. The reason is that cooking odors are not just "air". When oil is heated, tiny droplets of fat and smoke rise with the steam and settle on every cool surface they meet: roof sheets, steel trusses, timber purlins, the upper parts of walls and the dust that sits on top of beams. That film of fat holds odor molecules and slowly releases them, especially when the afternoon sun warms the roof.

At floor level, a different process is at work. Dishwater and food juices soak into porous concrete and the joints between slabs. Bacteria break down the proteins and fats in that residue, producing the sour, rotten smell people notice near drains and in corners. In a building with a high roof and few windows, these two layers of odor, one high and one low, mix slowly and linger.

This is why the order of work matters. Degreasing removes the film that holds the smell. Cleaning drains and joints removes the food source for bacteria. Fogging treats the surfaces where germs remain. Ozone then works on the odor molecules still trapped in materials and air. Skip the first two steps, and even the best fogging or ozone treatment will be fighting a source that keeps producing new smell.

Caring for volunteers on wrap-up day

Wrap-up day is often the most tiring of all, because fatigue has been building for weeks. Divide the team into short shifts. Make sure everyone wears rubber gloves, boots and a mask. Assign anyone with cuts on their hands or feet to tasks that do not involve dirty water. Keep drinking water and a hand-washing point with soap close to the work area.

If any volunteer develops fever, muscle pain especially in the calves, red eyes, diarrhea or a cut that becomes red and swollen in the days afterwards, they should see a doctor and mention that they have been working in flood areas and a relief kitchen. Looking after the people who looked after everyone else is part of closing the operation well.

It also helps to plan the wrap-up as a proper event rather than an afterthought. Announce the closing date in advance, invite volunteers to sign up for specific tasks, and finish with a meal together once the space is clean. People are more willing to do the hard final work when it is recognized as part of the mission.

The order of work when closing the kitchen

1. Walk the space with the owner: Photograph the current condition and agree on the condition in which it will be returned.
2. Deal with remaining ingredients: Share good fresh food with households that need it right away; dispose of spoiled food properly.
3. Return equipment: Have the gas supplier collect the cylinders. Wash borrowed burners and pots and return them to their owners.
4. Remove all waste: Bag wet waste in heavy bags, tie them tightly and arrange collection with the local authority.
5. Degrease: Scrub the floor, walls near the burners and table legs with a grease-cutting cleaner, then rinse with clean water.
6. Clean drains and sumps: Scoop fat and food waste out of sumps and remove temporary pipework.
7. Check for rodents and insects: If there are many signs of rats, bring in a pest-control specialist.
8. Disinfect and ozone-treat: Once the space is clear and dry.

The solution: disinfection fogging plus ozone treatment before handover, by WHD

Our disinfection fogging service with CHEMGENE HLD4H. After degreasing, our team uses ULV fogging across floors, walls, posts, beams, the old dishwashing corner, the waste-bin area and around the drains. The fine droplets reach cracks in the concrete and gaps that scrubbing cannot cover evenly.

Our ozone treatment service. A warehouse that can be closed, or smaller rooms such as the mill's store room and office, can be ozone-treated to break down cooking smells, oil odors, garbage odors and mustiness absorbed into walls and roof structure. Our team assesses the volume of the space and where air leaks out, then sets the number of generators and the treatment time accordingly.

How the service works

1. Survey: We walk the space with the coordinator and the owner, identifying grease, standing water and odor sources.
2. Wrap-up advice: We point out areas that need more cleaning and anything better handled by another specialist.
3. Disinfection fogging: CHEMGENE HLD4H is applied by ULV fogging across the former kitchen area.
4. Ozone treatment: The warehouse or sub-rooms are closed and generators are set to the volume.
5. Ventilation: Doors and vents are opened until the space is safe.
6. Re-check and handover: We walk the space with the owner before they take it back.

Safety during ozone treatment

• No people, pets or plants may be inside during ozone treatment. The team posts signs and blocks the entrances.
• Do not bring paddy, milled rice or any food into the warehouse until ventilation is complete.
• Switches, control panels and electronics in the mill office should be covered. The team controls dose and duration accordingly.
• After treatment, the building must be ventilated until the team confirms it is safe.
• Tell mill workers and volunteers in advance not to enter during the scheduled period.

Handing the space back with gratitude

On handover day, walk the space with the owner. Compare photos from the day you received it with today. Explain what was done: degreasing, drain cleaning, disinfection fogging and ozone treatment. If something could not be repaired, such as a cracked floor slab where gas cylinders stood, say so plainly and discuss together how to make it right.

A small logbook recording the dates of use, roughly how many meals were cooked and the steps taken to return the space is enormously useful next time, and it can guide other communities that set up relief kitchens in future.

Finally, thank the owner and every volunteer formally. Some communities put up a thank-you banner outside the mill, telling the story of what neighbours did for each other during the disaster. That story matters as much as the clean floor.

A realistic closing timeline

For a kitchen the size of Khun Sudarat's, closing usually takes about a week from the last meal to handover. On the first day after the final service, volunteers distribute remaining fresh ingredients, the gas supplier collects cylinders and borrowed equipment goes back to its owners. On the second and third days, the team removes all waste and scrubs grease from floors, walls and tables, then empties and cleans the sumps and pulls out temporary pipes.

If there are many signs of rats, a pest-control specialist visits around this point. Once the floor is clear and has had a day or two to dry, our team carries out disinfection fogging across the whole former kitchen. The building is then closed for ozone treatment, followed by thorough ventilation, ideally on a dry, breezy day.

The final day is the walk-through with the owner. Leave a little buffer in the schedule: if a corner still smells, it is far better to find out before the owner moves rice back in than afterwards.

What the owner may want to check before storing grain

Owners of grain warehouses often have their own checks before a new harvest arrives, and it helps volunteers to anticipate them. Expect the owner to look at the floor for oil stains that could transfer to sacks, at the roof and walls for leaks, and at corners and pallet areas for droppings or insect activity. Many will want the building to stand open for a few dry days before the first load, simply to be sure that no smell returns as the roof heats up.

It is worth asking the owner directly what condition they need. Some may prefer that pallets are lifted and the floor underneath is cleaned as well. Others may ask that a particular door seal or window be repaired. Agreeing on these details at the start of the closing week avoids disappointment on handover day.

Lessons for the next relief kitchen

Many of the problems at handover can be reduced while the kitchen is still running. If your community sets up a relief kitchen again, a few simple habits make closing much easier:

• Lay heavy plastic sheeting or rubber mats under the cooking area to catch grease and spills.
• Put a simple strainer or mesh over every drain to catch food scraps before they enter pipes.
• Remove wet waste from the building at least once a day, and keep bins lidded.
• Store donated ingredients on pallets or tables, never directly on the floor.
• Set a short end-of-day cleaning routine: wipe surfaces, mop the floor and empty dishwater.
• Photograph the space on day one, so everyone knows what "the original condition" looked like.

These steps take little time when spread across the weeks, and they save a great deal of effort and odor at the end.

10 reasons volunteer teams in Sena choose WHD to help return their space

1. We understand disaster fieldwork and schedule around the volunteers' wrap-up.
2. ULV disinfection fogging across the former kitchen, including cracks in the concrete.
3. We use CHEMGENE HLD4H, a product used in professional disinfection work.
4. Ozone treatment to break down cooking, oil and musty odors in the warehouse.
5. Ozone generators sized in number and time to the volume of the building.
6. We understand that a grain store must be free of odors and unnecessary residues.
7. We are honest when a job is better handled by another specialist, such as rodent control.
8. We join the walk-through with the owner on handover day.
9. Follow-on mosquito spraying around the warehouse after the water recedes.
10. Easy to reach by phone and LINE; send photos of the space for an initial assessment.

Before and after returning the relief kitchen space

Customer voice (illustrative scenario)

"For three weeks we cooked in Khun Wichai's warehouse and everyone gave everything they had. But when it was time to give it back, the smell was still there no matter how many times we washed. The team told us to finish the degreasing and the sumps first, then they fogged and ozone-treated the building. On handover day the owner walked round and smiled, and said that if we ever need it again, the door is open."

— Khun Sudarat, volunteer relief-kitchen coordinator, Sena (illustrative scenario from field work)

Frequently asked questions

Q: Should we disinfect before or after removing grease?
A: After. Grease and food residue must be scrubbed off first so the disinfectant can make full contact with the surface.

Q: Can a large warehouse with a high roof be ozone-treated?
A: Yes, provided doors and openings can be closed reasonably well. The team assesses volume and air leaks and sets the number of generators and treatment time. If the building cannot be closed, we focus on fogging and ozone-treat only the sub-rooms that can be sealed.

Q: When can rice be stored again after ozone treatment?
A: Once ventilation is complete, the team confirms it is safe, and the floor is fully dry.

Q: There are many rat signs. Can WHD deal with them?
A: Rodent control should be handled by a pest-control specialist. WHD takes care of disinfection and odor removal afterwards.

Q: Our volunteer group has a small budget. Where should we start?
A: Start with waste removal, degreasing and sump cleaning using volunteer labour, then talk to our team about fogging and ozone treatment for the areas that need it most.

Q: The kitchen was in a temple hall or school, not a warehouse. Does the same process apply?
A: Yes. The order is the same: remove waste, degrease, clean drains, then disinfect and, where the space can be closed, ozone-treat. For temples, we schedule work around monastic routines and the temple moves any sacred objects itself.

Q: How soon after the last meal can the fogging happen?
A: As soon as waste is removed and grease has been scrubbed off. Usually that is two or three days after the final service, depending on the size of the kitchen and how many volunteers help with the clean-up.

Q: Which areas do you cover?
A: Sena, Bang Ban, Phak Hai, Bang Sai, Lat Bua Luang and nearby parts of Ayutthaya. Ask us on LINE @whd268.

Return the space cleaner than the day you received it

Book a survey of your relief kitchen, charity kitchen or aid space in Sena and nearby areas.

See Disinfection Service — Click Here

Book Ozone Treatment — Click Here

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

Related links

• Ozone treatment for odors and chemical residue
• Master Ozone Generator
• Mosquito spraying service
• All articles
• External sources: WHO: Floods and health and Thailand Department of Health