Many of the apparel retail stores like The Label Life and Anokhi, at Forum mall, have converted one of their trial rooms into ultra-violet chambers for sterilising the clothes before putting them back for sale.
Other shops like India Circus, home accessories store, and jewellery store Amrapali have installed UV chamber or boxes for disinfecting the products. The UV light exposure to the garments covers the surface and destroys pathogens.
The Quest mall uses a different technology for destroying the virus and bacteria, wherein the apparels are being sanitised with a liquid spray Zoono – a colourless, odourless, non-leaching liquid.
The liquid when applied on the product by spraying, wiping or fogging, leaves behind a mono-molecular layer that permanently bonds to the surface.
These antibacterial molecules and silane-based polymers form a barrier of positively charged microscopic pins. “The pin raptures the cell walls and causes the pathogen to break up with lethal effect,” said Sanjeev Mehra, Vice President, Quest mall.
A lot of other retailers and stores are following different methods of disinfecting the garments. Brands like Levi’s, Lee, Wrangler and Allen Solly are using steam iron whereas the jewellery stores are using gold-cleaning liquid.
While the big retailers and brands are using technological solution for sanitising the brand, the smaller stores are following different strategies. The garments that have been tried are first being set aside in the quarantine boxes to inactivate the virus naturally. They are then steam ironed and put out for sale.
Besides, few retailers are not allowing the customers to try garments in their trial rooms. Similarly, Acropolis mall has initiated a no-trial room policy.
