The right environment is important for worker productivity. Lighting, temperature and décor are the elements of the workplace that most people think about, but the scent of the office is just as important. Ask anyone who had to sit next to a break room where someone burned popcorn or heated fish in the microwave—unpleasant odors can be a major distraction. As a result, knowing how to make an office smell good is important for business owners and managers.
Many businesses will turn to simple spray office air freshener products, but these often just cover up scents with artificial fragrances. Fresh Wave Odor-Removing products go beyond the basic air freshener for office spaces, neutralizing odors at their source for improved results. In this post, we’ll share how to neutralize stale perfume odor and other smells in offices with Fresh Wave products.
Identifying the Source of Office Odors
Before you can get into the details of how to make your office smell good, you first need to identify the source of unpleasant office smells. Here are some of the biggest ones:
- Poor ventilation: When air doesn’t circulate properly, it can take on a stale, stagnant quality. Without adequate airflow, bad smells from other sources can become overwhelming.
- Lack of HVAC maintenance: Debris collected in filters and duct work can contain mold and bacteria that give off foul odors.
- Food: Stale food odors lingering in breakrooms and employee desks can be unpleasant, as can those cooking smells in the break room we mentioned earlier.
- Employees: Employees can bring odors from home with them or arrive at work wearing too much perfume or cologne, filling the office with intense scent.
To identify the sources of odors, follow these tips:
- Conduct a visual inspection of the break room and work areas. Look for old food and check to see if the microwave was cleaned.
- Coordinate with the landlord to have the duct work and HVAC system inspected. If you own the building, make arrangements for a maintenance visit.
- Compile an anonymous office scents survey that asks employees to identify unpleasant scents and where they smell them. You’ll likely spot patterns that can narrow down the possibilities and allow you to pinpoint the source.
Short-term Solutions for Office Odors
To deal with unpleasant scents in the short term, try Fresh Wave Odor-Removing products. Powered by plant-based ingredients rather than chemicals, they act on the reactive particles that cause bad smells and fill the air with pleasing fragrances like lavender and lemon.
There are several types of products that can work in offices, including:
- Odor-Removing Gel: Once opened, Fresh Wave Odor-Removing Gel absorbs odors continuously. The jar packaging makes the gels a great pick for a desk air freshener and to use in restrooms and break rooms for ongoing odor removal.
- Odor-Removing Spray: With a quick spritz of Fresh Wave Odor-Removing Spray, you can eliminate unpleasant scents from the air, fabrics and upholstery. Place a bottle in the break room for employees to use after heating food in the microwave and additional bottles in restrooms for people to use as needed. If you determine that smells are coming from stains or spots on the carpeting, a spritz of spray can help there, too.
- Odor-Removing Packs: Fresh Wave Odor-Removing Packs contain odor-neutralizing beads that provide ongoing benefits like gels. They can be slipped inside desk drawers or break room cabinets as-is or used with Fresh Wave Self-Adhesive Pods. Use pods inside trash cans in restrooms and break rooms, behind toilets and near vents to fight odors in the office.
- Odor-Removing Candles: Fresh Wave Odor-Fighting candles are clean burning and naturally derived. The jar candles can work as desk air fresheners. However, you’ll need to consider if you’re comfortable having open flames in the office. If you lease your space, you may not be allowed to burn candles on the premises.
Long-term Solutions for Office Odors
Fresh Wave Odor-Removing products can help improve the smell of your office in the short term, but you may need to take additional steps to prevent odors in the future, depending on their source. Some changes you might make include:
- Upgrading the ventilation system: Switching to a more powerful ventilation system can reduce odors while also improving indoor air quality. The latest ones with smart technology allow you to monitor performance and check indoor air conditions with a mobile device at any time of day.
- Installing air purifiers: Freestanding air purifiers remove odor-causing molecules as well as bacteria and viruses from the air. Commercial-grade models can be used in key areas in the office to increase air quality.
- Changing company policies: Some changes to company policies could help reduce future odor problems. You could require employees to store all food in designated break room areas and add language to your dress code and hygiene policy that forbids wearing strong perfume and cologne.
- Improving cleaning and maintenance: Adopting a schedule for routine cleaning, deep cleaning and building maintenance can dramatically reduce odors. Talk to your custodial staff or outside cleaning company about how best to improve practices.
The above changes can all go a long way toward helping your office smell great, and they provide additional benefits for your business. By maintaining a cleaner office and improving air quality, you can potentially boost productivity, improve employee morale and lower rates of absenteeism due to illnesses, allergies and chronic respiratory conditions.
Discover the Right Office Air Fresheners for Your Business
The secret to how to make an office smell good is combining odor-removing products with long-term strategies. Once you’ve identified the source of odors, shop Fresh Wave for effective office air freshener products that are nontoxic and simple to use.
