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On November 13, 2001, five employees at a convenience store and gas station in upstate New York were sent to a local hospital. The cause was not an accident, shooting, or holdup. Instead, it was an odor.

Identifying odor-causing sources, selecting efficient cleaning systems and keeping drainage systems working properly are the key elements of an effective odor-control program.

That morning, as the employees reported for work, all commented about the nasty malodor they noticed as soon as they entered the facility. Although it was definitely noticeable, the odor was not overpowering, and the employees assumed it would eventually just go away or someone would find the source and alleviate the problem.

However, no source was found and as the day went on, the employees complained of watery eyes and nausea, which continued to intensify even after the doors and windows in the building were opened for fresh air. Finally, one employee became very sick and the fire department, along with ambulances, were called to the scene.

It took a few hours but the firefighters eventually found the cause of the problem. Apparently sewer gases were seeping in through a floor drain in one of the building’s restrooms. This is not an unusual situation but when it does happen, it can be health-threatening.

As a stopgap measure, the fire department poured water down the restroom drain as well as all floor, sink and fixture drains throughout the building. The employees were released from the hospital later that day and returned to work the next morning.

Although this story is a dramatic example, it offers two critical points that all facilities, especially educational and medical facilities, should be aware of: the importance of having a restroom odor-control program and the necessity of treating mal-odors quickly and thoroughly, for they can cause potentially serious problems.

Why a Restroom Odor-Control Program?
Any facility manager that has spent time dealing with and correcting different cleaning and maintenance problems knows that the best way to tackle them—and prevent them—is via some type of program. That is why astute managers will have, for instance, a carpet maintenance program not only to keep carpets clean and healthy but also to help prevent stains and spots from permanently marring the carpets’ appearance. Other managers have set up similar pro-grams to deal with hard-surface floor care, HVAC maintenance, roof repair and other maintenance issues. So it should come as no surprise that a restroom odor-control program that helps prevent and handle malodor issues should also be included.

And the reasons for implementing a restroom odor control program are numerous. Not only can a malodor prove to be harmful to occupant health, but malodors emanating from just one restroom can result in a negative impression about an entire facility. Because of this, such a program should be at the top of any facility’s priority list.

First Steps First
Establishing an odor-control program involves identifying the most common sources of restroom odors, determining what cleaning systems can best eradicate odor issues and incorporating procedures and products that keep drainage systems clean and odor-free.

Identify Sources
Odors in a restroom may come from a variety of sources, including bodily fluids, gases and excrement, inadequate cleaning that eventually results in bacterial growth, insufficient ventilation, unflushed fixtures and a failure to service restroom drainage systems.

To find the sources, managers and custodial departments should first conduct a thorough visual investigation; however, this may prove limiting. To help with the visual inspection, some will use ultraviolet lights to look for such odor causes as urine, blood, and excrement on floors or under sinks and counters. A simpler and less expensive system is to use urine-detection kits, now readily available, measures the presence of creatinine, a chemical waste found in urine. This tool can detect and quantify the levels of this urine bi-product, indicating that odor-causing bacteria are also present. Used before and after cleaning, it can help ensure these odor-causing bacteria are eliminated.

Odors can also come from unexpected sources. In fact, odors may emanate from the ceilings of restrooms. Humidity and inadequate ventilation often make ceilings a welcome area for odor-causing bacteria and germs to grow. Also, the surfaces surrounding urinals and toilets should be inspected. Each time a urinal or toilet is flushed, it disperses a mist onto surrounding walls and partitions where bacteria— and odors—can grow.

Not to be forgotten are the drains, especially floor drains. All fixtures as well as the floor drains in a restroom have a U-shaped trap in the drainpipe. This trap is actually quite ingenious in that it retains some water virtually all the time, preventing gases and odors from passing through. However, it is not uncommon for these traps to dry up and malodor problems to develop, as was the case in the convenience store mentioned earlier. Some facilities even install mechanical devices called trap primers that are supposed to prevent drying, however, these devices can fail as well.

Select Efficient Cleaning Systems
The majority of educational and medical facility restrooms are still cleaned using tools and procedures developed decades ago—including cleaning cloths, sprayers, chemicals, buckets, mops, and elbow grease. Although these systems have served us well, when it comes to fighting and preventing odors, they can fall flat.

The reason is simple. Odor-causing bacteria can hide anywhere: in porous floors, on ceilings, walls, around fixtures, in tile and grout and so on. Although the cleaning professional may be able to see and remove odor-causing soils on some surfaces using conventional products and systems, it is often impossible to see contaminants embedded in wall, grout, and floor areas or hidden in and around fixtures and partitions.

A way to tackle this problem is to employ—either in addition to traditional cleaning methods or used exclusively— a spray-and-vac or no-touch cleaning system that can flush out these hidden, odor-causing contaminants. Once these soils and odor-causing contaminants have been loosened, some of these systems have built-in wet vacuum systems that totally removes them from the area. Varieties of effective cleaning agents, including environmentally preferable products have been developed for these machines. If Green-certified, the agents help clean surfaces and eliminate germs
and bacteria while posing minimal
impact on the user or environment.

Incorporate Drainage Maintenance
When the source of the malodor problem that caused the quick-stop employees to be hospitalized was finally discovered, the firefighters simply poured water down the floor and sink drains as a temporary measure to prevent sewer gases and odors from further entering the facility. As mentioned earlier, it is not uncommon for the water in these drain traps to dry up. This happens for a variety of reasons but most often because:
• The fixtures and drains are used infrequently or not used for long periods of time, for instance during school breaks
• Dry indoor air conditions due to excessive heating or air conditioning
• Climate changes that cause the water to evaporate.

However, an effective odor-control program includes regularly filling these traps with liquid. Most drains should be checked two or more times per month, depending on use and climate. Two or more cups of water should be added to each floor drain. Pouring bleach down floor drains is not recommended because of the potentially harmful impact bleach can have on waterways and the environment. If a drain dries up frequently, a professional plumber should be called in to inspect the trap to see if it is cracked or leaking.

Because this simple task of checking drains is often forgotten—until there is a problem—products are now available that can eliminate this task—and the concern—entirely. One manufacturer of restroom fixtures has introduced a liquid that can be poured into the drain just once and that lasts for several years as long as large amounts of water are not poured down the drain. This makes drainage maintenance one of the easiest steps in an odor-control program.

Final Factor: Fragrances
Developing an effective odor-control program may also include selecting a fragrance for the restroom. This can be difficult because fragrances are person-al— few are uniformly accepted by the general public. JanSan (cleaning industry) distributors often say a mild, nondescript fragrance works best and are accepted by most restroom visitors. They also suggest using a metered aerosol dispensing system instead of wicks, liquids, or gels, which tend to be less consistent in producing fragrances because the amount of air getting to the product can vary. Additionally, they evaporate rather quickly, losing their impact.

Although more expensive, an aerosol dispensing system offers more continuous odor control, which can be regulated to release the fragrance on a timed schedule or depending on need. However, the goal of fragrances is just to help keep the air fresh, and thus they may actually play a relatively minor role in an odor-control program. Instead, it is the actions mentioned earlier—identifying odor-causing sources, selecting efficient cleaning systems, and keeping drainage systems working properly— that are the key elements of an effective odor-control program.

Dawn Shoemaker is a researcher and writer for the professional cleaning and buildings industries. She may be reached at 773.525.3021.

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