It Could Make or Break a First Impression
When people enter your facility, there are many things you want them to notice. You want them to see how clean it is, how orderly the lobby and rooms are, how surfaces sparkle. There are also things you don’t want them to notice. Topping the list? Smells that make people wrinkle their noses.
Smells are one of the impactful senses we have. But too often, buildings smell stale, musty or, in some cases, pungent. Even cleaning products can be off-putting when their odors are overpowering. And as the CDC has noted, some can be hazardous to health.
Strong smells may make people avoid certain places in your facility. Or, in today’s world when everyone is hyper-aware of cleanliness and health risks, they may leave the facility and choose not to return.
The Most Common Problem Areas
Odors can impact every part of your facility. For instance, carpets or even nearby dumpsters can infiltrate the air with bad smells. But certain spaces – like bathrooms – are more common offenders.
In one study, 77% of respondents said smell is the first thing they notice when they go into a bathroom. In men’s restrooms, urinal cakes are one of the biggest culprits. Custodial staff sometimes pile them up to mask the smell, but the high-perfume scent can be overwhelming.
Other areas where smell can be an issue are custodial closets. If used supplies and buckets of dirty water are stored there, their smells can seep into the hallway. In older buildings, sewer smells can also come up through custodial closets and from other sources.
And what about food areas? People don’t typically think of them as places that give off unpleasant odors. But nobody wants a cafeteria that smells like grease or when break rooms and surrounding office spaces smell from the microwaved fish or popcorn. Not only can the smells be offensive to the point where people start to eat and congregate elsewhere, they can also distract people from their tasks at hand.
Fresh Smells Have Far-Reaching Impacts
Facility services teams should aim for the highest air quality with a fresh-smelling environment that is free of pollutants. Not only is this comforting to occupants, it can positively affect their moods and performance.
For instance, studies reported in Scientific American show that odors affect how people think and behave. They found that people who worked in the presence of a pleasant-smelling environment reported higher self-efficacy, set higher goals and were more likely to use efficient work strategies than participants who worked in a no-odor environment.
Pleasing smells were also found to improve vigilance during tedious tasks, whereas foul odors impaired people’s judgments and lowered their tolerance for frustration.
Preventative Maintenance Eradicates Foul Odors
Preventative maintenance and frequent cleaning go a long way towards helping your facility stay odor-free. Here are a few of the practices UG2 staffers are adamant about following:
- Cleaning bathrooms regularly so you don’t have to use urinal cakes to mask smells, and taking care to use strong – but not potent-smelling – cleaning products everywhere in the facility.
- Containing and eliminating odors that would otherwise seep out of custodial closets by emptying pails of dirty water, adding water back into sewer traps, and ensuring appropriate air filtration systems are in place.
- Paying special attention to maintaining HVAC equipment, using MERV 13 filters, and scheduling frequent fresh air exchanges.
- Maintaining kitchen equipment, filters, and ducts so the mechanicals don’t break down, and keep air circulating so that cooking smells can be whisked away.
Fresh-smelling facilities are inviting. They provide a sense of cleanliness and can even help lift people’s moods and make them more productive and energized.
Want more tips on how to make your facility even fresher? Contact Us