“We have a small waiting room,” Miranda said. “Literally it’s five chairs and a table. Some magazines. Potted plants in the corner and a lamp. Nothing that should stink – but I’ve had patients pull me to the side and complain about a foul odor. We’ve all smelled out there and there’s definitely a stink, but we can’t figure out what’s going on to cause it. The air freshener is just not cutting it. What can we do?”
Because we provide medical office cleaning services in the Boston area, this is a question we hear a lot. Waiting rooms are prone to mystery odors, and these are often attributable to the strange ways that people act when they’re in public. It’s not unusual to find garbage – including food garbage – hidden in waiting room furniture and fixtures. Additionally, whether it’s small children or incontinent adults, people do sometimes leave body waste on upholstered furniture. When animals are brought into the setting – including service animals – they add another layer to the aroma.
Obviously this is not the experience you want your patients to have. Olfactory cues can often impact how people feel about what they’re going through. In the medical setting, you want your patients smelling things that make them feel soothed and at ease – not mystery stinks that raise feelings of disgust and alarm.
Odor Elimination Services: Getting the Stink Gone Fast
We begin our odor elimination services with a thorough inspection of the site. This is to determine all of the possible factors that could be contributing to the stink. After problem causes have been identified – which can include the patient-behavior-based causes as well as other issues – the appropriate cleaning and odor remediation steps can be performed.
These steps often include cleaning the carpets, cleaning the upholstery and other soft surfaces, and cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting all hard surfaces. On a case-by-case basis other treatments are provided using medical-grade products that are safe and effective.
Odor elimination can be performed on an as-needed basis. This is in addition to normal medical office cleaning services. To find out more and to get a three minute quote for odor elimination, click here.