Numerous studies have established a strong correlation between facility odors and low-quality occupant wellness, happiness, and productivity--ultimately leading to reductions in student attendance, as well as customer satisfaction and purchases.
Dealing With Facility Odors
Facility bio odors originate from multiple locations and are routinely cited by custodial workers as the most challenging task on their list.
A leading factor contributing to this challenge is the ineffective products and methods used to address it.
According to the results of a survey conducted by Clorox Professional Products Co.;
Seventy-nine percent of cleaning professionals said removing odor from the air was their biggest cleaning challenge, and many of them also identified urine, feces, vomit, mildew, body odor, smoke, or garbage odors as the most difficult to tackle.
Not surprisingly, odors in restrooms and garbage areas are toughest to combat.
Respondents also said garbage and restroom odors generate the most complaints.
While the survey results underscored the scope of the problem associated with commercial odors, they also revealed that many products currently available are not fully addressing professional cleaning needs.
More than half of those surveyed said their current odor elimination solution is just covering up odors, not fully removing them from the air, and they need solutions that are scientifically proven to remove bad odors.
Facility bio odors not only affect consumer purchasing decisions, several recent studies have shown that they also impair learning and performance.
Research shows exposure to bad smells creates a type of sensory confusion that negatively impacts mental performance, even well after exposure to the stimuli is removed.
According to Scientific American;
In a study published in May in Nature Neuroscience, neurobiologist Rony Paz of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, and his colleagues exposed volunteers to auditory tones presented with no other stimuli or immediately followed by a rancid or fragrant odor delivered through a nose mask.
After this training session, the subjects were played a series of tone pairs—notes of very similar or identical frequencies—and asked whether the tones in each pair were the same or different.
The subjects became better at distinguishing tones similar to those that had been presented alone or with a pleasant scent.
But their ability to discriminate tones resembling those linked to a foul stench worsened—an effect that persisted one day later.
The Cure for Facility Odors
The problem with the method used when tackling facility odors is that the proposed solution attempts to address the symptoms, not the root cause of the issue.
The best method for curing facility odors is to identify and remove the source of the smell, which can include:
- Heavily stained or soiled carpet and upholstery.
- Garbage bins.
- Poorly cleaned restrooms and kitchens.
- The presence of pets, and;
- Cleaning products and air fresheners.
Addressing the source of the bio odors can be as simple as taking out the trash, removing upholstered furniture and drapes, or getting rid of a fouled garbage bin, to long-overdue deep carpet cleaning, implementing enhanced cleaning procedures in kitchens and restrooms, or upgrading the cleaning products used to sanitize your facility.
In cases where the source of the smell cannot be physically removed from the facility, the surface will need to be cleaned and disinfected.
The type of product used will depend on the nature of the source and the surface.
Smells stemming from urine in restrooms should be deep cleaned with a touchless pressure washer and vacuum scrubbers using an enzyme-based cleaning product.
Odors originating from heavily stained carpet or upholstery furniture that cannot be removed will need to be shampooed and likely sprayed with a special commercial-grade odor neutralizer.
In nearly every case, the best choice is to consult with an experienced odor removal specialist and avoid spraying air freshener to cover up the smell at all cost.
References & Resources
- How Do I Get Rid of That Smell?
- Do scents affect people's moods or work performance?
- Cleaning for Nursing Home Odor Control
- Tackling Tough Facility Odors
Takeaway
Bio odors not only negatively impact consumer impressions of a business, or their likelihood of making a purchase now or in the future, but they also impair cognitive functions well after exposure to the smell has been removed.
What that means is that the more proactive a school or business is with their enhanced cleaning for health plans, the better the students in their classrooms, or the employees in their office will feel and perform.
Contact us today and discover why Vanguard Cleaning Systems® is the Standard of Clean® for businesses throughout Northwest Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
In Oklahoma, dial 918-960-4450
In Arkansas, dial 479-717-2410
In Missouri, dial 417-812-9777
