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Coronavirus Cleaning: 'Ghostbusters'-Like Electrostatic Disinfection In Homes Is Big Business These Days

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned a new business that's booming in our area -- home disinfection services that resemble something out of "Ghostbusters."

But, as CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported Thursday, home disinfection services are the new normal.

You or a family member may have gotten through having the virus and you've persevered through quarantine, but has your home recovered?

It may be a job for electrostatic disinfection. It is used at schools and offices, and is now making the rounds after coronavirus hits home.

Coronavirus electrostatic disinfection
(Photo: CBS2)

"It's 360-degree coverage. It will get into every crack and crevice, much better than a surface wipe can ever do," said Doug Baruchin of I.T.S. Environmental Services.

Baruchin is a certified environmental infection control remediator.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Homes get a full wipe-down and fogging with peroxide- or ammonia-based products or plant-based disinfectants.

"It's basically the herb thyme and it's just as effective on coronavirus, but safer for aquatic life, pets," Baruchin said.

The process takes the work and worry out of returning a home to health after someone has been sick.

But is this overkill? CBS2's Dr. Max Gomez says there is no harm as long as the disinfection products are safe. However, he cautions, "Surface transmission just isn't a high-probability event. The CDC has said its really airborne and that's why it's so important to wear a mask."

Sharntai Harris, a Brooklyn hairdresser who recovered from COVID-19, hired Kristal Klean to do what's called a "COVID cleanse" of the house she shares with her mother and child.

"This is something that kills COVID on the surface, so I want it killed. I want it out of my house. I want it away from my loved ones," Harris said.

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Disinfectant is applied with a sprayer for customers who simply don't want to go near rooms that were used for COVID isolation.

"They treat it like the red zone, like 'she was up there, you can start up there.' They usually don't even go back in until we come," Kristal Klean owner Krystle Vives said.

You can, of course, follow CDC guidelines and carefully disinfect your own home, but for services starting at $100, customers say they're buying peace of mind.

Electrostatic disinfection typically runs around $300-$400 for a few rooms, but can go as high as $1,500 for an entire large house.

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