Breathe Easier With Effective Odor Removal

Odor removal also known as deodorization works by eliminating the source of the contamination causing the offensive odor. Deodorizing the bad odor (malodor) not only removes the offensive odor but also the embarrassment it can cause.

Everyone has their own opinion as to what is or is not pleasant with respect to odors. Odors are comprised of two components, physical and psychological.

Physically, odors are sensed by our olfactory system in the form of vapors or gases. Some odors can be from the physical makeup of a particular substance such as a chemical like skunk or tobacco smoke. Other odors are by-products of a biological process such as spoiled food or urine.

How we think and feel about these odors comprise the psychological aspect. Some odors are pleasant and remind us of good experiences and others we would like to remove from our lives. Psychological odors exist only in our minds.

Factors that influence odors include:

• Heat: Heat can facilitate the growth of bacteria and other micro- organisms in the case of biological odors.
• Moisture: Moisture can reactivate odors and make them more detectable as with old urine deposits or dry dormant mildew.
• Air Movement: Air movement can be responsible for the spread of odors by carrying the gases or vapors from the odor source to the nose. A lack of air movement can encourage mildew growth.
• Light: Light can prevent the existence of many micro-organisms

What are the fundamentals of successful odor removal?

The first and most important step to successful odor removal is to find the source of the odor. For instance, the tools available for detecting pet odors include a "black light" or a "moisture sensor".

The source of some odors cannot be easily found such as mildew odor, cigarette smoke odor or even a "dog's coat" odor. These types of odors often leave your nose as the best method of locating an odor's source.

Once the source is found, the next step is to clean the surface, be it porous like carpeting or non-porous like tile flooring. Failure to remove the majority of the odor source can make the rest of our deodorizing efforts futile.

Thorough cleaning is an important step in eliminating the source of odors. Sometimes, thorough cleaning is all that is necessary to effectively eliminate an odor problem. In many instances however, an odor removal product needs to be applied.

The most common offensive odors found in carpet or other floor coverings which require the application of a deodorizer include but are not limited to:

• cat urine or dog urine
• human urine
• mildew or musty odors
• cigarette smoke
• vomit

What types of deodorizers are used in odor removal?

Some types are formulated to address pet urine odor removal. Namely cat odor or dog odor. Other types are designed to eliminate odors from mildew, vomit, feces or other sources of contamination.

The following types of deodorizers commonly available for treating carpet and hard flooring odor problems are:

Biocides:

• are chemical substances capable of killing living organisms. Hence the suffix "cide".
• are used to target specific applications such as bactericide, fungicide, etc.
• are sometimes known as "disinfectants".

Encapsulants:

• work by chemically sealing or "coating" the odor contamination.
• are an effective deodorizer provided sufficient encapsulant is able to coat the malodor to prevent the odor from reaching our noses.

Enzyme based deodorizers:

• are living organisms (bacteria) which work by breaking down or digesting odor causing matter.
• attack the contamination and create more enzymes to complete the odor elimination process.
• need to be applied wet for maximum effectiveness in a temperature range between 100 and 140 degrees.
• need to reach all the contamination and remain damp for a specific time period.
• will continue to work as long as they remain wet and until the contamination has been completely broken down.
• caution: the use of some disinfectants prior to or in conjunction with enzymes can destroy the enzymes.

Masking agents:

• are deodorizers designed to cover up an offensive odor with a more pleasant odor.
• are basically comprised of perfumes or essential oils.
• add a temporary pleasant scent rather than eliminate the offensive odor permanently.
• are added to other types of deodorizers to minimize the malodor while the other deodorizer has time to accomplish its task.

Modifiers:

• are chemicals which attach themselves to the odor causing matter and change the molecular makeup, making the malodor non-existent or perceived differently.

Oxygen based deodorizers:

• use oxygen to attack and break down the odor causing matter.
• such as hydrogen peroxide or sodium percarbonate have little or no negative environmental impact.
• are generally safe for most carpet fibers but since they have bleaching properties, follow product directions completely.

Physical sealants:

• create a sealant barrier to seal in odor causing matter when the moisture from typical deodorizer treatments are not feasible such as a wood or concrete subfloor.
• can be a specialized paint or a common paint primer. Although these products may correct the odor problem, these types of sealants can negatively affect the indoor air quality until dry.

Whichever type of deodorizer is used to destroy the remaining malodor, it must make full contact with the odor contamination to successfully eliminate the odor.

As with any product used to correct a carpet odor or carpet stain issue, exercise caution with respect to the carpet fiber type and the ph factor of the deodorizer.

What are the procedures for odor removal?

1. locate and remove the odor source.
2. clean the surface where the malodor exists
3. utilize a suitable deodorizer to stop any further off gassing of the odor molecules.

Specific odor issues and their removal are found in the following articles.

Remove cat urine odor
Remove dog urine odor
Remove severe urine odor contamination
Remove cigarette smoke odor

While removing the source is the start of the odor removal process, an air purifier may help reduce the odor before and after your cleaning efforts. If you would like to know more about air purifiers www.home-air-purifier-guide.com/index.html has excellent information.

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