A staggering 56% of UK office workers regularly eat lunch at their desks, which can significantly impact the overall aroma of the workplace.

The importance of a pleasant office environment cannot be overstated, as it plays a crucial role in employee well-being and productivity. Research has shown that scents can profoundly influence moods, with pleasant aromas boosting happiness and alertness while foul odours can lead to distraction and discomfort.

Odours also affect how clients perceive a business, influencing their impressions from the moment they step into an office. A fresh, inviting scent can create a positive atmosphere, while unpleasant smells can tarnish a company’s image and deter potential clients. This article will provide a detailed exploration of how to enhance your office’s scent environment, offering not just tips but actionable strategies and explanations to cultivate a more pleasant workplace.

In this article, we’ll take you through some of the best ways to make your office smell good, with actionable tips and advice.

Identify and Eliminate Bad Odours

When it comes to making your office smell good, the main way to begin this process is to work out where any bad smells are coming from.

The best way to start is by checking any common problem areas in your office where dirt, debris and waste can gather, such as kitchens, bins, carpets, and bathrooms.

In addition, poor ventilation and HVAC systems can cause bad smells in the office due to issues with mould and air pollution. This is a significant issue within itself, as health and safety regulations state that the internal air quality should be as good as, if not better than, the quality of the air outside.

Smells in the office can have a significant effect on employees. In a survey we conducted, 80% of respondents agreed that the smell in an office affects their productivity.

Once you’ve identified the source of these odours, the next step is to work towards eliminating them.

Firstly, maintaining a regular deep-cleaning schedule can help you eliminate odours from dirt and debris in areas such as kitchen surfaces, bathrooms, and carpets.

Secondly, you can hire professional odour elimination services to help attack the more persistent lingering smells.

Finally, using odour-neutralising products like sprays and air fresheners can help you eliminate smells in the office.

Here are some tips for eliminating odours in the office:

• Develop a cleaning calendar
• Prioritise high-traffic areas
• Use the right cleaning products
• Address carpets and upholstery
• Implement waste management practices
• Maintain HVAC systems
• Incorporate odour-absorbing materials
• Educate employees

Improve Air Circulation and Ventilation

Ventilation is a legal requirement in all offices – but above this, having high-quality air in the office can significantly improve employee health and productivity.

Not only this, improving the ventilation can help get rid of odours and smells, as it ensures the smooth flow of air throughout the office.

There are several ways to improve air circulation and ventilation in the office, such as opening windows regularly, installing fans and air filtration systems, and maintaining air conditioning units and changing filters regularly.

Especially in smaller spaces, proper ventilation is essential to ensure employees are healthy and able to work and be productive without being affected by bad smells.

Not all people enjoy air fresheners and other types of odour eliminators in the office – in fact, in our survey, 70% of respondents stated that they prefer neutral smells – and in these cases, proper ventilation is your main method of eliminating those office odours.

If you’re planning to use air purifiers, fans and other ventilation aids, it’s essential to put them in the right places around your office to ensure they’re as efficient as possible.

For example, it’s a good idea to place them near kitchens, bathrooms and high-traffic areas to get rid of the odours in common areas.

It’s also essential to think about the air flow throughout your office when planning the placement of your ventilation aids and equipment.

Natural Ways to Add Pleasant Scents

Using essential oils in diffusers is a great way to add pleasant scents to the office. To ensure everyone enjoys the fragrances, it’s helpful to ask employees about their scent preferences. Our survey results highlighted how personal these choices are: about half of respondents liked floral aromas, while the other half preferred muskier notes.

With your employees’ likes in mind, you can pick out the right scent for the office to enhance productivity for all.

Another natural way to add a pleasant scent to your office and improve air quality is bringing plants into the office.

Certain plants help purify the air, such as peace lily and snake plants, which remove toxins from the air, helping improve quality and scent.

However, as we have found through our survey, not everyone is a fan of flowers in the office, so it’s again worth checking with employees to see what everyone prefers.

For a more personalised and DIY scent, there are a few options, such as potpourri or scent neutralisers such as vinegar or coffee grounds.

With all of the above in mind and feedback from your employees, you’ll have a great foundation to neutralise and eliminate smells in the office.

Using Commercial Air Fresheners

When it comes to using commercial air fresheners, the first step is to ensure you choose the right type of air freshener for your office.

As well as the different scents offered, air fresheners come in a wide range of types, such as sprays, plug-ins and gels, each of which have their advantages and disadvantages.

For example, plug-ins tend to last longer but take up a very small amount of electricity to run, whereas sprays are a quick solution but don’t tend to linger as well.

In addition, there are non-toxic and hypoallergenic options available, based on the requirements of your employees and your office space.

Just like ventilation systems and aids, it’s important to place air fresheners in high-traffic areas, such as hallways, break rooms and bathrooms.

It’s also a good idea to ensure you use smaller air freshener units in your office, especially if it’s a smaller space, so the scents don’t become overwhelming.

Once your air fresheners are in place, it’s essential to keep maintaining and replacing them to ensure they stay as fresh as possible, so the odours don’t come back.

Make Your Office Smell Like Your Brand

Scent branding refers to aligning specific smells with your company’s identity. For example, if your brand is luxury, you could use a perfume or high-quality air freshener.

Alternatively, if your brand is known for sustainability, you can incorporate biophilic design and the smell of natural products and materials.

In addition, you could also choose a specific scent which reflects your industry – for example, for wellness brands, eucalyptus is a good choice, while sandalwood is ideal for luxury brands and industries.

This way, you can reflect your business with a particular scent in the office.

It’s a good idea to distribute this scent in particular areas, such as reception areas, meeting rooms, and client-facing brands, to reinforce brand perception for clients and other visitors to the office.

When people come to your office, you want them to associate it with your brand through every sense, and getting the right scent helps to further reinforce this.

Some tips for scent branding in the office include:

• Align scents with brand identity
• Survey employee preferences
• Select appropriate scents for different spaces
• Use high-quality diffusers
• Ensure good ventilation
• Establish a scent-free zone
• Rotate scents seasonally
• Monitor scent intensity
• Be mindful of scent regulations

Regular Maintenance and Monitoring

Now that you’ve set up a way of eliminating odours and making your office smell good, it’s essential to ensure that this is maintained.

This includes weekly cleaning and air-freshener refills to ensure everywhere continues to smell fresh and reflect your brand. It’s also essential, as we mentioned above, to clean and check ventilation and HVAC filters regularly to reduce the chances of bad smells returning.

When monitoring the odours in your office, it’s important to focus on those high-traffic areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, and waste disposal areas, to ensure everything there is kept in check and clean.

All of this being said, it’s important to understand when it may be time to consider getting professional odour elimination services.

If you simply can’t get rid of a particular odour despite cleaning and using proper ventilation and air freshening systems, it might be time to look into getting a professional in.

Creating a Pleasant Office Environment

A well-scented office is more than just a nice touch – it’s a powerful contributor to both employee satisfaction and client impressions.

By implementing a regular cleaning schedule, improving ventilation, and adding intentional scents that align with your brand, you can transform the atmosphere of your workspace.

Engaging employees in choosing scents and keeping high-traffic areas fresh reinforces a shared sense of pride and comfort in the office environment.

Maintaining a pleasant aroma in the workplace doesn’t just enhance productivity; it also creates an inviting space where everyone feels comfortable, fostering a positive image for clients and employees alike.