WATCH: Festival Mall in Kempton Park spends eight hours disinfecting all floors and surfaces

Special technology and disinfecting solutions were used to spray and clean Festival Mall on Friday night.

Toilets, ceilings, floors, handrails, entrance doors, pay stations, dustbins, benches and any other surfaces the public touches were among the focus areas, reports Kempton Express.

“Festival Mall acknowledges that Covid-19 has become a challenging part of everyday life for South Africans, as well as people over the world,” said Daphne Smith, centre manager.

“We would like our shoppers to know that despite these challenges, we are working very hard to minimise the risks to you and alleviate some of the fear.

“We are committed to playing our part in preventing the spread of Covid-19. We are taking all the necessary precautions to make sure the mall remains a safe place for our shoppers, their loved ones and the community we serve.”

The cleaning was done by the mall’s cleaning company, Brilliant Cleaning.

“It is important to note that there was no virus detected at the mall but this is just preventative cleaning,” said Brilliant Cleaning’s Zane Fabricius on Friday.

“We used an electrostatic sprayer, the electromagnetic sprayer, which has a solution with a disinfectant that kills all bacteria and viruses, including the coronavirus. Although the disinfectant is very strong, it is not toxic to humans and is environment friendly. The product is not a chemical but a solution based on minerals.

“It sprays a mist and the solution is effective for 28 days on areas and surfaces where people don’t touch, like ceilings and pipes. But where people normally touch, like the toilets and basins, we have a daily-maintenance product that actually keeps those environments safe for 24 and 48 hours. Every 28 days we will use a very high-concentrate of the disinfectant.”

The floors were cleaned using the I-Mop machine. Walls, floors, ceilings, fixtures and all public touchpoints were concentrated on.

The team also used the ATP tester, which is also known as the Adenosine triphosphate, that measures dirt, soil and organic matter, which is breeding ground for bacteria and viruses.

“The ATP gives a reading of the organic matter in 15 seconds. Usually, a clean public space gives you a count of 60. We use the ATP to take readings before we spray and we use it again afterwards. It usually gives a reading of zero,” explained Zane.

Hand-sanitising units throughout the mall were to be installed over the weekend.

Other areas disinfected included staff change rooms and canteens, security control rooms, light switches, marketing boards and map boards, among others.

“The wellbeing of those who visit our retail centres is our highest priority,” said Smith.

“To safeguard both our shoppers and the invaluable staff who work at our shopping centres, we are reinforcing our hygiene and sanitisation regimes. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Implementing the highest standard of cleanliness and hygiene possible, with additional stringent precautions at more frequent intervals during the day
• Procuring hand sanitiser for sanitiser stations to support personal hygiene
• After-hour deep cleaning of high-touch and high-traffic areas
• Working with our service providers to ensure that cleaning and security staff are trained to practice good hygiene and minimise any personal contact
• Regular communication with our customers through our digital and social media channels.

“We believe that in order to stave off the spread of this virus, we need to be united in our approach. We are keeping a close hand on the situation, monitoring the relevant health authorities for new updates regularly, and keeping up with the latest in recommended procedures and protocols.”

Eight hours was the estimated time it would take to disinfect the mall.