The Perception of Clean – The Role of Smell

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• The Perception of Clean – The Role of Smell

18 March 2021

As buildings reopen, creating a positive experience for your staff and visitors, as well as a feeling of safety and confidence, will be a priority.

First impressions count, and can begin before people even see if an office is clean. The sense of smell is the strongest of the five senses and one of the body’s front-line defence mechanisms, designed to set off alarm bells if a foul smell is detected. According to research, 75 per cent of all emotions generated each day are due to smell, and we are therefore 100 times more likely to remember something we smell over anything we hear, see, or touch. A bad smell is a warning of a bad experience to come.

“Many premises have been closed for months, and while they might have been cleaned, air quality will be poor, and with a reduced frequency of cleaning routines, they will not smell as fresh as they should,” says P-Wave^® Sales and Marketing Manager Mark Wintle.

“People’s trust in the cleanliness and safety of a building can be negatively impacted if it smells bad, as they will wonder why, and suspect that it is not hygienic.”

Foul smells in any building are typically caused by the presence of bacteria that has been left to grow through either inadequate or infrequent or cleaning procedures. While the washroom may be the cause of the worst odours in a building, improving the air quality and freshness throughout the premises brings many benefits.

“Facilities managers should not overlook the power of scent in the workplace. Choosing the most appropriate fragrance to apply throughout a building can help create a happier and more relaxed experience for staff and visitors,” says Wintle.

“After all, shopping centres and high-end retailers have been using ambient scents to positively influence customer perceptions for years. P-Wave has worked with leading fragrance houses to develop a range of well-researched and consumer-tested popular fragrances.

“As innovators in the air freshening industry, P-Wave understands that cleanliness and hygiene are the most important aspects of managing premises, but with the heightened awareness created by COVID-19, facilities managers need to action every option available to ensure safety and reassure employees and visitors.”

“People’s trust in the cleanliness and safety of a building can be negatively impacted if it smells bad, as they will wonder why, and suspect that it is not hygienic.”

–Mark Wintle

Sales and Marketing Manager, P-Wave^®

Maintaining Your Washrooms

Now that there is a roadmap for coming out of lockdown, facilities managers need to ensure that premises are not only clean and safe, but also restore confidence for returning office workers, contractors and visitors.

In all premises, to feel safe, consumers need to see – and smell – that the washroom is immaculately clean, but poor plumbing or maintenance, or an inadequate cleaning regime can lead to unfortunate odours which are unlikely to receive five-star reviews. However, in urinals it is the actual minute-by-minute usage that can cause the biggest problem. 

“We’ve been solving the most common hygiene issue in urinals for years, as randomly splashed urine causes a headache for cleaners, plus a bad smell and a reduction in hygiene standards. 

“But there’s something even more important at this unprecedented time. According to The World Health Organisation (WHO), Coronavirus can spread in an infected person's urine. This is called ‘viral shedding’, which means that if traces of contaminated urine become aerosolised and inhaled while using a urinal, the disease can infect others in the washroom¹. That’s why P-Wave recently delivered a new angle on splash prevention, coupled with a major step forward in urinal deodorising technology with the launch of a new highly fragranced urinal screen.”

To ensure washroom cleanliness and hygiene it is worth installing bio-enzymatic cleaning solutions in cisterns. They release billions of beneficial bacterial to consume bio-materials that cause odours, keeping the bowl clean, blue and fresh, while also reducing water consumption by displacing water that would normally be present.

Toilet bowls should not be overlooked, and there are passive highly fragranced solutions that can be clipped over the outside of the toilet rim (under the seat) or hung anywhere.

Passive and Active Air Fresheners

Passive air fresheners are ideal for smaller areas where consistent fragrancing is important. From simple, highly fragranced units for installation in bins, the back of doors, under desks or in washrooms, to more powerful units which can be placed near a door or any space with good airflow, the open-air design ensures maximum surface area exposure for effective and efficient fragrance release.

Active air fresheners replace aerosols and are better for the environment. Systems are available to freshen small, medium and large spaces. Discrete wall or ceiling mounted systems can comprehensively freshen up to 16m³, and feature an intelligent fan which powers down when the lights go off to conserve the battery.

For use in toilet cubicles, lifts, gyms and spas or even on a desk in an office, another motion-activated solution delivers more targeted, clean and efficient air freshening in small spaces exactly when and where it’s needed, reducing fragrance overload, nasal fatigue, and aerosol residue. 

Also available are powerful, yet silent active fresheners which feature advanced micro-diffusion technology. Delivering coverage from 200m³ to 1200m³, one option features Bluetooth control and advanced programming via smartphone or tablet, while the largest, features fully adjustable start/stop, diffusion and stand-by intervals as well as a weekend on/off function.

“When specifying air freshening solutions, facilities managers should also have the environment on the mind and only choose and install products and consumables that are 100% recyclable,” says Mark.

“As offices reopen, there’s no doubt that first impressions are hugely important and restore confidence. Facilities Managers need to do all they can to ensure that workers and visitors trust that premises are hygienic, safe and clean. Now is the time to address cleaning and maintenance issues, but also to ensure that premises smell clean and have a pleasant and inviting ambience.”

Picture: a photograph of four people wearing face masks at a meeting, fist bumping

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 18 March 2021

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