COVID-19 Disinfection in Glencairn

Glencairn is a quiet strip of False Bay coast where the Simon's Town train runs right past the beach and the houses step up the slopes toward the mountain. Behind the sand sits a reedy wetland, and that one feature explains a good share of the calls we get from here.

Hygiene & disinfection in Glencairn: what we see

Holiday rentals and guest houses ask for disinfection between bookings. Local cafés and the station area sometimes need sanitising in busy season.

The Glencairn wetland catches water coming off the mountain before it reaches the sea, and in warm weather its still margins breed mosquitoes. Fynbos slopes and Table Mountain National Park land rise behind the village, bringing scorpions, rain spiders and the odd snake into gardens. Chacma baboons also pass through on the higher streets, so bins left out attract more than flies. Sea mist and winter rain keep timber and storerooms damp.

Homes on the heights are mostly freestanding family houses with big windows and decks, some built into the slope with retaining walls and dark storerooms underneath. Down near the water there are older holiday cottages, some with timber floors and roofs that take a beating from salt air. Holiday lets stand empty for weeks and then fill up, which gives rodents time to settle in unnoticed.

Mosquitoes from the wetland are the headline problem from late spring to autumn. Rodents move into storerooms and roof spaces when the weather turns. Ants, fishmoths and the occasional scorpion round out the list for homes on the slopes.

Worth knowing

When we walk into an office after a positive case, the first thing we look at is the shared kitchen. Kettle, fridge handle, microwave buttons and the tea-towel nobody washes.

Disinfection is not a substitute for ventilation. In a Cape Town winter it is tempting to keep everything closed, but fresh air does a lot of the work for you.

Tell-tale signs

1. Several people in the same office or household have fallen ill within a few days of each other.
2. You are about to reopen a space that was closed because of illness.
3. A client, landlord or head office has asked for proof that the premises were disinfected.
4. Shared equipment such as till points, keyboards, phones and kitchen counters is used by many hands every day.
5. Normal cleaning has been done, but nobody has wiped door handles, light switches and lift buttons properly.
6. Vulnerable people, such as the elderly or anyone on chemotherapy, live or work in the building.

What happens when we come out

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.

Prevention that actually works

• 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.
• Stop sharing headsets, pens and keyboards between shifts where you can avoid it.
• 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.

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.

Frequently asked questions

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