As we have highlighted in several trade magazine articles and blog posts, today’s Hospital Environmental Services (EVS) professionals are challenged with fighting the odors that come from using strong cleaning and disinfection maintenance solutions.
While many EVS professionals are aware of this challenge, the actual steps – and range of odor-mitigating solutions – may not be fully top of mind. This is why we have created the following hands-on guide for fighting these types of odors across a wide-range of applications in hospitals.
- Patient Rooms: One of the biggest challenges is keeping patient rooms completely odor free – especially when it comes to combating cleaning chemical odors. However, the Fresh Wave IAQ M130 Vapor Phase Unit, which disperses Fresh Wave IAQ Air & Surface Liquid odor eliminating solution, combats any odor in patient rooms.
- Waiting Rooms and Other Public Areas: Patients and their family members often have to spend a lot of time in waiting rooms and other public areas, and can be negatively impacted by cleaning chemical odors. The Fresh Wave IAQ M130 Vapor Phase Unit, as well as our Air & Surface products, can help to maintain peace of mind for those in waiting areas with rapid and highly targeted odor control.
- Surgical Areas: Doctors and nurses need to work in surgical areas that are comfortable, and odor free in order to help them focus on critical surgery efforts. Depending on the type of surgery (or recently cleaning and maintenance), odors in the areas are very common, and can be very strong. As such, we recommend using a combination of the Fresh Wave IAQ M130 Vapor Phase Unit, as well as our Air & Surface products.
- Cafeterias: Keeping chemical odors from cleaning solutions out of food service areas is a priority. For EVS professionals, it is ideal to also use the Fresh Wave IAQ M130 Vapor Phase Unit, as well as our gel solutions, in these areas.
- Restrooms: Restroom odor is an ongoing challenge for any facility, especially hospitals, whether its standard odors or odors from cleaning agents. In these areas, Fresh Wave IAQ Gel Wall Units work perfectly in eliminating the most hard to tackle odors.
- Carpets and Upholstery: Carpets and upholstery are magnets for normal foul odors, and smells from chemical cleaning agents, and are the most difficult to treat. The Fresh Wave IAQ Carpet & Upholstery additive can be easily added to a portable cleaning system to fully eliminate any odor deep within the fabric’s weave.
- Laundry: Most commercial detergents that hospitals use are effective in removing dirt and stains, but cannot effectively eliminate odors from bodily fluids or cleaning agents. By using with a standard laundry detergent, the Fresh Wave IAQ Laundry Additive provides a complete odor eliminating solution for the toughest hospital laundry situations.
By taking a comprehensive approach to countering odors from cleaning and maintenance solutions, it is possible for hospitals to create a cleaner and healthier care environment, positively impact overall patient satisfaction and HCAHPS scores, and dramatically reduce odor complaints from staff, patients, and visitors.
The Fresh Wave IAQ team is ready to help any EVS professional to build out a comprehensive odor mitigation plan that is highly effective and safe for everyone. Please contact us here, so we can get started on developing your customized odor control plan.
