A Story from the Field: Two Weeks of Silence in a Room Built for Laughter

Khru Noi is a caregiver at a child development center run by a Subdistrict Administrative Organization, known in Thailand as an SAO or Or Bor Tor, in In Buri District, Sing Buri. The center is a modest single-story building at the edge of a village, right beside the rice fields. It has one main classroom, a nap room, a small kitchen, a children's restroom and a playground out front. Around thirty children aged two to four come here every weekday, because their parents work the fields or commute to jobs in town.

In 2026, water from the surrounding fields flowed into the center, rising to about mid-shin and staying for almost a week. The center had to close. When the water finally drained away, Khru Noi and two colleagues came back to open the doors. The first thing that met them was a damp, musty smell mixed with the earthy stink of field mud. The children's sleeping mats, stacked in a corner of the nap room, were soaked through on the lower layers. The small blankets were speckled with black dots. The plastic toy baskets were full of silt, and water had pooled underneath the foam crawling mats in the middle of the floor.

A few days later, Khru Noi's phone would not stop ringing. Many parents had to go back to work and wanted to know when the center would reopen. Others were worried that their children might pick up an infection or develop allergies if the center opened too early. Khru Noi had to answer both concerns at once: open soon enough for families to return to work, and make the center safe enough that toddlers could sleep, eat and crawl on the floor without anyone worrying.

Why a Child Development Center Needs More Care Than an Ordinary Building

1. Young Children Live Close to the Floor

Children this age crawl, sit, lie down and play on the floor, and putting things in their mouths is completely normal. If floors, toys or cushions still carry flood mud or germs from floodwater, children have far more direct contact with them than adults do. The risks worth keeping in mind include diarrheal illness from germs in floodwater and skin infections.

2. The Nap Room Is a Mold Hot Spot

Nap rooms are usually kept dim and quiet with curtains drawn, so the air does not move much. Once mats, pillows and blankets have been wet, mold can grow quickly. Children who sleep for one or two hours a day close to a mold source may sneeze, become congested, cough or develop itchy rashes, particularly those who already have allergies.

3. Lots of Toys Made From Many Materials

Toys in a center come in plastic, wood, fabric, rubber and foam, and each needs different handling. Fabric and foam toys that sat in floodwater soak up dirty water deep inside and are very hard to clean completely.

4. The Kitchen and the Children's Restroom

The kitchen where lunch and milk are prepared, and the restroom children use all day, must be clean before the center reopens. If floodwater reached the food cupboard, dishes or the water storage tank, everything needs checking and washing. Each child's cup, spoon and plastic plate that was touched by floodwater should be washed thoroughly and scalded with hot water where the material allows, or replaced if cracked or permanently stained, because these go straight into children's mouths every day.

5. Parents' Worries and Caregivers' Workload

Rural centers have only a few caregivers, limited budgets, and reporting obligations to their SAO. Caregivers end up cleaning, sorting, filling in paperwork and answering parents all at once. Without a clear plan, the work drags on and the center reopens later than it needs to.

Why Little Bodies Are More Vulnerable

It helps to understand why caregivers and parents are right to be more careful with toddlers than with older children or adults. Young children breathe faster relative to their body size, so they take in more air, and whatever is floating in it, per kilogram of body weight. Their immune systems are still developing, and many toddlers in a center are exposed to each other's colds and stomach bugs as a normal part of growing up. Adding mold spores in the nap room or germs on the floor simply raises the load their bodies have to manage.

Young children also cannot tell you clearly what is bothering them. A toddler with an irritated nose may just become fussy, sleep poorly or rub their face. That is why the safest approach is to reduce the sources of irritation in the building before the children arrive, rather than waiting to see who reacts. None of this is medical advice: if a child develops fever, diarrhea, a spreading rash or unusual breathing, parents should see a doctor and let the center know.

Common Fixes That Are Not Enough for a Children's Center

• Mopping the floor and reopening immediately: the floor may look clean, but the lower walls, the space under cabinets and the corners of the nap room are still damp and hiding mold.
• Flooding the room with strong bleach: the lingering fumes are not suitable for toddlers, and bleach does nothing about spores in the air.
• Sun-drying mats and putting them back: mats that sat in floodwater for days stay damp inside and may still harbor germs. Sunlight only helps the outer surface.
• Spraying air freshener: it masks the smell for a while, and some fragrances can irritate children's airways.
• Keeping wet fabric toys: stuffed animals and cloth toys that soaked in floodwater are a source of germs that is very hard to clean out.

The Solution: A Reopening Plan With Professional Disinfection and Ozone Treatment

World Health Disinfection provides a professional disinfection fogging service using CHEMGENE HLD4H through ULV foggers, and an ozone shock treatment service for enclosed rooms. In a child development center, the team works only on days when no children are present and allows ample ventilation time before children return.

Before the Team Arrives: What Caregivers Can Do

• Sort mats and fabrics: children's mats and pillows that sat in floodwater for a long time usually need replacing. Wash blankets and pillowcases in hot water where the fabric allows, and dry them completely.
• Sort toys: wash hard plastic toys in soapy water, rinse with clean water and air-dry. Fabric, foam and wooden toys that soaked for a long time should be considered for disposal.
• Remove mud and wash floors: wear boots, gloves and a mask, and cover any cuts completely.
• Check the kitchen, dishes and water: discard any food or milk touched by floodwater, wash all dishes and inspect the water tank.
• Have an electrician check the wiring: before switching on fans, the refrigerator or air conditioning.
• Photograph and list the damage: for reporting to the SAO.

The Team's Step-by-Step Process

1. Survey with caregivers and SAO staff: identify which rooms flooded, where the mold is, and set a work day when no children are at the center.
2. Advice on sorting: help decide which items to keep and which to replace.
3. Disinfection fogging: mist is applied in the classroom, nap room, restroom, walls, floors, shelves and high-touch points such as door handles, rails and table edges.
4. Ozone treatment: the nap room and classroom are sealed and the ozone generator runs for a time suited to the room size. Absolutely no people, children, pets or plants may be inside during this stage.
5. Ventilation: doors and windows are opened and the rooms aired thoroughly. The team confirms when it is safe to re-enter. Caregivers should keep ventilating for at least one more day before children come back.
6. Re-check: the team checks odors and mold spots with the caregivers and gives advice on daily care.

Safety Points Every Caregiver Should Know

• No children or adults may be in a room during ozone treatment, and the room must be ventilated properly before anyone enters.
• Center pets such as fish in a tank, and potted plants, must be moved out before treatment.
• Video players, televisions and other electronics should be moved or covered. The team controls the ozone dose to suit the room.
• Toys and utensils that children put in their mouths should be rinsed again with clean water before use.

Sorting Toys by Material: A Quick Guide for Caregivers

Sorting toys is often the most time-consuming job after a flood, and the most emotional one, because many toys were donated by families or bought with hard-won budget. A simple rule by material makes decisions faster and fairer.

• Hard plastic without hollow parts (blocks, cups, stacking rings): wash in soapy water, rinse with clean water and air-dry completely. These can usually be kept.
• Plastic with hollow parts or holes (squeeze toys, bath toys, rattles): floodwater can get trapped inside where it cannot be cleaned or dried. These are best discarded.
• Painted or unsealed wood (puzzles, wooden blocks): wood absorbs water. Items that soaked for days, swelled or show mold should be discarded. Lightly splashed pieces can be wiped, dried in the shade and watched for mold.
• Fabric and stuffed toys: those that soaked in floodwater are very hard to make safe and are usually best replaced.
• Foam mats and foam blocks: if water seeped into the foam or got trapped underneath for days, replacing them is usually the safer choice.
• Books and paper materials: paper picture books that got wet are best replaced; wipeable board books can be cleaned and dried if they did not swell.

Keeping a simple list of what was discarded, with photos, helps when reporting to the SAO and when asking the community for replacement donations.

What Ozone Treatment Does, and What It Does Not Do

Caregivers and parents sometimes hear about ozone and imagine it as a magic switch. Being clear about what it can and cannot do helps everyone make good decisions.

What it does well: ozone is a highly reactive form of oxygen. Inside a sealed room, it reacts with odor molecules and with microorganisms in the air and on exposed surfaces. That is why it is effective at reducing musty smells and airborne mold spores in enclosed spaces such as a nap room. Once the generator is switched off and the room is ventilated, ozone breaks back down into ordinary oxygen over time.

What it does not do: it does not dry out wet walls, it does not remove mud, and it does not reach deep inside a soaked mattress or a stuffed toy. It is also not something anyone should be exposed to while it is working. That is why ozone treatment always comes after mud removal and sorting, why no people or animals may be inside during treatment, and why ventilation is a required step rather than an optional one.

Used in the right order, together with disinfection fogging and good cleaning, ozone is a powerful tool. Used as a shortcut, it cannot replace the basic work.

10 Reasons Child Development Centers Choose Professional Disinfection and Ozone Treatment

1. Fewer mold spores in the nap room: ozone treatment improves the air where children sleep.
2. Mist that reaches under cabinets and into corners: ULV fogging covers far more surface than wiping by hand.
3. A disinfectant used in hygiene work: CHEMGENE HLD4H suits a wide range of surfaces.
4. Musty odor reduced without perfume: better for rooms used by toddlers.
5. Work only on child-free days: with ample time to ventilate.
6. Help with sorting: caregivers do not have to guess which mats and toys to replace.
7. More confident parents: caregivers can explain clearly what was done.
8. Reopening on schedule: families can return to work sooner.
9. Daily care guidance: including use of the Chemgene 750 ml spray on high-touch points according to the label.
10. Mosquito control around the center: centers beside fields with standing water can add our mosquito fogging service.

Before and After

A Caregiver's Voice

"At first I did not know where to start. There was just so much stuff. The team helped us decide which set of mats to replace and which toys could be washed and used again, then came to do the disinfection and ozone on a Saturday when there were no children. By Monday the nap room had no musty smell, and we could explain to parents exactly what we had done."

— Khru Noi, caregiver at a child development center, In Buri (illustrative scenario)

A 7-Day Plan Before Children Return

• Days 1–2: remove mud, wash floors and lower walls, open every door and window, sort mats, fabrics and toys into groups, and photograph the damage.
• Day 3: wash what can be washed, clean plastic toys, discard badly damaged items, check the kitchen and water tank, and have an electrician inspect the wiring.
• Day 4: the team surveys, fogs and runs ozone treatment on a day with no children, then ventilates.
• Day 5: ventilate all day, check the smell in the nap room, and wipe high-touch points again.
• Day 6: rearrange the rooms, lay out new mats away from the walls, and return fully dry toys to the shelves.
• Day 7: inform parents, share before and after photos, and welcome the children back.

This schedule is a guide, not a rule. If walls or floors are still very damp, or the nap room still smells clearly musty, postpone that room and open another room that is ready first. Children's safety matters more than any date on the calendar.

What Caregivers Should Tell Parents Before Reopening

• What the center has done, such as removing mud, sorting items, replacing mats, disinfection fogging and ozone treatment, ideally with before and after photos.
• The reopening date, and whether some rooms will open before others.
• A request that parents watch their children closely. Any fever, diarrhea, rash or unusual cough should be checked by a doctor, and the center should be told.
• A request that parents check children's personal items at home, such as blankets and bags, and make sure they are completely dry before bringing them back.

Clear, calm communication helps parents trust the center again. A short message in the parents' LINE group with photos is often enough to answer most of the questions caregivers would otherwise be fielding one call at a time.

Daily Habits That Keep the Center Healthy After Reopening

The professional treatment gives the center a clean starting point. What keeps it that way in the weeks after a flood is a handful of simple routines that fit easily into a caregiver's day.

• Open the nap room windows every morning before children arrive and again after nap time, so that humid air does not build up behind closed curtains.
• Store mats standing up or on a rack after use rather than stacked flat on the floor, and wipe the plastic covers regularly.
• Wash blankets weekly and make sure they are bone dry before they go back into storage.
• Wipe door handles, rails, tables and the restroom taps at least once a day.
• Check the lower walls of the nap room and classroom every week for new dark spots or a returning smell, especially after heavy rain.
• Clear standing water from the playground and around the building so mosquitoes have fewer places to breed.

If a musty smell or mold spots return in the same place, caregivers can send photos to the team on LINE to ask whether a follow-up visit is needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: After ozone treatment, when can children go back into the room?
A: Only after the team has finished ventilating and confirmed it is safe. For a children's center we recommend ventilating for at least one more day before children arrive.

Q: Can soaked sleeping mats be used again after ozone treatment?
A: Ozone helps with odor and airborne spores in the room, but the filling of a mat that sat in floodwater for a long time may still be damp and contaminated. Most should be replaced.

Q: Do plastic toys need to be sprayed with disinfectant?
A: Wash them in soapy water, rinse with clean water and air-dry first. If you use a disinfectant, follow the label, and rinse again with clean water any item children put in their mouths.

Q: Is the disinfectant safe once children are back?
A: Fogging is done only when the center is empty, and rooms are ventilated before re-entry. Surfaces children mouth, such as toys and utensils, should still be rinsed with clean water before use.

Q: Which days can the work be done?
A: The team recommends days when the center is closed, such as weekends, so there is enough time to ventilate before children arrive.

Q: Our center is in a remote subdistrict. Can the team reach us?
A: We serve In Buri, Mueang Sing Buri, Phrom Buri, Bang Rachan and nearby districts. Contact us by phone or LINE.

Q: Can we get service details to support the SAO's internal approval process?
A: Yes. Contact the team to request a description of the scope of work after the site survey.

Bring the Laughter Back to Your Child Development Center

Services for child development centers, kindergartens and local government agencies in Sing Buri Province

View Disinfection Service – Click Here

Book Ozone Treatment – Click Here

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

Related Articles and Links

• Residential ozone disinfection
• Dust mite removal service
• Mosquito fogging service
• All articles
• External sources: WHO: Floods and health and Thailand Department of Health

#ChildcareDisinfection #PostFloodDisinfection #OzoneTreatment #MoldRemoval #MustyOdorRemoval #Chemgene #DisinfectionService #InBuri

Keywords: child development center disinfection after flood, daycare ozone treatment, SAO child development center, moldy nap mats, musty odor removal, In Buri, Sing Buri 2026