The City Bowl is the CBD and the older residential suburbs packed into the bowl formed by Table Mountain, Devil's Peak, Lion's Head and Signal Hill. Pest work here is a mix of restaurant and office contracts in town and older homes and flats up the slopes, with rats tying the two together.
COVID-19 Disinfection by suburb
We cover all 26 suburbs on our City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard route. Each suburb page covers what we find there and what works for those streets and buildings.
- Bantry BayCOVID-19 Disinfection
- Bo-KaapCOVID-19 Disinfection
- Camps BayCOVID-19 Disinfection
- CliftonCOVID-19 Disinfection
- De WaterkantCOVID-19 Disinfection
- ForeshoreCOVID-19 Disinfection
- FresnayeCOVID-19 Disinfection
- GardensCOVID-19 Disinfection
- Green PointCOVID-19 Disinfection
- HiggovaleCOVID-19 Disinfection
- Hout BayCOVID-19 Disinfection
- Imizamo YethuCOVID-19 Disinfection
- LlandudnoCOVID-19 Disinfection
- Malay QuarterCOVID-19 Disinfection
- Mouille PointCOVID-19 Disinfection
- OranjezichtCOVID-19 Disinfection
- Schotsche KloofCOVID-19 Disinfection
- Sea PointCOVID-19 Disinfection
- TamboerskloofCOVID-19 Disinfection
- Three Anchor BayCOVID-19 Disinfection
- University EstateCOVID-19 Disinfection
- Upper WoodstockCOVID-19 Disinfection
- VredehoekCOVID-19 Disinfection
- Walmer EstateCOVID-19 Disinfection
- WoodstockCOVID-19 Disinfection
- ZonnebloemCOVID-19 Disinfection
City Bowl: what drives hygiene & disinfection here
Offices, hotels, gyms and restaurants regularly ask for disinfection after an illness outbreak or before reopening after a shutdown. After-hours visits keep it out of trading time.
The mountain rises right behind the suburbs, with the Company's Garden and the slopes of Table Mountain National Park providing green corridors. Winter rain runs hard down the slopes, and the South-Easter brings the famous tablecloth and blows litter around the streets. The heat traps in the bowl on still summer days.
Worth knowing
A common mistake is to fog first and wipe later. Dirt and grease shield viruses from disinfectant, so we clean the high-touch points before the fogger goes on.
Signs to look for
- A client, landlord or head office has asked for proof that the premises were disinfected.
- Several people in the same office or household have fallen ill within a few days of each other.
- You are about to reopen a space that was closed because of illness.
- Vulnerable people, such as the elderly or anyone on chemotherapy, live or work in the building.
- Normal cleaning has been done, but nobody has wiped door handles, light switches and lift buttons properly.
Respiratory viruses spread mainly through the air between people, but contaminated surfaces play a part, particularly in busy shared spaces. For a business the bigger cost is often staff absence: one case that turns into five can empty a small office for a week. There is also a trust issue, because staff and customers want to know something was actually done. Surface disinfection lowers the load on surfaces, but it does not replace ventilation, staying home when sick or medical advice.
How the treatment works
We start with the boring part that matters most: wiping down high-touch surfaces by hand with a suitable disinfectant, because fogging alone does not scrub a greasy door handle. Then we fog the rooms with a ULV fogger, which puts out a fine mist that settles on surfaces, including the ones nobody thinks to wipe. We choose products that are suitable for the surfaces and the people who will use the space, and we tell you how long to keep the area closed before re-entry. Electronics are covered or wiped rather than soaked. Afterwards you get a short report listing the areas treated and the product used.
Want the full step-by-step? See how our COVID-19 disinfection service works.
Stopping a repeat visit
- Keep people at home when they are sick. It does more than any amount of spraying.
- Open windows where you can. Cape Town's south-easter is good for something, and moving air dilutes airborne virus.
- Know who to phone before you need it, so a positive case does not turn into a day of scrambling.
- Put a daily wipe-down of handles, switches and shared phones on someone's task list, not just the cleaner's.
- Place hand sanitiser at entrances, the kitchen and the till, and keep it topped up.
Pricing, honestly
The cost depends mostly on floor area and how many separate rooms need fogging. Heavy furniture, lots of electronics or food preparation areas take more time because they need careful wiping and covering. After-hours or weekend work and repeat treatments during an ongoing outbreak also affect the quote, which is free.
A household with one sick person can do a decent job with gloves, a disinfectant and some discipline about door handles and the bathroom. For an office, a shop or a care facility, I would get it done professionally, partly for the thoroughness and partly because you get a written record that it was done properly.
Questions we get asked in City Bowl
Is it safe for children and pets afterwards?
Yes, once the re-entry time has passed and the room has been ventilated. Keep pets and kids out while we are working.
Why does my Gardens or Vredehoek flat keep getting cockroaches?
Usually because German cockroaches are moving in from neighbouring flats through shared plumbing risers and electrical ducts. Treating the units around yours at the same time, and sealing gaps around pipes under the sink, gives a far longer result.
Do you come out to City Bowl for COVID-19 disinfection?
Yes. City Bowl is part of our regular City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard route, along with Gardens, Tamboerskloof, Oranjezicht, Vredehoek. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
Do you give a certificate or report?
You get a post-treatment report listing the areas treated and the product used, which most landlords and head offices accept as proof.
Do the rats in the City Bowl come from the Company's Garden?
The garden does carry a lot of rats, but homes and businesses further away are usually dealing with rats from old drains and restaurant lanes. We find where they are actually living, then bait outside and seal the gaps they use to get in.
How long before staff can go back in?
Usually a couple of hours after fogging, once the room has been aired. We confirm the exact time on the day based on the product used.
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