Odor Control in Elderly Care and Nursing Homes
Odor is the first thing people read about quality of care
In a care home, odor starts the moment you step out of the elevator onto the floor. The lobby is clean in every facility; the verdict is formed in the corridor, and it is very hard to change afterward.
ODORGO does not cover odor with perfume. It attracts the odor molecule with a plant-based structure, binds it and turns it into a non-volatile, odorless compound; it removes the existing odor instead of adding a scent to the room. The gel and spray can be applied while residents and staff are in the room.
- Based on plant-derived oils and water
- Air Label Score A+: an independent indoor emissions assessment of the equivalent gel and spray in Europe
- Can be applied while residents are in the room
- Contains no chemical oxidants
- Turkish Safety Data Sheet (SDS) in KKDİK format (Turkey's regulation on the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals)
The resident first, then the family
The first person affected by an odor problem, and the one hit hardest, is the resident. A resident who is cognitively intact and incontinent notices their own smell. That is shame, and a resident who feels ashamed does not leave the room, does not go down to the dining room, does not join activities, and often says "I don't want visitors." It ends in social isolation, loss of appetite and weight loss; and weight loss is an indicator tracked in care homes. So odor is not a comfort issue, it is a care outcome issue.
The second party is the family, and that is where the loudest complaint comes from. For the family the equation is simple: "If this place smells bad, my mother is not being looked after well." That verdict is often unfair: staff have cleaned, the laundry has been changed, the protocol has been followed. But because the odor stays in the air and in textiles, not on the surface, the message that reaches the visitor does not change.
The point to watch here is that odor does not change how often families visit; it changes where the visit happens and how long it lasts. What we see in the field is this: the family walks into the room, and five minutes later says "Mom, shall we get some air, shall we go down to the garden?" The visit takes place in the garden, not in the room. The resident understands. That is where the real harm is.
Children have no filter
An adult visitor notices the odor but does not say so. A child does, out loud and in front of others. "It smells in here," or worse, "Grandma smells." It is the most devastating moment a resident can go through; a resident who has lived it does not leave the room for weeks.
There is a second consequence: a family that brings a child once does not bring the child again if the reaction was bad. A small child cannot hide a facial expression, wrinkles their nose, and the resident sees it. Yet a grandchild's visit is the one a resident misses most.
The practical result: visits with children get shorter and take place in a common area or the garden, without going up to the room. That is why, in odor work, the visiting area, the floor entrance and the elevator landing take the same priority as resident rooms.
Where does odor come from in a care home?
Care home odor does not come from a single point, and almost all of it is biological in origin. A large part of it does not stay suspended in the air; it binds to mattress foam, wheelchair cushions, upholstery fabric, curtains and pillows. Surface cleaning does not break that bond: the surface gets cleaned, the odor stays and is released again when the room warms up.
One detail is often missed: fresh urine is almost odorless. The odor appears hours later, after bacterial urease has turned the urea into ammonia. So the real problem is not the moment of the accident, it is the accumulated load.
| Source | Frequency / Intensity | Where it dominates | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urine-saturated mattresses, cushions and foam | Constant / High | Resident room, wheelchair | Most of a floor's baseline odor comes from here. When the protective cover tears, the foam absorbs urine and cleaning cannot bring it back |
| Soiled laundry and pad collection area | Constant / High | Corridor, laundry cart | It spills into the corridor every time the door opens, and the door opens many times a day |
| Incontinence (urine) and pad changes | Frequent / Medium-high | Resident room | The most common source; the part that passes into textiles makes up the real load |
| Shared bathrooms and restrooms | Constant / Medium | Common area | Biological waste, dried-out drain traps, humidity; the load builds up fast |
| Indwelling catheter and urine bag | Constant / High | Resident room | The drain valve, the night bag and infected urine produce a constant odor that is independent of pads |
| Stool and the moment of care | Episodic / Very high | Resident room, closed door | High intensity, low persistence; clears in 20-30 minutes |
| Food smell and cleaning chemicals | Daily / Medium | Corridor, dining room | What we call institutional smell is not pure urine; it is a mix of urine + boiled food + chlorine, and the mix is more disturbing than its components |
| Infected or fungating wound | Rare / Very high | Resident room | A properly cared-for pressure ulcer does not smell. If there is an odor, it is a clinical finding |
| Stoma / colostomy bag | Rare / Very high | Resident room, corridor | Seepage under the adapter or a leak fills the corridor in a short time |
| Vomiting and gastrointestinal (GI) infection outbreak | Rare / Very high | Whole floor | During an outbreak a floor becomes unrecognizable within 48 hours |
| Food stored in the room that spoils | Frequent / Low-medium | Closet, drawer, under the pillow | The classic cause of a "sweetish, musty" room odor whose source cannot be found |
| Situations with limited bathing | Constant / Medium | Close contact | Restricted shower frequency is noticed at close range, not at room scale |
| Feet: fungal infection, onychomycosis (nail fungus), slippers that never come off | Constant / Medium | Resident room | A quiet but persistent source |
| Absorbent textiles and upholstery | Constant / High | Whole floor | Upholstery fabric, curtains, pillows, fabric screens and patient lift slings feed the baseline odor |
None of the sources in this table come from neglect by the facility. All of them are a natural output of care. The problem is that this output builds up in the environment.
Clinical assessment first, odor removal second
A new odor, or one whose character has changed, is a clinical finding. It often means a urinary tract infection, an infected wound, diarrhea, a leaking catheter or a leaking stoma; experienced care staff are often the first to notice it.
For this reason an odor removal application is never the first step. The odor is assessed first and its source is handled clinically; ODORGO comes in after that. Otherwise the product risks covering up a signal that gives the facility an early warning.
Why doesn't cleaning end the odor problem?
The odor is not on the surface
A cleaning product takes the dirt off the surface. But the odor molecule is suspended in the air and bound to porous material. The surface shines, the odor stays where it is.
Perfume makes the problem bigger
Room spray does not remove the odor, it adds a layer on top. The resulting mix is often more disturbing than urine odor alone, and the visitor reads it as "they tried to hide it." The same goes for a heavy chlorine smell.
Ventilation moves it, it does not erase it
Ventilation takes the smelly air from one place and carries it to another. It does not touch the load bound to textiles at all; when the system stops, the odor comes back.
What does ODORGO do?
ODORGO targets the odor molecule with a structure made of plant-derived oils. The odor molecule is attracted, bound and neutralized so that it can no longer be perceived as an odor. This is not a cover-up; no perfume layer is left in the room after application.
In Trigonium laboratory measurements on industrial-scale odor loads, odor removal rates in the 97–98% range were recorded.
Important: ODORGO is an odor eliminator. It makes no claim of any effect on bacteria, viruses or fungi and does not replace the facility's cleaning and infection control protocols. It is positioned alongside those protocols, to deal with the odor problem they do not solve.
How is it set up in a care home?
ODORGO Gel: the base layer
Placed in resident rooms, shared bathrooms, the soiled laundry collection area, the visiting area, the floor entrance and the elevator landing. It is silent, needs no electricity and works without interruption. It can stay in place while the resident is in the room. For persistent urine odor caused by incontinence, it is the first and most important step. In resident rooms, mounting it high with a wall bracket is recommended. Putting a label with the setup and replacement date on every container is recommended.
ODORGO Spray: spot response
For the odor that follows a pad change, a wound dressing or a bed linen change; one application inside the waste bag before it is tied is the most practical method. It is also used after bath or shower day, when the liner of the in-room waste bin is changed, and after a vomiting or diarrhea episode. Keeping the bottle on the care cart, not in a locked storeroom, decides whether it keeps being used.
ODORGO PRO 500 ml: built into the routine
Added to the water used for routine floor and surface cleaning; the cleaning routine stays the same, and during the job the odor molecules in the room air and on surfaces are handled too. It creates no extra workload for staff. It is not mixed into the same solution as the disinfection step; it is applied as its own step.
DECON DUO device: the whole room in 10 minutes
Used for a room where odor has built up over a long time, preparation before a new resident moves in, areas after renovation, and severe cases. Because the device is designed for a volume of 280–300 m³ and a typical resident room is far below that, it treats the whole of a single room for odor in 10 minutes; the spare capacity comes back as a shorter run time.
When is the device run? The reason is not the product, it is the sound of the device. The device runs on compressed air and produces an air-blowing sound at vacuum cleaner level (75 decibels, dB). With a resident in the room this sound is disturbing, and noise is a known trigger of agitation in residents with dementia; so it is not used while the resident is inside.
On the other hand, the device can easily be used while the cleaning team is working. On a floor where a vacuum cleaner is already running, it adds no new source of noise. So there is no need to create a separate time slot for the device: it rides on the existing cleaning round. When a resident room is taken for cleaning, the device starts, runs for 10 minutes, and the odor work is finished as the room cleaning ends.
Let's be clear about the device and disinfection. DECON DUO is a piece of equipment with two independent programs: odor neutralization and disinfection. With the device, ODORGO supplies only the odor eliminator liquid and makes declarations only for odor removal use.
The device's disinfection program requires a separate, hydrogen peroxide-based product. ODORGO does not supply that product. The facility can use that program if it sources a licensed hydrogen peroxide-based product itself and connects it to the device; sourcing that product, its regulatory compliance and its use are the facility's responsibility. Unless such a product is connected, the device does not disinfect; it runs only the odor removal application.
Is it suitable for residents?
ODORGO's main supplier is our Austria-based European main manufacturer. The product's active content is plant-derived oils and water; it contains no chemical oxidants.
The gel and spray that are the European equivalents of our products were rated in the independent Air Label Score program, which assesses indoor air emissions, and received an A+ rating. The scale has four levels (A+, A, B, C) and A+ is the top one; it means "very low emissions to indoor air." For a care home where people spend long hours in an enclosed space and windows often cannot be opened, this is a meaningful data point. This rating is an emissions assessment; it is not a biocidal, health or efficacy certificate.
Our European main manufacturer declares that the products are suitable for use in enclosed indoor spaces, including around sensitive groups; this declaration belongs to the manufacturer. The gel and spray can be applied while residents are in the room. The product's Turkish SDS is prepared in the format of the KKDİK regulation and is sent on request for your purchasing file.
Points to watch in care facilities
Oxygen therapy
No aerosol application near a resident who uses an oxygen concentrator, a nasal cannula or a mask. In these rooms the gel is preferred.
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
In the room of a diagnosed resident, the gel is tried first; the spray is applied when the resident is out of the room, and the room is aired.
Residents with dementia: how to apply
Do not spray while approaching from behind or without warning. An unexpected sound and a sudden movement trigger a defensive reflex. Apply within the resident's field of view, after saying so first.
Residents with dementia: access
The gel container and the spray bottle are kept where the resident cannot reach them. The risk of swallowing or drinking is something every care facility has to assess; for that reason, high mounting with a wall bracket is recommended for the 250 g gel.
Skin, mucous membranes and wounds
The product is not applied to skin, mucous membranes or open wounds. After a dressing change, it is applied to the room once the wound has been covered.
Floors and staff
For floor application, wait out the drying time and use a warning sign. Gloves are recommended when diluting the concentrate.
Allergy note: The manufacturer does not recommend use for people who are allergic to clove, anise, cedar, pine and lemon/lime ingredients. The application plan should be made after reviewing residents' known allergies. The full ingredient list and the SDS are shared on request for your facility physician and your infection control lead.
What it is not: ODORGO is an ambient application. It is not used for treatment by inhalation, and no interaction with medication is expected. It is not an aromatherapy product; it makes no claim of a therapeutic effect such as sleep, calming or anything similar.
Resident consent: The resident's room is their home. Before an odor product is placed in the room, the preference of the resident or their legal representative should be obtained and recorded in the care plan.
How much will you use?
So that you can plan, the canonical consumption data for the gel and the device are below. Pricing is worked out separately, based on the size of the facility and the setup.
Gel: area and duration
| Package | Use |
|---|---|
| 250 g (reference) | Up to 15 m²: resident room, shared bathroom, soiled laundry and pad collection area, corridor |
| 500 g refill | Tops up the existing 250 g jar; the jar is not thrown away |
| 9 kg institutional refill (bucket) | Bulk top-up for jars in multi-room, multi-floor use; the most economical unit |
Device: coverage and consumption
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Design volume | Up to 280–300 m³ |
| Application mode | Always interval (intermittent), never continuous |
| Resident room | 5 s spray / 10 s pause · 10 minutes · about 200 g |
| Common area (corridor, dining room, visiting area) | 5 s spray / 2 min pause · 10 minutes · about 24 g |
| Tank capacity | 5 liters: about 25 room applications or 200 common-area applications |
| Run time | Up to 30 minutes, adjustable in 1-minute steps |
| Sound level | 75 dB (vacuum cleaner level) |
| Weight and size | 20 kg · 870 × 460 × 300 mm; fits a floor cart and an elevator |
| Power | 230 V / 50 Hz / 0.8 kW |
Fire alarm warning: The 5-second spray / 10-second pause cycle is not arbitrary: it is set this way so that the aerosol does not trigger the fire detector. Because a false alarm in a care home means evacuating frail residents, the device is never run in continuous mode. During setup, we review the facility's detector type and layout together.
Samples and a demo device
You cannot tell from a brochure whether an odor product works; you find out by trying it in your own facility, with your own odor load. That is why we give samples for use on site: try it in your own room, your own restroom, your own laundry area.
For the device too, we can leave our demo device at your facility for a set period. That way, before the purchasing decision, you will have seen how the device works on your own floor, in your own cleaning flow.
To measure the trial result, we suggest the method in step three below: a weekly 0–5 odor score at fixed points and a comparison of complaint records.
What it solves, what it does not
It solves
It deals with the odor molecule in the room air and on surfaces. It lowers the baseline odor in corridors, common areas, bathrooms and the laundry line. It shortens the time that episodic odors such as pad changes, wound dressings and vomiting stay in the room air. It directly changes the first impression in the visiting area and at the floor entrance.
It does not solve
It does not rescue mattress foam saturated with urine; that mattress will be replaced. It does not manage an infected or fungating wound; that is a clinical matter. It does not fix a leaking catheter or stoma. It does not make up for pad changes that are not frequent enough. We write this plainly because it is the answer to the objection "it didn't work in that room" at the end of the first month.
What odor means for the institution
Quality of the visit
When the visit shifts from the room to the garden, the resident's bond weakens. The family usually does not say so; they just cut it short.
Referrals and occupancy
Care homes are chosen largely on recommendation. The impression formed on stepping onto the floor during a tour carries more weight than anything in the brochure.
Staff morale
A team that keeps receiving odor complaints feels its work goes unseen. When the odor is solved, complaint traffic drops and the pressure on the team eases.
Three steps
Describe the situation
How many residents, rooms and floors; the areas where complaints are most frequent, where the shared bathrooms and the laundry area are, where the visiting area is.
Let's define the setup together
We draw up a concrete plan for gel placement points, moments of spray use, integration into routine cleaning and the split of responsibilities (who places, who replaces, who checks).
Measure the result
A weekly 0–5 odor score at fixed points; the measurement should be done by someone who does not work on that floor. The reason is clinical: staff adapt to the environment in 10–14 days and their own assessment stops being valid. Add to this the number of odor complaint records before and after the application.
How to use it: pick 5–6 fixed points such as a resident room, the corridor, a shared bathroom, the soiled laundry/pad collection area, the elevator landing and the lobby, and take the measurement at morning opening, once a week. Preferably have someone who does not work there do the scoring; staff get used to the environment in 10–14 days. Measure for 1–2 weeks before starting the application to get your baseline, then compare what follows against it. That takes the "did it work" debate out of subjectivity and turns it into a number you can use both in a branch audit and in the purchasing file.
Send us your facility's request
Tell us the size of your care home, the areas the complaints come from and your current cleaning routine; let's define the setup that fits your need together. Samples for your on-site trial and a time-limited demo of the device are available. The SDS and the ingredient list are sent for your purchasing file.
For all sector solutions, see the Industry Solutions page; for hospital and clinic applications, see the Hospital Odor Control page.
ODORGO is an odor eliminator; it is not a biocidal product, a disinfectant, an antiseptic or a medical product. It makes no claim of any effect on bacteria, viruses, fungi or other microorganisms; it does not replace the facility's cleaning, hygiene and infection control protocols, it complements them.
The device mentioned on this page is a piece of equipment with two programs. With the device, ODORGO supplies only the odor eliminator liquid and makes declarations only for odor removal use; with the products ODORGO supplies, the device does not disinfect. ODORGO does not supply the hydrogen peroxide-based product required for the device's disinfection program; sourcing such a product, its regulatory compliance, its license status and its use are entirely the responsibility of the user facility.
The product was removed from the scope of notification by the Communiqué published in Official Gazette No. 30277 dated December 21, 2017; it is subject to Law No. 7223 on Product Safety and Technical Regulations and to the KKDİK Regulation. The Turkish SDS is sent on request.
The removal rates stated come from measurements made under controlled laboratory conditions with industrial odor loads; field results vary with room volume, ventilation, textile load and the continuity of the odor source. Air Label Score is an independent program that assesses indoor air emissions; it is not a biocidal, health or efficacy certificate. Statements about the product's suitability, including for sensitive groups, belong to our European main manufacturer.