Today a lot is put onto facility managers and those in charge of our buildings. Maintaining optimal health and air quality lends itself directly to the productivity of the building’s tenants. Thus, the facility managers must choose an approach that is effective and safe for controlling odors and environments inside the building.
With a majority of Americans spending as much as 90% of their time indoors being proactive in the health of the air is extremely important. Which brings us to step 1.
BE PROACTIVE
We tend to notice smells once their molecules reach our noses and interact with our olfactory sensory cells. Having unpleasant smells lingering around the bathroom or office area can have tremendous negative consequences. If one fails to mitigate these smells you can expect complaints to follow. Odors that aren’t eliminated in a timely manner can lead to negative reviews of the business, loss of potential sales, tenants leaving the building, and pests infiltrating.
FIND THE SOURCE
With endless amounts of possibilities it may seem daunting to pinpoint the source, but, always start with the usual suspects; bathrooms, kitchens, gyms, and locker rooms. Know if an odor has been around long enough it can start to emanate from other surfaces like the floors, upholstered furniture, carpet, or the air itself if the room has poor ventilation.
WHICH SOLUTION IS BEST
After determining the cause it is important to understand which solution is the best way to remove the odor. Remember we do not want to mask the odor with an air freshener. Air fresheners simply spray their scented molecules into the air with our removing any of the odor molecules or toxins in the air, so over time, you have a mix of smells (think middle school boys locker room with 100 cans of AXE body spray). YEA, GROSS.
Some odor control dispersion systems are: Air and Surface Sprays, Carpet and Upholstery Additives, and Gels
ALTERNATIVE IDEAS: PLANTS
This isn’t a novel idea. The use of plants for healing has been around for centuries. We have even discussed the best plants to have in your office for health benefits in our other blogs, but, here let’s consider the plant-based odor benefits in the office. If facility managers have poorly ventilated areas and harsh chemicals, the VOCs could rise to harmful levels for the building’s occupants making the problem even worse. Plan-based odor control solutions are a huge asset in this instance. The PBOC works by reacting with the odor molecules and absorbing and destroying the malodor molecule ridding the air of its presence. Without the use of chemicals, this process eliminates odors while providing a safe environment for all.
