Page 58 - CIJ Feb 2024 Digital Edition

Facility ServiceS

skin, or feminine care products • Masking the odors.
that cause bad odor. Well-trained A gas phase filtration equipment
housekeeping staff with periodic
cleaning of surfaces and deep fitted in the vent can ensure that
cleaning of washrooms helps for diluted gases are released into the
effective odor control. atmosphere. This is a masking
method that is used in air fresheners
Gifty Francis, Sr. Application
Engineer, Aqoza Technologies Pvt. to mask the malodor with a pleasant
Ltd. stressed that the concentration one. This is what is employed
of hydrogen sulfide causes malodor. throughout the washrooms in
At higher concentrations, it acts the world as it does its job and is
as a neurotoxin and can be fatal. economical.
Therefore, concerning hydrogen The S-trap inside the toilet has
sulfide, concentration is key. two functions: 1) whatever goes
Urine contains urea which will be in must not come out and 2) odor
broken down into ammonia which control. So, there is a water column
causes major problems. Active The release of foul gases that prevents gases from coming
monitoring of gases can give us through urinal drain lines back up. When we flush the toilet,
an insight into how much gases and the microbial activity
like hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, nourished by dried urine fecal bacteria are released into the
and multiple volatile organic in the grout around air due to our common practice of
compounds are being emitted, and not closing the lid while flushing.
a proactive approach to managing the urinals constitute This can get attached to the
them effectively can be arranged. the primary origin of curtains, clothes, or anything that
Continuous removal of stagnant restroom odors. is hanging in the vicinity leading to
air is important to maintain a an unhygienic environment. Proper
healthy environment. Exhaustion Anil Sanghavi ventilation must include a scenario
must be done in a way where where these bacteria are removed
a large volume of stagnant outside, it could be a nuisance to from the surrounding air. Therefore,
air is diluted and taken away the public too. continuous ventilation is required
outside. Filtration also has to be and the air has to be treated before
done as just because air inside Malodor can be removed in it is released. A drawback includes
washrooms is being diluted, it is two ways: high operational expenses for fitting
not being filtered. It just reduces • Ventilation and a filtration a gas filtration unit in a public
concentration and when this travels system adjacent to it.
toilet setting. Air purifiers that have
sensors to detect volatile organic
compounds mask the odor for five
to ten minutes. This does the job
and one does not need a proactive
measure.
Commercial spaces like airports,
shopping malls, and movie theatres
have well-maintained toilets as they
are being cleaned regularly. People
are required for good maintenance
of toilets. Maintenance and
cleanliness should be the primary
focus. An active scrubbing system
is required because a person takes
charge of ensuring good toilet
hygiene, especially in public toilets.

FEBRUARY 2024•Clean India Journal
58 www.cleanindiajournal.com