Guide to Eliminating Odor with Science
- What is Odor?
- How do Humans Smell?
- The Science of Smell
- What is Malodor and How Can You Combat it?
While touch and sight are considered the most objective senses, our noses and sense of smell alert us to hundreds of queues every day. From dinner roasting in the oven to the mysterious stain on the rug, odors tell us a lot about our surroundings. But what is smell and how does it work?
Our in-house chemists are odor experts, so we know a thing or two about smells — specifically, the at-home remedies and in-store solutions that address the pesky smells that linger around the house. Find out more about the science of smell and the secrets of malodor so you can tackle unwanted scents whenever and wherever they appear.
What is Odor?
Whether you smell fresh cut grass in the spring or the family dog after a skunk encounter, our daily lives are filled with familiar and mysterious smells. But what is odor, exactly?
Whatever the source, odor is created by volatilized chemical compounds in the air. They can contain one compound or multiple, and tend to have a very low concentration, triggering an olfactory response in the brain that creates perceived scent (our sense of smell).
Understanding malodor at its source is one of the reasons Fresh Wave provides superior odor eliminating capabilities. With its natural ingredients like pine, cedarwood, and other plant oils, each Fresh Wave odor eliminator finds, absorbs, and neutralizes odor molecules.
Whether you spray Fresh Wave in the air around an odorous trash can or you use odor removing gel in a mildewy cabinet, Fresh Wave eliminates bad smells without harmful chemicals or artificial fragrances.
The Science of Smell
If odor is just a collection of chemical compounds, then how do our brains transform that information into scent? Believe it or not, the process is relatively simple.
The main factor, or rather factors, are the olfactory receptor neurons. Humans have an estimated 10 million to 20 million scent receptor neurons in our brains. These neurons, as well as bilateral cells and nerve fibers called the olfactory bulb and tract, are part of the olfactory system. The whole system, in layman’s terms, is known as the system that produces the human sense of smell.
Another main factor is malodor itself. Smell is subjective. Because of small differences in olfactory neurons, a sweet chocolate chip cookie smell may be a heavenly aroma to one person while it may be faint, or without a smell, to another person.
How Do Humans Smell?
People decipher smells by breathing in air consisting of molecules from specific odors that then attach to the nose’s olfactory receptors. Once the receptors hold onto odor molecules, messages are sent via the olfactory nerve highway to the brain, which is then able to recall what the smell is.
There are many interesting facts unearthed by scientists regarding how humans smell and figuring out how smell works. One particular insight is helpful to know with regard to emotions, memories, and smell. Because scents and odors pass by the thalamus and are immediately directed to the olfactory bulb — which is linked to the memory center — smells trigger your memory first before any other sense.
Taking into consideration this fact about the human sense of smell, that means that if you have a good memory about lavender and smell Fresh Wave’s Odor Removing Lavender Spray, you’ll probably be put in a pleasant mood by that scent memory.
What Is Malodor and How Can You Combat It?
Malodor is a bad odor. The best way to eliminate or neutralize any odor is to give the compounds a base to adhere to. Baking soda is a great at-home solution for neutralizing odor thanks to its crystal-like surface. Mix warm water and baking soda together to clean household items that are starting to smell, and leave the solution one or around the item for 10-20 minutes. Then, rinse and repeat as needed.
How Does Fresh Wave Use Science To Eliminate Odors?
Thanks to Fresh Air TechnologyTM – powerful, natural chemistry developed over 30 years – Fresh Wave odor solutions seek out and neutralize odor molecules in the air and on surfaces.
- Find: The blend of natural oils in Fresh Wave attract odor molecules.
- Absorb: They attach and surround odor molecules.
- Neutralize: Odors are eliminated with a chemical reaction.
Whether you’re using a tried-and-true classic or an odor solution from Fresh Wave, fighting odor with science will ensure even the worst smells stay away, for good.
