Unpleasant odors lingering in businesses can lead to unhappy customers and unfavorable online reviews in the age of social media. Since smell is strongly connected to memory and emotions, guests may associate that business with foul odors long after their visit. In turn, this can have a negative impact on a brand’s reputation and the bottom line.
But just as a facility with malodors can negatively affect visitors’ perceptions of a business, a fresh-smelling building with an effective approach to odor elimination projects a brand image of quality, care qand cleanliness. Facility managers should understand common malodors and how to eliminate them so visitors always feel welcome.
Common Odor Complaints
From restaurants to office buildings to hotels, each facility can encounter foul odors. Consider the following types of odors that can turn customers away:
• Kitchen odors: Anything from fish to grease to spoiled milk can create foul odors in kitchens. In addition, odors from garbage bins can spread if not handled in a timely manner. It’s crucial to keep odors contained to kitchens and minimize the possibility of these smells reaching guests.
• Smoke and vapor odors: Smokers in hotels and casinos that allow this practice indoors, and even the clothes of those who smoke cigarettes, marijuana or e-cigarettes can result in foul odors. While smokers often aren’t bothered by the smell, non-smokers generally notice it immediately.
• Urine and fecal odors: Restrooms will naturally be the most common source of unpleasant smells in any facility, whether it’s a gas station, airport or office building. Urine and feces lead to odors in bathrooms and can signal to a guest that the facility is not adequately prioritizing restroom care.
• Pet odors: Pets can be a source of malodors inside hotels, offices and residential buildings. They can also produce musty and lingering smells, especially in facilities with wet fur or buildings full of animals like veterinary clinic and pet supply stores. In smaller spaces like lobby areas and in elevators, this “wet dog” smell can be especially overpowering.
• Sewer odors: Sewer gas is an incredibly powerful odor that can unexpectedly permeate an indoor space. Blocked vents, damaged drain lines and dry P-traps can all be the cause of these strong smells.
• Stale, musty odors: Facilities that lack modern ventilation systems can develop stale odors. These musty scents can send a message to visitors that the facility may be outdated or not well-maintained.
Effective Odor Elimination
To attack displeasing odors and uphold the reputation of their business, facility managers need a complete odor elimination program that accounts for any space where unwanted odors could arise. Consider the following best practices:
• Ditch aerosols. Aerosol sprays do not do enough to maintain fresh scent throughout the day. Many produce a spray-and-fade effect, masking the odors for a few minutes and then waning over time. In addition, aerosols can have harmful effects on both the environment and human health. Therefore, turning away from these products and choosing a more sustainable option can help a facility promote the health of building occupants and the environment.
• Install continuous air care cartridges in odor hotspots. Utilizing safe, environmentally friendly air fresheners that eliminate foul odors for an extended period of time, rather than simply covering them temporarily, is the key to maintaining clean-smelling facilities. Products on the market today use innovative fuel-cell technology to emit fragrance at a consistent rate for 30, 60 or even 90 days. They also have unique formulations that allow for complete elimination of malodors by working at the molecular level.
• Rely on the power of fragrant urinal screens. Facility managers should look for urinal screens with a unique design that prevents splash-back. Splashes not only lead to odors, but can result in dirty floors and unhappy guests. Look for a urinal screen range that offers numerous odor-eliminating fragrances to complement your facility.
• Ready-to-use spray. A ready-to-use odor eliminating spray can help quickly cover up smells in areas that may not have wall-mounted odor elimination solutions. For instance, utility closets, conference rooms and staircases are several areas where a spray can deliver instant freshness.
Achieving Freshness, All the Time
Understanding the different types of foul odors that can arise indoors and choosing the right odor-eliminating products helps keep facilities smelling their best. For businesses especially, an odor elimination program is so important as it helps to uphold brand reputation. Businesses can use the connection between smell and memory to their advantage by using reliable odor elimination solutions in key areas. Pleasant fragrances will stick in customers’ minds and help them remember the business as a place that achieves freshness, all the time.