Persistent odours, especially those linked to urine, incontinence, and long-term room use, are a common challenge in UK care homes.

The real difficulty isn’t just removing the smell, it’s doing so without affecting residents’ comfort, routines, or wellbeing.

How can care homes remove persistent odours without disturbing residents?

Care homes can remove persistent odours without disruption by treating rooms when unoccupied and using ozone-based systems to neutralise odours at their source. This avoids the need for strong chemicals or repeated cleaning while ensuring rooms are fresh, safe, and ready for residents.

Why are care home odours so difficult to eliminate?

You know that false idea people have of what a care home smells like? That notion that there is a sort of unavoidable ‘care home odour’ that you just have to live with. Well, it’s not true. The reason that odours linger is that they become embedded in:

• Soft furnishings
• Mattresses
• Carpets
• Curtains

They build up over time and resist standard cleaning methods. All you need to do is tackle the underlying problem to reduce and even eliminate them.

 Why are air fresheners and sprays not effective?

Air fresheners do a very specific job. They release a fog of chemicals into the air. A sort of thick chemical soup that doesn’t really help and often makes the odours worse or triggers the ‘strong perfumes must be hiding something’ response:

• They mask odours temporarily
• They introduce strong fragrances
• And they can cause discomfort or sensitivities

They do not remove the underlying cause of the smell.

Key point: Masking odours can create a worse environment for residents.

What is the safest way to remove odours in care homes?

The safest approach is to:

• Treat rooms when unoccupied
• Use ozone-based systems to neutralise odours
• Make sure the room is odour-free before use

This ensures:

• No disruption to residents
• No exposure to strong chemicals
• A genuinely fresh environment

By the time the resident is returned, or occupies a new room, there is no odour of any kind. No perfumes or incontinence odours, not chemicals or residual smells from medical treatments. Nothing but fresh, clean air.

What products can care homes use for odour control?

Your cleaning team know what works best for their daily and deep clean requirements. They are doing a great job, but the odours are not responding to the hard work they are putting in. That is why so many care homes tell us they often do costly deep cleans that have little or no impact on the odour issue.

The answer is to supplement the regular schedule with easy, cost-effective solutions.

For deep treatment:

• Ozofresh Eclipse Pro – ideal for resident rooms
• Eclipse Pro Max – suitable for larger or shared spaces

For ongoing control:

• Ozofresh Plugin – supports background odour management in occupied areas

Combined they will fit easily into your current working methods and could extend the life of soft furnishings and reduce unnecessary deep cleaning.

How do odours affect visitors and inspections?

It isn’t fair, and it isn’t the reality of the quality of your care home, but odours, particularly urine or incontinence-related smells, can:

• Create negative first impressions
• Raise concerns about hygiene
• Affect inspection perception

Families and inspectors often notice odour immediately, making it a key factor in overall confidence.

Does better odour control improve quality of life?

Yes! Effective odour management is vital because good air quality:

• Supports dignity and comfort for residents
• Creates a more pleasant environment
• Improves working conditions for care staff

Good, clean air is the indicator of a welcoming and comfortable environment.

So, how do you integrate the power of ozone into your cleaning schedules?

Using ozone to clean air and improve the quality of your environment doesn’t need to be difficult. In fact, many care home managers tell us that it actually reduces the burden of trying to deal with odours. One obvious way this happens is when a room has been thoroughly cleaned, but odours remain embedded in the area. The traditional response is yet another deep clean, which is often not really needed or effective, then throw open the windows and leave the room empty for a while, followed by expensive chemical fresheners that cover the returning odour.

Or you can clean the room fully, use an Eclipse Pro to destroy the odour and then put the room back in service.

Where odours are constantly being reintroduced, the PlugIn will operate 24/7 in an occupied room to repeatedly destroy odour particles. So to fit these into your current schema:

Daily:

• Clean using standard protocols
• Use background odour control from the PlugIn where needed. Just plug it in and switch it on.

Weekly:

• Identify and treat problem areas to keep removing the source and continue to use the PlugIn to maintain freshness.

Between residents:

• Deep clean and turn the room as usual
• Close the curtains, turn up the mattress and then apply ozone treatment from an Eclipse Pro or Eclipse Pro MAX for larger areas.
• Lock the room to prevent entry and go about your day. When the timer has stopped, the ozone destruct system will have cleared the ozone, leaving a temporary mild, ‘fresh air’ scent, and the room is ready to be put back into service.

It’s really that simple.

Persistent odours don’t have to mean disruption.

Rooms left empty, replacing carpets and soft furnishings, extra deep and spot and carpet cleans are all down time for the room and unwanted costs.

With the right approach, care homes can:

• Eliminate odours effectively
• Maintain resident comfort
• Deliver consistently high standards

And all without disrupting the routine of both your residents and the team that work so hard to care for them.

Discover Ozofresh solutions designed for safe, effective odour control in care environments.