Lodi-Based Pest Control Company Moves Toward Sanitizing Services For Businesses Hoping To Reopen
ELK GROVE (CBS13) — The teams at Clark Pest Control are getting ready for a different kind of job.
Crews aren't looking to rid buildings of cockroaches or mice, instead, they are focusing on getting rid of the coronavirus.
"Before we were able to see the pest, you know, see our targets. Now, it's an unseen enemy," Darren Van Steenwyk, the Director of Learning and Technical Services for Clark Pest Control, said.
It's another instance of a business changing its business model during the pandemic. Luckily, Clark's existing infrastructure with spray machines and PPE made the change easier. The company is going from using insecticides in its equipment to an EPA-approved disinfectant for misting rooms and all items that individuals can grab.
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The service is called "EssentialClean," which kills 99.99% of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, on hard and soft surfaces in just 10-15 minutes, according to Clark Pest Control. But, this new service comes with new challenges.
There's also the process of training crews to go from checking and spraying very targeted areas of a building to spraying the whole thing. The company is also adjusting in-person and distance training for sanitizing services.
"We're not able to monitor. We're not able to do some sort of visual follow up with a lot of the other work that we have," Van Steenwyk said. "Because this doesn't have that visible evidence we've had to adjust the approach to be much more blanketed in what we do."
The crew is wiping down everything at Cypress Baptist Church from doorknobs, toys, to the rows of chairs in the main hall. This place of worship and others in California may reopen in the next few weeks.
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Pastor Bob Ross of Cypress Baptist says it's a service he may continue to use, after the church reopens, in order to protect the congregation.
"I'm sure it's going to be a kind of regular thing until we get a handle on what's going to be required of us," Ross said. "We'll have different protocols for cleaning once we do opening it up for meetings and things."
Angels dressed in a different kind of white that are giving this church and others a protective prayer to reopen.
"We are extremely proud to be a part of the process of reopening the state. This is something we are looking to give back to the community," Van Steenwyk said.
