Woes of the Nose

Turn malodors to money-making opportunities.
By Jeff Cross, senior editor
July 06, 2013 No Comments

KEYWORDS bacteria / carpet / cleaning / deodorizing / disinfectant / microorganisms / mold / odor / odors / product / surfaces
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mal·o·dor

/malˈōdər/

Noun: A very unpleasant smellDeodorizing and disinfecting carpet and non pourous surfaces

Synonyms: Stench - stink - reek

Go online and perform a simple Internet definition search of a “malodor” and you can see why your customers need your services.

You all have walked into a home, business or other structure and have been struck smack in the face with an unpleasant odor and wondered how the occupants were able to do anything inside without the aid of a full-face respirator.

Whether removing pet urine odors from carpet, odors from a water damage situation or that unfortunate event in history when you cracked open the lid of the truckmount waste tank… it takes technical skill to know how to use chemistry and technique to remediate malodors.

Let’s look at a few odor situations and some practical tips to help you with your own technical skill.

Porous surfaces

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t allow a “disinfection” claim on porous surfaces like carpet, fabric or furniture. They will allow a “sanitize” claim for carpet.

“To properly sanitize a carpet, you must use an EPA-registered product that has the ‘carpet sanitizer’ claim identified on the product label,” according to Jason Capon, the director of marketing and education with Benefect.

According to the EPA, other materials, like furniture and fabrics, can only be “deodorized,” Capon added. The real-world problem exists that once water saturates fabrics, upholstery or carpet, any microorganisms that may be lodged in those fibers can become active.

“It really doesn’t matter if it is bacteria or mold. It replicates quickly and can produce some offensive odors. The longer the material is saturated, of course, the more microorganisms multiply and the stronger the odor becomes,” Capon said. He said to look for a product to use that is labeled to deodorize porous surfaces, and has proven efficacy as well.

“Using an EPA-registered product with the carpet sanitizer and deodorizer claims is an excellent tool for dealing with heavily contaminated contents,” Capon added.

Nancy Ewing, vice president of Anabec Systems, said that using products that are benign and safe — yet extremely strong in attacking the stronger strains of mold or bacteria — is the way to go. “You need to start with a detergent with tremendous contact and penetrating ability,” she said, “and then follow that with a disinfectant that is able to destroy odors from mold and bacteria.”

What about masking deodorizing products, which are popular in the industry today? “You must choose a product that will destroy odors at the source, not just mask them,” Ewing said.

Odors in carpet

Carpet disinfection is essentially a challenge of topography, believes Jeff Heyd, director of sales at Concrobium Professional Restoration Products.

“We’re not dealing with a smooth, hard surface, so even after thorough cleaning, odor-causing bacteria can remain nestled deep in the carpet structure,” Heyd said.

In addition to cleaning and drying of the affected carpet, proper application of the right disinfectant can deal with hidden microorganisms without leaving harmful residue. “Next generation botanical disinfectants don’t require rinsing and offer a much safer toxicity profile than traditional antimicrobial solutions," Heyd stated.

Capon added the following thought to the discussion on carpet deodorizing: “One-step cleaner sanitizer products are a much better choice for carpet cleaning because of how they are formulated to penetrate into, but not bind, with the fibers. It’s the sanitizer’s ability to kill microorganisms, whether bacteria or mold, that will eliminate offensive odors most effectively.”

As we all know, carpet can harbor many odors, and using an enzyme is often a great deodorizing tool.

“A bio-enzymatic liquid is very effective at safely getting to the source of the odor and eliminating it, especially pet and urine stains,” according to Carol Abrahamson, the communications manager at Vaportek.

By first removing as much of the odor source as possible, and then following instructions for a quality bacterial/enzyme product, remaining odor causing bacteria will be broken down.

Problem solved. End of story?

Waste tank woes

Have you ever opened a waste tank in the middle of August and taken a deep breath? If you did, you remember it vividly.

“This same enzyme used in carpet can be used to rid waste tanks of foul odors that may offend customers and technicians, especially in the summer,” Abrahamson said. “Just add a few ounces to your emptied waste tank on Friday and, by Monday, odors will be gone, without causing corrosion or pitting.”

Proper application

No matter which product you choose to use for odor control or disinfecting, it is vital you follow manufacturer recommendations and industry best practices.

“Field employees repeatedly admit to not applying products for the proper amount of time and also not rinsing away the product, as directed on the label,” according to Nicholas Levy, national director of sales for Hygienic Solutions US.

What does this do? It results in eliminating the product’s kill claim. It also likely leaves behind potentially dangerous or corrosive residues. With more products on the market advertising one to three minute kill claims, the ability to disinfect without wasting product is highly increased.

“As I travel the country, training many restoration companies on the use of these high-level disinfection chemicals, I am regularly, without fail, asked about the residual effects,” Levy noted. “Every major infection control organization in the U.S. that I have consulted has the same stance. Simply put, there is not, nor should there be, any residual kill claims to disinfectants.”

This is not to say that some chemicals do not have residual kill claims, Levy added. “It is more of a reference to the fact that after you have applied the products to the surfaces, you have zero control over that surface. As example, if I apply a residual disinfectant to a table, and then that table is cleaned with another product three or four times, exactly how much of my disinfectant is left on the surface?”

Psychological odors

And don’t forget odors your customers detect but you can’t. These can be the cause of many repeat visits or callbacks.

What can you do about these situations?

This may be the time to bring in the masking agents — deodorizing products that add a nice, pleasant scent you can use during cleaning or post cleaning, or when the customer says “What’s that smell?” when there isn’t one there at all.

Jeff Cross is the senior editor of Cleanfax and is an industry trainer and consultant, and offers carpet cleaning and disaster restoration marketing workshops through Totally Booked University (www.TotallyBookedUniversity.com). He also offers IICRC-approved seminars in the categories of carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning and color repair. Visit his new carpet cleaning and furniture cleaning blog. Contact him at JCross@NTPMedia.com.