Odor Removal

Odor removal also known as deodorization simply means to take away or get rid of an odor.

But, just as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, odor is in the nose of the beholder. 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 perfume, 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 while others we would like to remove from our lives. Psychological odors exist only in our minds.

Unless a pleasant odor is overbearing, our reaction is to enjoy it as long as it lasts. When an odor is offensive our reaction is to get rid of it quickly. The focus of this article is the removal of offensive odors.

What are the fundamentals of successful odor removal?

Location, location, location doesn't just apply to buying real estate. It also applies to removing odor. The first and most important step to successfully remove odor is to locate the source of the odor. How can odor be eliminated if you don't know where it is?

Sometimes the source cannot be easily found, such as mildew odor, cigarette smoke odor or even a "doggy coat" smell. On the other hand you may know exactly where your pet had an "accident". Unless the source of all the pet urine is eliminated, pet odors will persist.

As a result, the symptoms get treated and not the source. The air fresheners, burning candles, baking soda and other remedies are tried until the frustration and or the embarrassment prompt a call for professional help. Give us a call, we have the tools and training to find the odor at the source.

Once the source is found, the second step is to assess the extent of the contamination. If the odor contamination is limited to a non porous surface like tile flooring, cleaning the surface with a deodorizing cleaning product should be sufficient. However, cleaning odors out of carpet or upholstery is more complicated, particularly pet urine.

The typical pet can deposit more than enough urine to penetrate the carpet surface. This urine ends up in the carpet backing, padding and even the subfloor. This contamination below the carpet surface must be addressed.

A thorough cleaning of the odor source is the third step to successful odor removal. Sometimes, a thorough cleaning is all that is necessary to effectively eliminate an odor problem. In many instances however, a deodorizing product needs to be applied to eliminate any remaining odor left after the contaminated area has been thoroughly cleaned.

What type of deodorizers are used in odor removal?

It's a widely held belief that in order to remove unwanted odor from a carpet or other surface, just apply a deodorizing product. The problem is, deodorizers cannot be viewed as "one type solves all".

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. We carry a wide range of deodorizers to eliminate even the most severe odor issue.

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

To summarize, the steps for successful odor removal are:

1. locate and remove the odor source.
2. assess the extent of odor contamination.
3. thoroughly clean where the malodor exists.
4. 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

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New Life Carpet & Upholstery Service

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