Air fresheners: the sweet smell of success

 

Traditionally, air fresheners were used to mask bad odors. This is why they are particularly used in washrooms, and similar environments that are prone to bad smells.

 

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Cleaning Services
 
March 31, 2023
 
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Air fresheners: the sweet smell of success
 

Today, the entire concept of using air fresheners has changed and become more sophisticated than ever. Fragrances are used for branding, transmit subliminal messages, trigger happy memories in the mind of the recipient, invigorate a better mood, or simply enhance customer experience.  

We explored the concept and usage of air fresheners from the perspective of a manufacturer, a healthcare facility and a hotel. 

Sravan Kumar, Director - Quality, Zulekha Hospitals

Air freshener industry have evolved and started manufacturing air fresheners to address two important needs of the business and customers – to give a sense of clean environment to the occupants by removing the perception of bad smell and most importantly create a positive connect of the customers or patients with the fragrance, so that they don’t mind spending more time at the facility. 

The healthcare industry has been no different in this regard. In hospitals, we collect and store blood and body fluid samples, medical waste, dispense drugs and use a variety of disinfectants for disinfecting surfaces, equipment etc. All these leave behind a bad odor. Hence, it is a constant challenge for hospitals to keep the air fresh and also smell good so that patients and attendants feel good. Using air fresheners has worked quite well for hospitals. Also, this has shown to be having an indirect positive effect on the services provided, cleanliness, hospital ambience etc. On the contrary, when patients are welcomed with a bad odor in the hospital, they tend to carry this negative perception throughout their care processes and ultimately end up having a negative perception about hospitals and their services. 

Cleanliness has been used as one of the parameters for evaluating patient satisfaction in hospitals as patients and visitors give particular importance to cleaning. And yet, many patients tend to be dissatisfied with cleaning and odor in washrooms. Hence, using air fresheners can impact the patient's satisfaction scores. In the US, HCAHPS (Health consumer assessment of healthcare providers and systems) survey scores of hospitals are directly linked to reimbursement rates and thus hospitals are increasingly focusing on cleanliness and fresh fragrance in different areas of the hospitals using automated dispensing systems. Hospitals have also discontinued manual dispensers to avoid excessive spraying of the freshener causing unpleasantness among the patients and visitors.  Some of the hospitals in the US have mentioned that use of air fresheners have improved their HCAHPS scores by as much as 20%. Hospitals are also commonly using certain scents which have anti-anxiety properties such as Pomegranate Plum to make patients feel at ease during their interactions with healthcare providers and treatment.

Although using air fresheners in hospitals has been positive, it is also important to note that some chemicals used in the air fresheners can negatively impact patient and visitors health such as allergies and irritation due to long and continuous exposure (ex: Formaldehyde). Hence, the infection control teams of the hospitals should select the air freshener to be used after carefully evaluating the compounds used. Also, it is very common to use different scents in different areas of the hospitals to suit the type of patients treated in those departments. 

At Zulekha hospitals we have been using air fresheners for more than 10 years and have had no complaints from patients’ related to bad odor. My final thoughts to hospitals are, use carefully selected air fresheners in your facilities to smell success in terms of improved patient satisfaction scores and increased patient retention rates.

Minakshi Pandey, Group Director Housekeeping, Byblos Hospitality

We all enjoy the soothing, healing and relaxing scent at home, hotel in car, in living room and gym. Enjoying a fresh and clean smelling environment with a diffuser machine or manually sprayed is what we always expect.

Air fresheners are designed to impart an aroma to the air environment or to mask odors with the intent of creating a pleasing indoor space. Some of the benefits of using air fresheners in the office is to reduce stress which is one of the factors that can hurt the health and work performance of the employees.

It can improve performance, increase creativity, and keep the environment clean, retaining outstanding employees.

Smells are good, as it reminds you of someone who makes it for you, which triggers your brain releases chemicals that make you feel good and comforted. Some of the best smelling scents fragrances are vanilla, rose , lavender , coffee, coconut ,lemon amber sage , cinnamon, incense ,eucalyptus , sandalwood , musk , patchouli , oud , peppermint , teakwood and so on. Mostly what I have observed is that vanilla has been crowned the world favorite smell by a team of international experts.

Scientists of Oxford University in Stockholm presented 10 scents to 235 people from nine different countries and cultures around the world. The scientist also worked out the worst and the best smell , and vanilla emerged as the best.

Air fresheners can be made to last longer by spraying them on linen and other fabrics instead of air. Room sprays usually dissolve in the air but when sprayed on the fabrics and the material will absorb the aroma and give it a longer lifespan. Try spraying them on the towels too in washrooms and kitchen verities.

Many air fresheners use a buffering system to neutralize bad scents .

The lasting of a high quality diffuser can last 3-4 months .By contrast card air fresheners typically last around 30 days. Normally a good air freshener should last 4 to 8 weeks, for vent type or hanging type, there are few restrictions, such as small volume, space, etc., so it will last around 3 to 4 weeks only.

The smells that last longer are generally musk and woody, as it features among the fragrance notes that last longer, particularly if they are present in the base of a perfume. This is because the oils tend to evaporate at a slower rate than those with a fruity or floral base, meaning they are noticeable for a longer time.

Scent is also important in business as it evokes the mood and the experience of positive emotions translates into higher sales and increased customer loyalty, happier and more motivated staff and ultimately higher business profits.

Hydros Jassem, Founder of Oxygen Powered Air Fresheners, Fragrance Delivery Technologies Ltd.

Our sense of smell tells us whether an environment is pleasant or unpleasant. While a restroom may look clean, people create unavoidable odors, which contribute to the perception of an unclean facility. Thus, it is especially important for businesses to install Air Freshening and Odour Control solutions to create a pleasant and welcoming facility for their visitors.

Air freshening systems are categorized into two - Intermittent and Continuous. Intermittent systems release a high dose fragrance at set intervals, the fragrance intensity is strong initially, but wears off in a few minutes. Intermittent systems include aerosol and pump spray systems, piezo and nebulising systems to name a few. The most popular intermittent system currently, is the aerosol system that was developed in 1926.

However, almost all air freshening metered aerosols contain very little fragrance oil, ranging from 2% to 5%, with the rest consisting of harmful propellants(60% to 75%) and alcohols and solvents(25% to 35%) that contribute to air pollution, poor indoor air quality, climate change, ozone layer depletion, contamination of water and soil and pose a fire hazard. They also cause respiratory problems, such as asthma, and other health issues. 

In the 1970s, scientists began to study the impact of aerosols on environment and human health that led to the development of regulations and policies aimed at reducing the emissions ofaerosols and other pollutants.

Aerosols are considered a form of classified or hazardous waste. This means you must proceed with caution when disposing of aerosol cans. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that aerosol cans make up around 40% of the hazardous waste sent to specialist facilities each year.

In 2015, U.S. emissions from aerosols were estimated at 11.0 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from approximately 2.3 million passenger vehicles. (Source: U.S. EPA 2016)

However, aerosols are still being used by many who are either not aware of the harmful effects of the aerosols for humans and the environment, or who are knowingly ignoring the harmful effects of the aerosols and using them due to their low price. This is a dangerous trend and the reason why many countries like the UK, have brought in regulations, enforcing facilities to keep records of aerosols stored, transported and disposed, to have the appropriate waste carrier license and to use a licensed waste disposal firm to take care of the empty aerosol canisters. In the absence of correct procedures, the fine can be up to £5000.

Regulating pressurized aerosol spray cans is an important step for governments to:

  • Reduce the amount of harmful particles released into the air and ensure that they are disposed of in an environmentally friendly way
  • Encourage the development of more sustainable alternatives and promote resource conservation.
  • Help ensure that they are safe for use and transport and do not pose a risk to consumers.
  • Create a level playing field for businesses and incentivize the development of cleaner, more efficient technologies.

In summary, regulating pressurized aerosol spray cans can have a range of benefits, from protecting safety and the environment to promoting resource conservation and economic growth.

While pump spray systems do not have a high concentration of dangerous propellants, they release heavy spray particles that cannot stay in the air and fall to the ground. The fragrance effect does not last long and these wet sprays also lead to slippery surfaces.

Many studies indicate that the particle size generated by technologies in piezo and nebulising systems, generally used in the large space environment, fall under the inhalable range, which may cause allergic reactions and other respiratory ailments. Since the fragrances used in these systems are unregulated, there is no way of knowing what is being released into the air.

Continuous systems include Gels, Liquid, Solid, Fan based systems, Hydrogen fuel cell and the most recent being Oxygen fuel cell systems. The Gels, Liquid, Solid, Fan based systems were developed in the 1950's and work very well for the first few days but then fade off as these systems are completely open to evaporation and have no mechanism to maintain the level of intensity through the cycle.

Oxygen fuel cell and Hydrogen fuel cell systems are the most popular continuous fragrancing systems globally. The Hydrogen fuel technology was launched in 2007 and failed in the market due to its unreliable performance with some of the models being recalled or discontinued. However, the Oxygen fuel cell system technology has become the preferred choice and most efficient as it is a patented technology that was first used by NASA in their space crafts and then used in the pharmaceutical systems due its reliability in delivering precise doses.

As consumers increasingly seek environmentally friendly products, businesses should adapt by utilizing sustainable and safe options in their air care programs.

Some of the attributes that are necessary in an air freshening product:

  1. Performance:
    The air freshening system must continuously eliminate odours (not mask or cover up) and release a fragrance at the desired level of intensity, constantly throughout the 30, 60 or 90 day setting of the dispenser. The fragrance effect should be the same at all stages of the refill cycle.

  2. Eco-Friendly and Safe:
    Choose a product that has very low VOC’s or with no added VOC’s (aerosol propellants, alcohols and solvents) that is safe for human beings and the environment. Aerosols can contain compounds like CFCs (chlorofluorocarbon) that can accelerate global warming. A product without any added solvents, CFCs or alcohols is a safer option.

  3. Recyclable:
    Opting for a product that is sustainable and that uses recycled materials or can be recycled by disposing in a recyclable bin, should be made mandatory by businesses.

  4. Cost in Use:
    Continuous fragrance dispensing systems with the options for the refill to last 30, 60 or 90 days is the best cost-in-use solution with less frequent replacement which saves both time and money. Battery performance should also be considered, as in some fan based systems, batteries need to be replaced after every cycle.

Systems such as Oxygen fuel systems, are now preferred by end users because of benefits like built in odour eliminators and a hassle free performance. The fragrance effect lasts longer as the fragrance is dispensed more consistently than in traditional options. They also take into account environmental and public health concerns by excluding potentially harmful ingredients. With these advantages, businesses can ensure that rooms that are most susceptible to malodours, smell fresh and clean around the clock without worrying about potential harmful effects on the environment or the users.