A story from the field: one month when the sala became home to a whole subdistrict

A riverside temple in Phak Hai district, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, stands on ground slightly higher than the villages around it. When the 2026 floods arrived, the abbot kindly opened the sala, the temple's large preaching hall, to families whose homes had gone under. Uncle Sompong, the temple's sixty-five-year-old lay steward, spent the next month coordinating volunteers and local agencies.

At its busiest, more than a hundred people were sleeping in the sala: older people, small children and a few bedridden patients. Donated mats, mattresses and blankets covered the wooden floor. The temple restrooms were in use day and night, and extra temporary toilets were placed beside the kitchen. Some of the monks' quarters, known as kuti, stood lower than the sala, and water seeped in beneath their floors. Through it all, the monks kept their daily routine: morning and evening chanting, and receiving alms by boat.

When the water receded and families went home, Uncle Sompong walked around the temple and saw how much work remained. The sala's wooden floor was stained and smelled musty after weeks under layers of mattresses. A pile of leftover donated blankets in one corner had started to smell. The restrooms had a strong odor and grime built up in the grout. In the kuti where water had seeped in, mold was growing along the lower wall boards, and some of the monks had begun to cough. The abbot mentioned that he hoped the sala would be clean again in time for the coming kathin robe-offering ceremony and the community's merit-making events.

Why a temple used as a shelter needs more than sweeping and mopping

A temple shelter is different from a flooded house. The problems do not come only from floodwater. They come from many people living together in a limited space for a long time. Moisture from breath, damp clothing and laundry hung to dry inside the hall soaks into wooden floors and walls. Mats and mattresses that stay on the floor day and night stop the boards underneath from ever drying out.

Restrooms used by several times their normal number of people accumulate urine and waste residue in tile joints and grout, and septic tanks may fill faster than usual. The temple kitchen, cooking several meals a day for a crowd, collects grease and food scraps that attract insects and rats. In kuti where water seeped under the floor, mold tends to grow along the lower wall boards, and a musty smell rises into the rooms where monks sleep.

On top of this, respiratory infections, colds and skin conditions spread easily when many people live close together. Thorough cleaning after the shelter closes helps keep monks, lay visitors and the children who come to the temple safer.

Risks the temple should be aware of

The health of monks and lay visitors

Floodwater and mud can contain E. coli, which is associated with diarrhea, and Leptospira bacteria, which cause leptospirosis, known in Thailand as rat urine fever. Mold spores in kuti and the sala can trigger allergies and asthma. Elderly monks and the older lay people who come to make merit regularly deserve particular care.

Old timber and traditional craftsmanship

Older salas and kuti are often built of teak or other valuable hardwoods. Some have carvings, gold-and-black lacquer work or mural paintings. Heavy scrubbing or strong chemicals can damage both the wood and the artwork. Gentle methods are essential, and the temple itself should decide which areas must be avoided.

Upcoming ceremonies

The period after the floods recede is when communities return to the temple for merit-making, kathin ceremonies and gatherings. If the sala still smells musty or the restrooms are not clean, visitors will feel uncomfortable, and the temple's ability to bring people together again is weakened.

Why the usual methods are not enough

• Washing the sala floor with lots of water: Water runs into the gaps between boards and beneath the floor, keeping the wood damp longer and bringing the musty smell back.
• Strong bleach in the restrooms: The sharp fumes disturb monks and visitors, and bleach does little for odors trapped in grout and pipes.
• Incense to cover odors: A beautiful tradition, but it does not remove the source of the smell, and smoke in an enclosed space is hard on anyone with allergies.
• Storing donated bedding straight away: If it is still damp or smells, it should be sorted, washed and dried thoroughly in the sun, and anything with mold should be discarded.
• Repainting or re-oiling the wood immediately: If the timber is still damp, mold will grow beneath the new coat.

Preparing the temple before the team arrives

1. A short meeting with the temple: The lay steward or temple committee identifies which areas were used as the shelter, where water seeped in, and which areas should not be entered.
2. Clear donated items and waste: Volunteers carry mattresses, mats, blankets and rubbish out of the sala so the floor can get air and sunlight.
3. Sweep and wipe the wooden floor: Use a well-wrung cloth rather than buckets of water, then open doors and windows for cross-ventilation.
4. Clean the restrooms: Scrub floors, toilets and walls with a general cleaner, and never mix different cleaning chemicals.
5. Clean the temple kitchen: Remove grease, discard any ingredients that touched floodwater or have expired, and clear food scraps out of drains and sumps.
6. Electrical check: Ask an electrician to inspect sockets and wiring in kuti where water seeped in, as well as the temple's water pumps.

When the space is prepared in this way, disinfection fogging and ozone treatment work at full effect and take less time on site, so monastic life is disturbed as little as possible.

Principles for working respectfully in a temple

• The temple decides, and the temple moves sacred objects: Buddha images, relics, altar offerings and religious valuables are moved or covered by the temple itself. Our team does not touch them.
• Work is scheduled around monastic routines: We avoid the times of the alms round, meals, morning and evening chanting and ceremonies, agreeing the schedule with the lay steward or the person the temple appoints.
• Areas the temple prefers us not to enter: We do not enter them, and we do not fog or ozone-treat them.
• Modest dress and conduct: Shoes off where the temple requires, quiet voices, and respect for each temple's customs.
• Kuti: Ozone treatment only with the permission of the monk who lives there, and only when he is not inside.

These principles are not a formality. A temple is a place of practice and of deep meaning for the community. Our job is to help it return to that role, quietly and without disruption. If the abbot or committee prefers a different day, a shorter session or a smaller scope, we adjust the plan rather than asking the temple to adjust to us.

The solution: disinfection fogging plus ozone treatment by World Health Disinfection

Our disinfection fogging service with CHEMGENE HLD4H uses ULV fogging in the sala, restrooms, kitchen and walkways. The fine droplets reach gaps between floorboards, the bases of pillars and tile grout without needing the large volumes of water that would soak old timber.

Our ozone treatment service suits rooms that can be closed: kuti, storerooms, restrooms and any sala with doors and windows that shut. Ozone reduces airborne mold spores and breaks down musty odors absorbed into the wood. For an open-sided sala, the team focuses on fogging, because ozone needs an enclosed space to work.

How the service works

1. Survey with the temple: We walk the grounds with the lay steward or the temple's appointee and agree which areas may be treated and which must be avoided.
2. Scheduling: We set days and times that fit monastic routines.
3. Preparation advice: We help sort leftover mattresses, blankets, mats and waste from the shelter.
4. Disinfection fogging: CHEMGENE HLD4H is applied by ULV fogging in the sala, restrooms and kitchen.
5. Ozone treatment: Kuti and closable rooms are treated with permission and with no one inside.
6. Ventilation and re-check: Doors and windows are opened until it is safe, then odor and moisture are checked again.

Safety during ozone treatment

• No monks, novices, lay people, pets or plants may be in the room during ozone treatment, including the dogs and cats that live at the temple.
• Buddha images, mural paintings, monks' robes, ceremonial fans and sacred objects are moved or covered by the temple beforehand.
• Sound systems, microphones and electronics in the sala should be removed or covered. The team controls the ozone dose and duration to suit the room.
• After treatment, rooms must be ventilated until the team confirms it is safe to use them again.
• Post notices for lay visitors in advance showing which areas are closed and when.

Handling donated items left over from the shelter

When a shelter closes, a large amount of donated bedding and clothing is usually left behind. Sort it into three groups. Items that are clean and dry can be washed, sun-dried and stored in sealed bags or boxes for future use. Items that are damp or smell but have no mold should be washed in hot water and dried completely in the sun before deciding. Mattresses and pillows with black mold or a strong smell should be discarded.

Mattresses that are still in good condition can be cleaned with our dust-mite removal service before storage. Record how many items are kept and where, so the temple can open a shelter more quickly next time.

Temporary toilets should be removed and emptied by the provider or agency that installed them. The temple's own septic tank, after weeks of heavy use, should be checked and pumped by a septic service if needed.

What lay volunteers can safely do themselves

Much of the restoration can be done by the community, and doing it together is part of what makes a temple a temple. Volunteers can carry out mattresses and mats, sort donations, sweep and wipe floors with damp cloths, wash restroom surfaces with ordinary cleaners, clear drains of leaves and mud, and empty containers around the grounds where mosquitoes might breed. They can also help the temple record what was used, what was damaged and what needs repair.

A few tasks are better left to specialists. Electrical checks belong to a qualified electrician. Septic tanks should be pumped by a licensed service. Structural concerns about old timber, such as a soft post or a sagging floor, need a carpenter's assessment. Fogging with professional disinfectant and ozone treatment require trained operators who know how to protect people, animals and delicate materials. Dividing the work this way keeps volunteers safe and makes the best use of everyone's goodwill.

Planning the restoration around the ceremony calendar

For many temples in Ayutthaya, the weeks after the floods coincide with the kathin season, when the community gathers to offer robes to the monks. That gives the restoration a natural deadline. A realistic plan works backwards from the ceremony date. Allow a few days for volunteers to clear the sala and sort donated items. Allow time for an electrician to check kuti and pumps. Schedule disinfection fogging once the floors are clear, and ozone treatment of kuti once their walls have started to dry.

Leave at least several days between the final treatment and the ceremony. That buffer allows full ventilation, a second check of any corner that still smells, and time for the temple to return Buddha images and offerings to their places in its own way. It also gives the lay committee time to arrange the sala for the ceremony without rushing.

Some temples choose to hold a small blessing or merit-making for the volunteers and families who sheltered there once the sala is ready. It is a fitting way to close the chapter and to thank everyone who helped.

Looking after the monks' health after the shelter period

Monks who host a shelter often carry a heavy load. They continue their own practice while also receiving visitors, offering comfort to families who have lost belongings, and sometimes helping with practical tasks. Rest is short, and the kuti they return to at night may be damp. It is not surprising when a cough or skin irritation appears after a month like this.

Lay supporters can help in simple ways. Make sure each kuti has dry bedding and that damp mats are replaced. Open windows during the day so rooms can air. Offer drinking water and nutritious food. If a monk develops fever, muscle pain especially in the calves, red eyes, persistent cough or an infected wound, help arrange a visit to a doctor or the local health-promoting hospital, and mention that the temple served as a flood shelter.

Once kuti are dry, ozone treatment, done with the monk's permission and while he is elsewhere, can reduce the airborne spores and mustiness that make nights uncomfortable. Many temples choose to treat the kuti of elderly monks first.

Lessons for the next time the temple opens as a shelter

Floods return to the central plains more often than anyone would like, and a temple that sheltered people once is likely to be asked again. A few lessons from this year can make the next shelter easier to run and easier to close:

• Lay plastic sheeting or raised pallets under sleeping mats so the wooden floor can breathe and stays protected.
• Set aside one area for drying laundry outside the sala, so damp clothes do not hang indoors.
• Rotate bedding regularly and air mattresses in the sun on dry days.
• Plan restroom capacity early, and agree in advance who will remove temporary toilets afterwards.
• Keep a simple list of donated items and where they are stored.
• Decide in advance which areas, such as the ordination hall and certain kuti, are not part of the shelter.

Writing these points down while memories are fresh is one of the most useful things a temple committee can do after the water has gone.

10 reasons temples in Phak Hai trust WHD

1. We work respectfully: the temple defines the areas and handles sacred objects itself.
2. We schedule around monastic routines, never disturbing the alms round, meals or chanting.
3. ULV disinfection fogging without soaking old wooden floors.
4. We use CHEMGENE HLD4H, a product used in professional disinfection work.
5. Ozone treatment for kuti and closable rooms to reduce mustiness and airborne spores.
6. Ozone generators with controlled dosing, suitable for old timber and traditional craftsmanship.
7. Care for restrooms that were heavily used during the shelter period.
8. Advice on sorting leftover donations, with follow-on dust-mite removal.
9. Mosquito spraying around the temple grounds after the water recedes.
10. Easy coordination with the lay steward or temple committee by phone and LINE.

Before and after restoring the temple

Customer voice (illustrative scenario)

"While the villagers stayed with us, the temple looked after them as well as it could. After everyone went home, the sala and restrooms needed far more work than I expected. The team surveyed with me first and asked where they could go and where they should not. They scheduled around the monks' meals and chanting, and the temple took care of the Buddha images itself. Now the sala no longer smells and we are ready to welcome people for merit-making."

— Uncle Sompong, lay steward of a temple in Phak Hai (illustrative scenario from field work)

Frequently asked questions

Q: Will your team move Buddha images or sacred objects?
A: No. The temple moves or covers sacred objects itself, and our team works only in areas the temple permits.

Q: How long do monks need to stay out of their kuti?
A: It depends on room size and odor level. The team gives the time in advance and chooses a period when the monk is elsewhere, for example in the sala or ordination hall.

Q: Can an open-sided sala be ozone-treated?
A: Ozone needs an enclosed space, so open salas are treated mainly by fogging. Rooms that can be closed can be ozone-treated.

Q: Will fogging damage old wooden floors?
A: ULV fogging uses a small amount of liquid and does not soak the floor. The team avoids areas with craftsmanship or murals as the temple directs.

Q: How far ahead of a ceremony should this be done?
A: At least several days ahead, to allow time for ventilation, a re-check and arranging the sala.

Q: Can the work be done in stages so the temple stays open?
A: Yes. We usually treat one area at a time, for example the restrooms first, then the sala, then individual kuti, so that monks and visitors always have somewhere to go.

Q: Is the temple kitchen included?
A: It can be. After grease and food scraps have been cleaned out, the kitchen can be fogged. If it can be closed, ozone treatment helps reduce lingering cooking and garbage odors.

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

Help the temple that sheltered the community become clean and peaceful again

Book a survey of the sala, kuti and restrooms of your temple in Phak Hai and nearby areas.

See Disinfection Service — Click Here

Book Ozone Treatment — Click Here

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

Related links

• Residential ozone disinfection
• Dust-mite removal service
• Mosquito spraying service
• All articles
• External sources: WHO: Floods and health and Thailand Department of Disease Control