Odor Control

Odors can be very difficult to locate

There can be exterior conditions which odors are coming in from outside such as fertilizers, pesticides or even the neighbor’s yard. Some interior sources can be the airduct system, old food in the cabinets such as that sack potatoes which can have a similar odor to that of pet urine. Pets are a common source of odors. Odors can also be found in the structure of the home such as inside the walls and in basements.

I will mention a few categories: Biological odors, chemical odors, organic and plant odors, smoke odors, mold and mildew. The first step in odor control is determining the category, once this has been established then there will be a specific approach to removing that specific odor. Many odors can be easily removed by simply removing the source of the odor such as that bag of old potatoes then allowing plenty of air flow.

The most common odors encountered are pet urine and tobacco smoke. Pet urine is localized to the specific area where the pet goes, however tobacco smoke permeates the entire interior of the home. The removal of pet urine often requires the replacement of the cushion, sealing the subfloor and cleaning the carpet with appropriate odor neutralizer. The removal of smoke odor will also require the cleaning of the carpet, upholstery and drapes. Now we have to get into the walls and other hard surfaces where cleaning solutions can’t possibly reach. This is done by thermo fogging which creates a molecule small enough to get into those areas where the smoke molecule has imbedded itself.