When faced with an odour problem, the first thing to do is to use your sense of smell to determine where the source of the odour is coming from. Even if the odor is present in the ambient air, its source is somewhere. To effectively neutralize this bad odor, it's important to treat the source with an odor neutralizer.
Many surfaces in the home retain odors, and not all of them can be treated in the same way. Here are four surfaces in the home that retain odors and how to treat them to make the smell go away.
How to remove odours from ceramic tiles
Many people think that ceramic floors don't absorb unpleasant odours. This isn't entirely untrue, since it's not the ceramic tile that will retain odours, but rather the grout. In fact, grout is a porous surface that absorbs liquids (such as animal urine) and retains unpleasant odours.
If you wish to eliminate an odor from a ceramic floor, you need to insert the product (in the case of urine, Urine Odor Neutralizer) directly onto the ceramic joint so that the product follows the same path as the urine. In order to apply the right amount of product, we also recommend using a bottle with a spout (see image). This ensures that just enough product is applied.
How to remove odor from a wood floor
An odor on a wood floor is peculiar to treat, because the odor has not been absorbed by the boards themselves, as they are varnished. Instead, the liquid will seep between the boards and find its way under the floor. That's where the bad odour comes from, so that's where it needs to be treated (the source).
As with ceramic flooring, you'll need to insert the Urine Odor Neutralizer (in the case of urine odours) between the planks of the wood floor, using a bottle with a spout. This way, the product will follow the same path as the urine and neutralize the bad smell. Be careful not to use a water-based product, as this can cause the floor to swell. Urine Odor Neutralizer is an alcohol-based product that evaporates quickly, so it won't swell the wood.
How to remove odors from concrete
Did you know that concrete is an odor-absorbing surface? Like ceramic grout, concrete is a porous material that absorbs liquids and retains unpleasant odors. Treating it against a bad odor is simple: just spray Urine Odor Neutralizer on the surface and let it dry naturally. It's important to understand that the liquid follows the law of gravity, so it sinks deeper into the concrete over time. A second application of the product may therefore be necessary if the odor persists after the first treatment.
How to neutralize odors on leather
We know that fabric sofas and chairs absorb odors, but the same is true of leather surfaces. Quite often, the liquid will penetrate the leather and seep into the cushion, and that's where you need to go for the treatment to remove the bad smell. Whether it's the smell of cigarettes or urine, the treatment is similar. The product (Urine Odor Neutralizer in the case of urine, and Smoke Odor Neutralizer for Fabrics and Ambient Air in the case of cigarettes) is inserted into the cushion using a syringe and needle. Then gently rub the surface with a clean cloth that has been sprayed with the product to be used to treat the leather surface.
However, there are a number of reasons why you need to be careful with the treatment. When performing the odor-neutralizing treatment, make sure the surface is genuine leather, not leatherette. As imitation leather contains a lot of dye, the application of an alcohol-based product could cause discoloration. A test should therefore be carried out on a non-visible surface before applying the full treatment. What's more, when inserting the product into the cushion, you can't stick a syringe and needle just anywhere, as this can create small holes. Instead, the product must be inserted through the cushion's seams or in less visible places.
