by Brianna Crandall — October 22, 2018 — Stains and odors are a distraction for Americans everywhere, but odors from bio accidents like feces and vomit actually make them concerned for their health and safety, tarnishing the reputations of commercial facilities more easily than other common messes, according to a survey conducted online in August 2018 from Clorox Professional Products Company and Ketchum Research. To help facilities managers (FMs) combat these issues, the company has introduced Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odor Remover.
Bio stains and odors survey
The hidden impact of bio stains and odors
Almost 50 percent of cleaning professionals experience spills of blood or feces every day, according to a previous Clorox survey conducted in December 2017. Bio messes like blood, feces and vomit can contain a variety of pathogens, and as people move throughout the environment, they interact with different surfaces and move germs from surface to surface. The impact can be tremendous — and not just on public health, but on reputation, as well.
It comes as no surprise that people are most offended by the odor and mess of bio soils like feces (56% and 76%) and vomit (44% and 72%), more so than garbage (30% and 32%) and food odors and messes (3% and 5%), according to the August 2018 survey. But the impact of odors and messes extends beyond dislike and can impact facility reputation and business results, and drive complaints to management and facilities maintenance.
In fact, survey results indicate that:
- When exposed to certain bad odors, consumers feel concerned for their health and safety. When entering a room that smells like feces (31%) or vomit (32%), a third of consumers would be concerned for the health and safety of themselves and others. One in five (22%) would feel concerned for health and safety when entering a room that smells like urine.
- To most, bad smells are stronger indicators of cleanliness than stains. Most consumers (62%) say they are very sensitive to smells, both good and bad, but are much more likely to notice a smell if it is bad (72%) than good (28%).
In particular, if entering a space that smelled of feces or vomit, consumers would:
- Think the facility is unclean (38% and 37%)
- Have a negative view of the facility (36% and 28%)
- Think the facility does not value cleanliness (24% and 28%)
- Never return to the space or facility (20% and 15%)
The impact is even greater depending on the type of facility. Most consumers believe that odor is the strongest indicator of cleanliness in hotels (61%) and long-term care facilities (67%), while half believe it is the strongest indicator of cleanliness of schools (49%) and offices (54%).
Consumers generally have low tolerance for bad smells and messes in commercial facilities, are vocal about their concerns, and expect staff and management to address them immediately.
Three-quarters of consumers (76%) think facilities should clean up smells and stains related to urine, feces, vomit and blood immediately, and 17% would want them cleaned up within five minutes.
If confronted with a bad odor:
- In an office setting, almost three-quarters (70%) would complain to management.
- At their child’s school, six in 10 parents (60%) would complain to a teacher (61%), principal (59%) or facilities manager (59%).
- In a hotel, 74% would complain to hotel staff.
- In a long-term care facility, a majority would complain to administrative staff (78%) or a nurse (62%).
Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odor Remover
Combating bio stains and odors quickly and effectively
To help facilities address these tough messes, Clorox Professional Products Company is introducing Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odor Remover, an innovative one-step product that cleans, disinfects and deodorizes surfaces and can be used for accidents involving the toughest bio soils such as blood, feces, vomit, urine, sweat and body oils, on both hard and soft surfaces.
To help facilities combat bio stains and odors and the negative perceptions they cause, the company has introduced Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odor Remover. Image courtesy Clorox
Lynda Lurie, director – Marketing, Clorox Professional Products Company, stated:
In addition to leaving behind unsightly stains and odors, bio soils may also contain harmful microorganisms that cause illness and disease that can spread infections throughout a facility if they are not properly cleaned and disinfected. We know cleaning professionals need to clean up such messes quickly, and rather than use multiple single-benefit products, Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odor Remover is a single EPA-registered product that reduces the number of products needed to just one.
Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odor Remover is effective against a range of bio soils and is suitable for use in high-traffic locations such as schools, offices, athletic facilities, restaurants and bars, hotels, veterinary and pet care facilities, health-care and long-term care facilities, and other public areas.
Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odor Remover delivers strong cleaning performance and broad surface compatibility. Its scientific formulation harnesses the stain-lifting power of surfactants to break down bio soils and eliminate stains and odors better than enzymes, and to kill pathogens in as little as 30 seconds. It is Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered to kill 19 microorganisms commonly found in bio messes like blood, feces and vomit, including HIV-1, herpes simplex virus, influenza A virus, hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses, norovirus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and more.
The versatile, low-pH formula can be used on a wide variety of hard and soft surfaces and materials including floors, common plastics, tile, glazed porcelain, ceramic and enamel, grout, fabrics, upholstery, mattresses, carpet and more. It is an EPA-registered soft-surface sanitizer engineered to kill 99.9% of bacteria, and is compliant with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens standard.
Leading the way in innovation
Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odor Remover was nominated in the Cleaning Agent category for the 2018 ISSA Innovation Award, which recognizes the year’s most innovative products and services that are driving the cleaning industry forward. Industry professionals voted online, and the winners will be announced at the ISSA Show North America 2018 next week, October 29- November 1.
For more information about Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odor Remover, visit the Clorox Professional website.
