Smells like rain: how indoor air quality can be that refreshing

By Lucinda Dean, Industry Reporter

Imagine entering your guest room and inhaling the scent of ‘fresh rain’ rather than musty mildew or the stale lingering smell of cooking, rotting garbage or something worse still.

First impressions last and you can nip that negative TripAdvisor review in the bud by continually monitoring your facility’s air quality and providing guests with fresh, clean air at all times.

Keeping the air fresh-smelling and clean is a challenge in any enclosed space frequented by people, particularly those guest rooms, which don’t have opening windows. For general health, wellbeing and safety reasons, human beings require a comfortable indoor temperature with air free from dust, irritants, pathogens, unpleasant odours, mould and mildew and other contaminants. environment for their guests and staff, and this includes circulating fresh air, controlling malodour and preventing the spread of airborne disease.

Thanks to COVID-19, germphobia is at near-hysteria levels, especially with the many myths abounding about the sometimesdeadly virus. While we know COVID-19 is not transmitted by air, but person-to-person through small droplets from the nose or mouth when an infected person coughs or exhales, that does little to quell public paranoia about the spread of the virus. Guest expectations regarding cleanliness are at an all-time high right now and this extends to indoor air quality.

Odours are most often generated from microscopic bacteria, mould and chemicals, which can linger, even after cleaning with strong chemicals and disinfectants. It is more effective to prevent or capture them at the source rather than just masking them, and there are some simple and affordable ways to effectively control indoor air pollution. Ideas include: or pollute your property. A no-smoking policy is a must.

Reduce: Put the source away somewhere safe; store cleaning chemicals in a locked cupboard and keep the bin area away from the property.

Clean: Ensure all hard and soft surfaces are thoroughly and routinely cleaned to prevent mould and bacterial growth.

Steam: Effectively remove the source of many bad smells with steam. This method is environmentally friendly, using only pure water to penetrate all surfaces, destroying odour-causing residues and leaving surfaces deep-cleaned, sanitised and refreshed.

Dry: Keep on top of all maintenance issues; neglected leaks and drips cause mould and smells.

Separate: Keep wet and dry areas apart. Keep bathroom and laundry doors closed to reduce humidity. exhaust fan close to the source of pollutants or moisture, such as the cooking stove, dishwasher, tumble drier and washing machine. Open windows and run well-maintained ceiling and bathroom fans when needed.

In addition to the above methods, you can boost your air cleansing efforts with technologies designed to do the job, such as ozone generators.

Ozone odour elimination is popular in the hospitality industry because one machine can be utilised for multiple areas and can quickly and effectively eliminate odours.

Ozone generators can be used to complement traditional ventilation methods. In addition to opening windows and using fans, many hospitality providers now use ozone generators in rooms as soon as guests check out. This helps sanitise and freshen up rooms for cleaners and incoming guests alike.

Remember, regardless of which odour and air quality control system you choose, it should be appropriately sized for the

room; properly installed; used per instruction; and wellmaintained. Always purchase from an industry supplier that has ensured it is fi t-for-purpose.

Industry viewpoint

Geoff Parish, general manager and sales engineer at Oxyzone, gives his expert opinion on the effi cacy of ozone generators.

Ozone (O3) has been used successfully for many years overseas in hospitality sett ings to help improve air quality as it destroys many viruses, bacteria and moulds without the need for harsh chemicals. It is widely regarded as a powerful sterilant and can be used across a range of facilities and applications. Uptake of ozone generators has been relatively slow in Australia and New Zealand; however, this has changed in recent years as commercial entities have recognised the benefi ts ozone can potentially yield.

Unsurprisingly, there has been a spike in demand for ozone generators in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the need for enhanced air treatment solutions both now and in the future, we believe ozone generators will become a standard fi xture of many hospitality providers’ cleaning repertoire going forward.

Combating the nasties

Ozone generators can be used to great eff ect in hospitality sett ings where there is a need to sanitise air and remove unpleasant odours. Ozone is derived from ambient air, which typically comprises 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen. The remaining one percent consists of a combination of other gases. Ozone produces an oxidising molecule, which att aches itself to odour producing bacteria. The ozone then breaks down and destroys the bacteria, thereby eliminating the odour. Ozone is also used in hospitality sett ings because it decomposes back into oxygen and does not leave any residue. Used in tandem with traditional cleaning methods, rooms can potentially stay cleaner and healthier for longer.

That fresh rain smell

Ozone generators can be used to neutralise odours in just about every area of a hospitality facility including toilets, rooms, kitchens, bars and garbage areas. Users oft en remark on the ‘fresh rain’ smell that ozone generators produce. This is created by a discharge contained within the generator, which reacts with oxygen to produce ozone. This process mimics what happens in nature. When lightning reacts with oxygen in the air, it creates ozone and the ‘fresh rain’ smell we’ve come to associate with storms.

New generation ozone generators

While ozone hasn’t evolved per se as it’s a gas, progress in terms of the evolution of the delivery of ozone is being made all the time. For instance, ozone generators can now be fi tt ed with more accurate mechanisms that help control the ozone output, making them safer and more effi cient overall.

© boyloso – stock.adobe.com