WASHROOM SCENTS REQUIRED
You can tell a lot about a company from how well kept the washroom is. Here, Colm Moore, Area Technical Manager at Initial Washroom Hygiene, suggests why pleasant aromas are the key to upholding a good reputation.
It may seem peripheral in comparison to other environmental considerations, but scent is an extremely influential sense. A recent study by Ambius Premium Scenting revealed that scent significantly increases a consumer’s experience by 38%. ‘Smell memory’ is the most powerful part of our memory, with humans able to recognise 10,000 different odours, and pleasant scents tend to trigger positive memories, even if those memories are subconscious. The opposite is true for bad odours.
Putting clients off the scent Few FMs may consider how unpleasant scents outside the main office might affect their business – in particular, those found in the washroom. Initial Washroom Hygiene’s recent study examined the state of air care in public and office washrooms. The global report ‘Washroom malodour: Experiences, perceptions and implications for businesses’ found that 73% of Britons say an unpleasant smell in the washroom would negatively affect their perception of a venue. Almost two thirds of respondents said that a bad smell would make them less likely to spend money with that company. This is concerning for FMs, who may not realise the impact bad washroom scents could have on client retention.
Emotional responses It is believed that 75% of the emotions we generate on a daily basis are affected by smell and no two people experience an odour in the same way – making this sense a very personal one.
Malodour is often strongly associated with an unhygienic environment, with those questioned associating it with uncleanliness (79%), poor hygiene (75%) and bacteria (60%). Perhaps unsurprisingly, reactions to malodour included opting to leave or not return to an establishment (51%), complaining to the owner or manager (25%) or posting a bad review online (6%). FMs need to understand that it makes good business sense to consider the harmful effects malodour could have on employees and customers.
Many people opt to use fresh scents in the washroom, from items such as flowers, rather than air fresheners, as they can provide a subtler effect. But, with half of Britons perceiving air fresheners as a sign that owners are showing care and concern, these are also worth considering.
Clean up your act Some air care solutions can also clean the air by neutralising odour molecules as well as the bacteria and fungi that cause
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bad smells. They also filter, clean and intelligently fragrance the air – targeting and neutralising airborne microorganisms and odour molecules. This means that fragrance particles are not concentrated in one area, so a pleasant fragrance can be dispersed throughout the entire washroom.
You may want to consider air fresheners that automatically dispense fragrance to help neutralise odours and create a pleasant-smelling environment. An air purifier can also help to eradicate any pathogenic airborne bacteria and viruses including: the flu virus, E Coli, Salmonella, Streptococcus, Rhinovirus and Hepatitis A.
A pleasant-smelling washroom helps make for both happy employees and clients, so it’s important you’re getting it right. At a relatively low cost, investment in the washroom can have a big impact, helping drive better washroom practices and behaviours which can lead to improvements to visitors’ health, workplace productivity and morale, as well as your reputation.
www.initial.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM COMMON
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