19 August The Best Ways to Get Rid of Annoying Odors in Your Commercial Building August 19, 2020 By sma Commercial Inspection, Property Maintenance cleaning, commercial plumbing, interior maintenance, office space, retail space 0 THE BEST WAYS TO GET RID OF ANNOYING ODORS IN YOUR COMMERCIAL BUILDING August 19, 2020 | Property Maintenance, Commercial Inspection | interior maintenance, cleaning, commercial plumbing, office space, retail space In any commercial property, there can be dozens of people coming and going at any given time. With all that constant traffic, it’s no surprise that people can bring annoying odors with them into your building. Whether it’s something they had for lunch, lingering smoke odors or some other indescribable smell, you’ll want to know the best ways to neutralize them for the sake of your tenants and visitors. You can also run into odor problems that come from the building itself--stagnant water, clogged pipes and pest infestations can all be sources for foul smells in a building. You may find yourself spraying fresheners to no avail and fielding more and more phone calls from frustrated tenants. Want to avoid this fate? Here are some good ways to combat unusual odors in your building and stop them from coming back. Location, Location, Location The first step in treating a suspicious scent is to try and track down where it’s coming from. Finding an exact spot may be a little tricky, but it helps to start where you hear the most complaints from tenants. When you have the source locked down, then you can begin treating it. The most common areas for smells to emerge are bathrooms, kitchens, break rooms and indoor workout or recreation spaces. You can also check older storage rooms or rooms that don’t get much use--sometimes the culprit is where you’d least expect it. Look to the Vents If you can’t identify the source and the smell seems to be everywhere, you should look to the ducts and vents. This will likely be a job for a professional, as it can take specialized equipment like telescoping cameras, moisture meters and more to examine your buildings’ ductwork. If the odor is coming from the ducts, calling in the pros to inspect it can lead to a faster resolution. Don’t Simply Mask Your first thought when you catch an unsavory smell might be to bring out the air freshener. While this is a good short-term fix, you shouldn’t come to rely on it. Odors often point to larger problems in your building that should be found and addressed, not covered up. While hunting for the source of the problem, it’s best to use fresheners with bacteria-eliminating ingredients that do more than mask strong odor, and stay away from heavily-fragranced products so you don’t give your tenants a headache. Hiring a Janitorial or Environmental Service If the smell is caused by a larger issue like excessive water damage and mold growth from a leaky pipe, you may be best served calling in a professional janitorial service or remediation company. Depending on the severity of the issue in your building, these companies can go a long way in protecting your investment. Continuing Prevention After you’ve dealt with the issue, you’ll want to make sure that it doesn’t come back. Hiring a commercial cleaning service to regularly come and clean your building will help you stay on top of messes and keep bad odors in check. You can also install automatic fresheners in high-traffic areas and restrooms. You should also make a point to check in with your tenants on a regular basis to see if they’ve noticed any problem odors. Schedule Your Commercial Inspection With NPI NPI inspects thousands of commercial properties every year, identifying issues that can save you thousands. Whether you’re buying, selling or renting out your commercial building, schedule your NPI inspection today. Comments are closed.