As a key factor in the perception of clean, what you smell when you enter a space leaves a memorable first impression—good or bad. In fact, memories triggered by smell are often stronger than those triggered by sight. Some of the most common odors in hotels include smoke odors, trash, pet odors, and everyday smells–and they can be time intensive to eliminate.
Whether you’re looking to eliminate odors or tackle stubborn smells, it’s important to understand the best solution for your specific odor challenge. There are three ways common odors can be addressed. Below is your guide on the best methods to help tackle and eliminate odors.
Odor challenge: Everyday freshening, daily use, and restrooms
For these odors, use an odor solution with PAIRING technology. Pairing combines fragrance with odor molecules to create a new and pleasant scent. This requires a solution that is pushed or sprayed into the air, and is left behind to leave rooms smelling fresh. Look for solutions with fragrance meant to refresh a space.
PRO-TIP: Switch out fragrances quarterly. This helps avoid staff desensitization to the fragrance and overuse of the product.
Odor challenge: Smoke, marijuana, or food/cooking odors
For these tough odors, use an odor solution with PAIRING and BINDING technology. Binding traps (or encapsulates) odors to create a new, unscented molecule. This requires a solution that is sprayed or pushed into the air. The pairing technology also ensures there is a fresh scent left behind. Look for solutions that encapsulate odors or can be used in a fogger machine to help reduce room turn time. With the right solution and fogger machine, smokey rooms can be remediated and ready for the next guest in less than an hour.
Odor challenge: Bio-based odors like garbage, urine, pet, body odors, and mold/mildew
For these odors, leverage BIODEGRADING technology. Biodegrading uses enzymatic action to break down the source of the odor. This action requires that the solution is applied to the surface (sprayed onto a curtain, soft surface or hard surface – not sprayed into the air). Look for enzyme-based odor products. The right solution with enzyme-based properties will also help reduce labor time needed to tackle tough odors with multiple solutions.
To effectively tackle odors at your property, it’s critical to:
- Understand the source of the odor: Is it on a hard or soft surface? Are there an underlying issue that requires a deeper clean first (i.e. mold/mildew in bathroom, HVAC units)?
- Use the right product to eliminate odor.
- Train your employees on the right procedures.
- Find the right odor control partner to ensure you have the product, expertise, and training needed for your property.