If you hear your customer ask that question, hopefully they’re talking about the freshly baked cookies sitting on your counter and not a foul odor that is hovering around your facility! If it’s the latter, we need to talk. If the answer above was the cookies, I’m accepting gifts of culinary appreciation at this time!

Where is it coming from? First let’s learn a little about smell. Smell is a very direct sense. In order for you to smell something, molecules from that thing have to make it to your nose. Everything you smell, therefore, is giving off molecules, whether it is those cookies, onions, perfume, a wet dog, moldy sheetrock, or whatever. Those molecules are generally light, volatile (easy to evaporate) chemicals that float through the air into your nose. A piece of steel has no smell, because nothing evaporates from it; steel is a non-volatile solid.

It’s thought that humans can distinguish more than 10,000 different smells (odorants), which are detected by specialized olfactory receptor neurons lining the nose. Each of the hundreds of receptors is encoded by a specific gene. If your DNA is missing a gene or if the gene is damaged, it can cause you to be unable to detect a certain smell, which might be a blessing in some cases!

We can easily determine where good smells are coming from, but where are the not-so-good odors coming from? The best bet would be from an area or thing that is harboring mold, mildew, or bacteria.

The mold and mildew will be easier to find and eliminate. Molds can grow on virtually any organic substance, as long as moisture and oxygen are present. This includes growing on wood, paper, carpet, foods, and insulation. When excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, mold growth will often occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or unaddressed. It is impossible to eliminate all molds and their spores in the indoor environment. Specific sources might be in areas that stay wet from leaking pipes, roofs, or grooming areas. Fix leaky plumbing or other sources of water that may be the cause. Clean up the mold and mildew, and get rid of the excess water or moisture as soon as possible by washing with detergent and water and drying completely. Absorbent materials that become moldy, such as ceiling tiles and carpet, may have to be replaced. Proper ventilation and dehumidification will also help eliminate them.

Bacteria are the trickier odor producers. Typically 0.0008 inches in length, these microscopic organisms are present in most habitats on the planet, growing in soil, water, acidic hot springs, radioactive waste, and the digestive tracts of humans and pets. They’re extremely adaptable to conditions, and they survive wherever they are. There are approximately ten times as many bacteria in the human flora as there are human cells in the body!

Remember that bacteria, like all living things, digest sources of food and produce waste products. Most of the foul smells come from these metabolic byproducts. Generally, any type of protein digestion produces the “stinkiest” byproducts. The reason why stool smells so bad is due to the bacteria, which make up about 25% of the weight of feces. It’s the foul-odor bacteria that we’re trying to get rid of. Because they are invisible to the human eye and can reproduce at a rate of every 10 minutes, we have our work cut out for us.

Where are the pesky bacteria hiding? In humans, body odors are mainly caused by skin-gland excretions and bacterial activity. How many staff do you have sweating each day? Just kidding! There are several sources to discuss besides human body odor. We all know that the pets themselves can smell bad, but did you know that an animal’s body odor intensifies in the moments of stress and danger? This stress-induced odor actually helped prey-driven animals, such as dogs and wolves, track and capture their prey. The stress of our pet guests, whether good or bad, can exacerbate the condition. Baths, clean bedding, good ventilation, dry enclosure areas, and calming measures will all help reduce this type of odor.

Controlling the most obvious odor-producing culprits of feces and urine will keep odors to a minimum. Making sure that boarding dogs get plenty of trips to elimination areas will help keep those odors to a minimum in the kennel housing area. Immediate removal of feces and urine in all locations is necessary. If you temporarily store feces during the working day until it can be removed, containers should have tight seals, and rakes or scoops should be kept clean. However, it’s important to remember that even though the facility is kept clean, the bacteria can still survive, reproduce, and create odors unless we destroy them.

Did you know that a cleaner does not disinfect, and a disinfectant does not clean? Cleaning removes visible soil, dirt, stains, and other debris and is typically performed by wiping surfaces using soap and water or a multi-purpose cleaner. While some germs will be removed during this process, which can certainly be adequate for some areas, the all-purpose cleaner won’t get everything.

Disinfection destroys viruses, bacteria, germs, and other harmful microorganisms. It is accomplished by using a chemical designed specifically to kill bacteria. It is not designed to lift dirt off a surface, make it shiny, or leave a scent behind like an all-purpose cleaner would. It should be obvious here that just flushing with water does little to clean or disinfect.

This means that if you whip out your all-purpose cleaner to wipe away those nasty germs, your efforts are futile. If you whip out your disinfectant to clean up that spilled orange juice, your efforts are also futile. The bottom line is this: always thoroughly clean before disinfecting. An unclean surface cannot be disinfected.

Dirt is a hiding spot for bacteria and quickly depletes the sanitizing capability of disinfectants.

Select the right chemicals. There are several cleaning chemicals on the market, and it is often difficult to identify the best-performing products. You have to consider the effect the cleaner and disinfectant have on your facility components as well as the pets themselves. Very few products will both clean and disinfect and still be safe for the pets and staff.

For our pet facilities, there are specialty disinfectants that are designed to tackle specific germs and bacteria. Allow disinfectants to dwell for the appropriate amount of time. All disinfectants have a dwell time and must sit on a surface for the allotted time to work at maximum efficiency. Simply spraying and wiping doesn’t give the chemical the time it needs to kill 99% of the bacteria. Most products require a dwell time of 10 minutes or longer. Read all labels and educate cleaning personnel to follow the guidelines. Encourage employees to spray the disinfectant and complete other tasks while waiting for the disinfectant to work properly. Some products will have to be rinsed after application. The enclosure should be thoroughly dry before putting the pet back inside to avoid the dreaded wet dog odor.

Bacteria can grow on stainless steel, and it can certainly hide in concrete block, concrete floors, drains, cracks and crevices.

The following are important aids for cleaning and disinfecting:

• Installing antibacterial and easily cleaned surfaces
• Sealing porous surfaces
• Antimicrobial floor coatings
• Sealing or elimination of cracks and crevices

Proper ventilation and dehumidification help control the media the bacteria have to reproduce. The fewer there are, the less it will smell. Most of these things can be done while building a new center or years later.

It pays to reevaluate cleaning protocols, reminding staff members of the importance of properly controlling the sources of odor problems, and reviewing your facility’s surfaces, so the fresh-baked cookies are all our customers smell!

Al Locker is president of Turnkey, Inc., a 52-year-old design build construction company. He and his wife, Suzanne, have also owned ABC Pet Resort in Houston, Texas, for over 20 years. Turnkey, Inc. specializes in design, design consulting, and both commercial and residential construction. Al has designed over 40 pet care facilities around the U.S. and built 12 in the Houston area as well as exhibits at the Houston Zoo. Designs range from “ground up” construction and conversion of existing buildings to lease space build-out tenant improvements. Al is a popular seminar speaker for groups such as American Boarding Kennels Association, Pet Services Expo and AusBoard (Australia’s association for pet professionals). www.Turn-keyinc.com

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