Foot & Shoe Odours

Most families have someone who suffers from smelly feet and shoes. Typically younger members of the family are affected. These unpleasant odours are associated with higher than normal population densities of bacteria and their resulting exoenzyme generation. Bacteria, yeasts and fungi thrive in the warm, moist, environment inside shoes, particularly athletic shoes. Sweat and skin particles provide bacterial hosts and their decay adds to the problem. Foot and shoe odour can be controlled with simple measures. Wash the feet regularly, with an antibacterial soap if possible and dry thoroughly. Change socks frequently. Wear shoes that breathe and allow them to air in the sun where possible. Go barefoot or wear sandals where possible. We also recommend Odorex® Foot And Shoe Deodoriser.

General

Hydrogen peroxide is created in the atmosphere when ultraviolet rays from the sun hit oxygen in the presence of moisture. Chemically it is made up from water H20 and oxygen making it H2O2.

Shelf Life of Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide will break down if exposed to light (which is why you find it in dark plastic bottles in the pharmacy). To ensure it remains potent and stable for longer, store your hydrogen peroxide in a dark, cool and dry place.


Is Hydrogen Peroxide Safe to Clean With?
Hydrogen Peroxide is a strong disinfectant but is non-toxic so is safe to clean with and won’t hurt the environment. You should use it sparingly on granite or marble because it is slightly acidic and can break down the finish on these surfaces. Hydrogen Peroxide can cause discolouring in some surfaces so always test a discrete area first if using on coloured surfaces. Hydrogen Peroxide is the main active ingredient in our product Virulabs Virucide.

Any substance with a vapor pressure has the potential of emitting odours. The human nose can detect about 5,000 smells out of the almost infinite number of odour possibilitieS. Certain odours do not register at all with some people. For example, only 65% can detect the principal odour in human sweat, androsterone. Most can readily detect certain other animal odours. The ability to smell is a sense that rapidly becomes fatigued. A person working in a place contaminated with a malodour will become totally oblivious to it. Yet it could be highly offensive to someone entering the area. This is one of the reasons for the common attitude of "My dog/cat/carpet/kennel doesn't smell. I don't know what you're talking about. We don't have any odours!" Our interest is in odours readily detected by most people, most of the time. How such odours are perceived varies from individual to individual. A given fragrance can be agreeable to some but objectionable to others. The detection of an odour is dependent on the type and concentration of the odorous molecules, the sensitivity of the individual's nose and also the odour's culturally conditioned interpretation. If a smell is always present people may get used to it and not notice it.

All Odorex® products are safe to use but always follow label directions. Product safety data sheets are available on request. Odorex® pet products are non-toxic, biodegradable and safe to use on pets as directed. For maximum safety any products containing chemicals should be kept out of the reach of young children.

Pet Odours

We have three products that will eliminate cat pee odour - Odorex Cat Odour Eliminator (COE), Odorex Animal Odour Eliminator (AOE) and Odorex Pet Cleanup Concentrate (PCC).

It depends on where and the size of the job. First we would always recommend COE as it is specifically formulated to remove the smell of cat pee. It also comes in a pour bottle - as most cats pee on porous surfaces like carpet a pour bottle allows you to soak the area to reach the pee rather that give the surface a superficial spray.

However, if the cat has peed on a vertical surface or somewhere hard to reach you can transfer COE into a clean spray bottle or our AOE spray might be easier to use.

Lastly if you repeatedly need to cleanup accidents or spraying or have a large area to deodoriser then PCC is the most economical choice as 1L makes 25Ls of cleaning solution.

As all our products work on contact with the source of the odour you need to ensure you soak the area so the solution can reach the source.

Odorex Pet Cleanup Concentrate is the best product for eliminating animal odour like cat and dog pee outside. Odorex PCC is what our boarding kennel, doggy daycare and cattery customers use for their facilities. It will eliminate pet odour from concrete, decking and artifical grass - 1L makes 25Ls of cleaning and deodorising solution. Also available in 5L and it can be used inside too.

Viruclear is a surface sanitiser developed specifically to help businesses achieve maximum hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has a PH of 7 when diluted and safe to use around people and animals. With only a 30 second contact time it is perfect to use on surfaces throughout the day like high-touch areas, equipment, collars, leads, grooming tables etc. Viruclear dilution is 1:15 and it has a shelf life of 6mths so you need to ensure proper storage and it is recommended you make up only what you need for the day to ensure maximum kill rates. Viruclear is a sanitiser only i.e. you should clean soiled areas fist before using again to ensure maximum virus kill rates. It’s highly likely Viruclear will kill other human and animal viruses but efficacy testing has not been undertaken on these yet. Virucide is a disinfectant - bactericidal / Fungicidal / Mildewstatic / Virucidal used by SPCA Auckland and may other human and animal health facilities. It has proven efficacy testing against human viruses like Coronaviruses and SARS etc but also against a long list of animal pathogens like Parvo etc. You can read more about it here including the pathogens it covers. Virucide is a cleaner, deodoriser and sanitiser all in one. It is super concentrated at 1:128 and has a shelf life of 12 months although with proper storage should last much longer. Contact time can be up to 10 minutes when there are known contaminants and rinsing is recommended. Animals should also be removed from the area before use and until surfaces are dry. For this reason many of our kennel, cattery, doggy daycare and grooming customers use our non-toxic Pet Cleanup Concentrate throughout the day for cleaning and deodorising as it is safe to use around animals and then Virucide at end of day and for deep cleans. Both products are proudly made in New Zealand.

The simple answer is yes! If your brave enough to wash a cat  then Odorex Deodorising Pet Shampoo or Odorex Professional Pet Shampoo Concentrate is safe to use on cats. Odorex Shampoo has a PH of 6.5 which is ideal for dogs. However cats have a PH slightly closer to humans. So this means they can use a dog shampoo with a PH like Odorex. Does that make sense? It's all to do with acidity - we humans can use dog shampoo on our hair, but our human shampoo should not be used on dogs as it's too acidic and will strip the natural oils.

Tomcat spray is a serious problem because it contains odorous materials in addition to urine. If it's visible the sprayed surface should be washed off. Unfortunately this won't take care of the spray that has penetrated the surface. About the only way to effectively treat the problem is to spray the area with a quality odour remover several times until the odour is controlled or eliminated. We recommend Odorex® Animal Odour Eliminator. Spray the surface until it becomes just wet enough so that the odour control product starts to run. On porous surfaces such as carpet we recommend Odorex® Deodoriser For Cats. Place a clean piece of cloth over the affected area and stomp the cloth to force the fluid down into the fibres. Allow the area to dry or better still mop up excess fluid with a clean, dry cloth or towel and repeat the process.

Cat urine in carpets and other porous surfaces is a significant problem, primarily because it usually goes undetected for a long time and the cat keeps soiling the same area. The urine itself has very little odour but once it starts to decay it becomes a problem. The first stage of decay produces amines (ammonia) which are unpleasant. The second stage of decay produces mercaptans which are the real problem. With a carpet this almost always means the urine has soaked through the carpet and into the floor. In spite of product and carpet cleaner claims this odour cannot be eliminated by spraying or cleaning because neither will go down as deep as the urine. The only solution is to thoroughly soak the soiled area with a quality odour eliminator. We recommend Odorex® Deodoriser For Cats which will eliminate odours, even after all sorts of other remedies have been tried. It will work where enzyme-based products yield poor results. Enzyme products are not compatible with detergents and germicides and usually there will be a residue of one or both in the carpet from earlier treatments. Simply pour Odorex® Deodoriser For Cats onto the problem area making certain that you have covered the soiled area completely and with enough volume to soak through the carpet and into the floor beneath. An added benefit is stain removal - this product effectively removes fresh animal stains from most flooring materials.

All dogs have some level of natural body odour. It can be very faint to nearly intolerable. This depends on many things. Some breeds have stronger odours than others. Dog odours usually grow stronger as the dog gets older and medical problems such as skin problems, ear infections etc may cause problems. These should be referred to a veterinarian for treatment as soon as they are detected. Dogs are also prone to rolling about in foul smelling material (dead birds, hedgehogs etc) much to their owners discomfort. Bathing with Odorex® Deodorising Pet Shampoo will solve most of these smelly problems. It combines a powerful deodorising agent and mild fragrance with a regular pet shampoo to ensure that the pet’s coat is thoroughly cleansed and odour free. However, shampooing too frequently can cause skin dryness and irritation. Odorex®Deodoriser for Dogs is the answer - simply spray it on. To be most effective it is best to ruffle the fur while spraying so that the product covers as much hair and skin as possible. Soaking is not necessary. It is supplied as a finger spray and ideal for treating car seats, carpets, bedding or any area where dog odour is a problem.

If your dog bedding is also getting smelly, use some of our Odorex Pet Cleanup Concentrate in the rinse cycle to eliminate any animal odour.

For large establishments such as boarding kennels and catteries we recommend Odorex® Kennel Cleaner Concentrate – a unique sanitising treatment which contains powerful odour neutralising agents to react with, and neutralise, a wide range of malodours associated with pets. This product contains surfactants for a cleaning action to remove soiling and an anti-bacterial agent to disinfect and kill any odour causing bacteria. It has been carefully formulated and tested to ensure it does not cause any allergic or irritant reactions. Odorex® Kennel Cleaner is supplied as a concentrate in 1 litre bottles and 5L Jerrycans which makes it an economical cleaning and deodorising solution. The recommended dilution rate is one part Kennel Cleaner to 25 parts clean water. It can be applied with a mop, broom, simply sprayed or water blasted on areas requiring treatment. See what other uses our customers have come up with in our testimonials.

Animal faecal matter gives off many unpleasant odours: indoles, skatoles, etc. Most of the odours can be eliminated by eliminating the source, i.e., removing the matter and properly disposing of it. For those odours remaining, we reccomend spraying the contaminated surface with a Odorex® Animal Odour Eliminator.

The liquid in anal sacs has a particularly obnoxious odour. Some animals when frightened will empty their anal sacs, much to the consternation of anyone around them. The emptying of anal sacs is a standard veterinary procedure. No matter the cause of an anal sac being emptied, some action must be taken as immediately as possible. First wipe up all of the liquid that is visible with a disposable rag. It's a good idea to wrap the disposable rag before putting it into the trash with something that is a good vapour barrier such as aluminium foil. If plastic is used, use many layers because plastic is not a particularly good vapour barrier. At this point an ideal product to use is Odorex® Animal Odour Eliminator. Saturate spray all areas that the anal sac liquid came in contact with and let dry.

The basic method for controlling odour in cat litter boxes is to strain frequently for solid matter and change the litter often so the ammonia from the decaying urine does not become a problem. If the urine is left it will go into a second stage of decay and a mercaptan odour will be produced which is very unplesant. Odorex® Animal Odour Eliminator (A.O.E) which is often used in veterinarian hospitals can be sprayed on pet litter with very good results. It will control the odour and extend the life of the litter. Using a good quality pet litter like PAWS which is super absorbant and controls odours will also help.

Most pet ferrets have had their anal sacs removed which is the main source of their odour. However there are other causes of odour which will vary widely between animals. To control these most owners bathe their pets frequently which is time consuming and not particularly good for skin and coat condition. Odorex® Deodorising Pet Shampoo and Odorex®Deodoriser for Dogs are both effective in combating ferret odours. Bathing with Odorex® Deodorising Pet Shampoo will solve most of these smelly problems. It combines a powerful deodorising agent and mild fragrance with a regular pet shampoo to ensure that the pet’s coat is thoroughly cleansed and odour free. However, shampooing too frequently can cause skin dryness and irritation. Odorex® Deodoriser for Dogs is the answer - simply spray on the ferret. To be most effective it is best to ruffle their coat while spraying so that the product covers as much hair and skin as possible. Soaking is not necessary. It is supplied as a finger spray and is ideal for treating car seats, carpets, bedding or any area where ferret odour is a problem.

The best way to control the odour is at its source before it becomes airborne. However, once odours are airborne it may become necessary to treat or freshen the air, as well as eliminate the source of the odour. Common techniques for dealing with bad smells or malodours as they are knows are listed below. Odorex® products do not use problematic enzymes, bacteria, oxidizers or olfactory desensitizers. They work by combining the last three techniques listed below: counteraction, bonding (chemisorption) and absorption. This technology permanently eliminates odours on contact.
Masking - the introduction of a new odour that is stronger than the malodour. This substantially increases the overall odour level. Frequently it is ineffective since both odours can be detected.
Anaesthetisation - desensitises the olfactory senses so that no odour, good or bad, will be perceived.
Ventilation - if the only source of malodours is airborne then evacuating to the outside is an efficient and economical method of dealing with the problem.
Oxidation - works only if the compound will oxidise rapidly. Sodium hypochlorite, potassium permanganate, chlorine and hydrogen peroxide are all sometimes used for this purpose. All of these, at the wrong concentration levels, can be dangerous to animals, people and fabrics. Ozone emitting devices are also used to oxidise the airborne malodour molecules. However, as ozone is toxic, these devices have come under close scrutiny by environmental protection agencies.
Adsorption - this is a physical adherence of the malodour molecules onto the product molecules as a result of Van der Waals forces. These are weak forces, much weaker than interatomic electron bonding.
Filtration - commonly uses activated charcoal which must come in direct physical contact with the airborne malodour gas molecule. Works by adsorption until the carbon becomes saturated. Does nothing to control the malodour at its source.
Accelerated Decaying - speeds up, by a considerable margin, (although it can still take up to 24 hours to be fully effective) what would have occurred if the problem were left alone. Entails the actual transformation of the substance producing the malodour. Usually involves enzymes and bacteria (as part of the product or naturally occurring). While the action is taking place malodours will be generated just as they would have had the problem not been treated, only at a much faster rate. In the case of imbedded urine the gas produced will be ammonia. This process can work quite well, but only in the proper environment. Since enzyme-based compounds are not compatible with detergents or germicides, their effects will be greatly diminished or completely stopped if there is even a residue of either of them in or on the surface being treated. An example would be a carpet that has been shampooed since it is never possible to get all of the detergent out of the fabric. Also this method has no effect on airborne malodours.
Absorption - this is the physical penetration of the malodour substance into the inner molecular structures of the product.
Bonding (chemisorption) - involves the exchange or sharing of electrons between the malodour atoms and those of the product. This is a very quick-acting technology. However, if used alone, it will not be a permanent solution. Depending upon the malodour, desorption of between 10 to 50% may take place over a period of 30 minutes to 4 hours (the odor comes back).
Counteraction - a phenomenon that occurs when the proper two odours are physically in the same area, with the overall odour being reduced instead of increased. This method is termed neutralization when no odour results and re-odorisation when a milder pleasant odour replaces the malodour. It works through Zwaardemaker pairs (conjugates), pairs of odourants that neutralise each other's respective odours. This principle works by having the counteractant in the same physical state as the malodour. Thus it can be effective on solids, liquids and gases.

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