Cleaning the Grand Mosque
Cleaning the Grand Mosque involves sanitizing the Grand Mosque, including its courtyards, corridors, stairways, and associated facilities, covering an estimated area of one million m2. This operation is carried out by four thousand workers in four alternating shifts throughout the day.
Time required to clean the Grand Mosque
The cleaning process covers all floors of the Grand Mosque, including the basement and rooftop, without disrupting the movement of pilgrims performing tawaf around Al-Kaaba or Sa’i between Safa and Marwah. Cleaning Sahn Al-Mataf requires thirty minutes, while the entire Grand Mosque can be cleaned in forty-five minutes, even amidst high-density crowds.
The Grand Mosque is washed ten times daily
The Grand Mosque is washed ten times daily, with each area sanitized individually using leather squeegees, brushes, cloths, washing tools, and specific equipment to remove dirt from the floors, entrances leading to the mosque’s courtyards, and for washing the bridges and channels located within the courtyards. The edges of walls, columns, and corners are also washed, and water drainage channels are cleaned at every location. The cleaning also includes restrooms distributed throughout the courtyards surrounding the Grand Mosque, with more than 3,500 units sanitized around the clock. In addition, twenty thousand prayer rugs are cleaned and sanitized daily.
Cleaning equipment of the Grand Mosque
Five hundred machines and cleaning devices have been allocated for the Grand Mosque's cleaning, in addition to thirty electric vehicles, sixty-seven machines, and four hundred l of water specifically for cleaning the Mataf area. All cleaning materials used are organic, safe, and environmentally friendly.
Dedicated teams operate within the Grand Mosque to collect and remove one hundred t of waste daily, with this amount rising to three hundred t during peak seasons. There are also more than two thousand waste containers placed inside the mosque and its surrounding areas.
The cleaning process covers the outer courtyards and restroom facilities, using specialized washing equipment for the courtyards and separate equipment for the mosque's interior. Waste is transported out of the Grand Mosque using electric vehicles to designated collection points at the edges of the courtyards, where it is then transferred for disposal using compactors.
Dedicated Department for cleaning the Grand Mosque
The Sanitation and Carpet Department at the Grand Mosque is responsible for managing its cleaning operations and supervises nine specialized teams consisting of supervisors and cleaning personnel. The first team is responsible for cleaning 'Al-Mashayat' (walkways), while the second handles drainage outlets. The third focuses on cleaning gathering areas, and the fourth is tasked with cleaning the stairs. The fifth team sanitizes architectural elements, while the sixth polishes brass fixtures. The seventh manages drainage points, the eighth is in charge of disinfecting gathering areas, and the ninth oversees the cleaning of escalators.