How To Remove Odours

If you have a rental property or perhaps you have a home that you are preparing for sale - chances are that you will need to remove any potential objections from prospective renters or home owners, to avoid the property sitting on the market for too long. 

Similarly, if you have particular problem areas in an indoor environment from the smell of filthy toilets or cigarette odours that are trapped in carpets or walls - it can be challenging to restore these areas back to their original state, especially in high traffic spaces. 

We explore some of the common and unique methods of removing odours in indoor environments. 

Open the windows

The quickest way to remove musty smells is to open the windows to allow fresh air to fill the room and allow oxygen to do its trick. However this is somewhat problematic if the smell is ingrained in the carpets or furnishings. If there isn’t a window in the room this can be more problematic and luckily in this case the unique capabilities of an ozone generator are able to remove tough smells and infuse the windowless room with oxygen - to freshen up the air and make it fit for purpose. 

Use Vinegar

A traditional method for removing odours is using vinegar to absorb odours like paint, cooking or smoke. Vinegar is a sanitising agent and kills bacteria, yeast and mould which produce odours. It also safe, economical and doesn’t harm the environment with its biodegradable properties. 

Simply place a bowl of vinegar in a room and leave it overnight. This method takes a long time and often won’t remove the toughest odours but it can help. 

Thoroughly clean the area

Organic matter builds up causing odours and giving the area regular thorough cleaning with detergent or baking soda is often the best place to both remove or prevent smells from building up. This is often the first step, even for using advanced cleaning methods such as ozone, which requires the organic matter to be removed first before any of the left behind odour causing bacteria or mould can be eradicated.  However cigarette or specific cooking smells like curry are hard to wipe away and require different methods. Also it isn’t always possible to clean every area, some might be hard to reach or easily forgotten. 

Use Ozone 

When all the methods under the sun have failed then the use of ozone generators is often a last resort, although why save the best for last? Ozone has an ability to change the chemical composition of bacteria molecules so they loose their ability to smell and all with a simple plug and play device. It is easy to use, simply turn the device on in the room and wait for the results in a matter of minutes. For tough smells it is advisable to close the windows and doors and leave the device in the room for 30 minutes without any humans present, as it can often cause coughing, especially with the elderly, in an ozone shock treatment. After half an hour, turn the device off and the ozone will automatically back into oxygen. This method is effective in removing cigarette, cooking and other nasty smells that you may encounter. 

The American Journal of Environmental Sciences released a study that ozone reduced the odour of manure by 69% illustrating that highly challenging odours can be stopped right in their tracks. 

Find out how to put your best foot forward and present a property as best as possible to attract a new tenant or buyer or similarly provide the best customer experience when they visit your business. Learn more.