The Kingdom’s 16-billion-riyal detergent industry has seen an uptick as people grew more cautious about maintaining personal hygiene and the cleanliness of their houses because of the pandemic. As families spend more time at home due to the lockdown, the demand for home sanitizing has seen a spike of over 200, a Saudi-based sanitizing company was quoted in a daily newspaper.

“Earlier, we used to get 250 to 300 requests per week for home sanitizing. But with the coronavirus outbreak, the demand has surged to between 500 and 700,” the company said. “The team which conducts home sanitizing services use high-quality equipment and wear prescribed outfits. It takes about half an hour to sanitize one house and the process covers the entire household items. The materials we use for sanitization include oxygen water and peroxide,” the company added.

Cleaning surfaces recently became a significant step to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which experts say can survive on surfaces. “If you think a surface may be infected, clean it with simple disinfectant to kill the virus and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose,” say WHO guidelines.

In the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, sales of Clorox and Dettol wipes and cleaning products have skyrocketed since the outbreak. Saudi Arabia last week quarantined seven neighborhoods in the Jeddah governorate in an effort to slow the spread of the virus, according to a statement from the Ministry of Interior.