Air Sponge Odor Absorder

Comments about Air Sponge Odor Absorder:

Our Parish Hall is over fifty years old and consists of two wings, both of which receive heavy foot traffic via daily visitors and guests of special events like meetings, retreats, receptions, and classes.The south wing houses two small offices (each 12 x 12), four large pantry closets, a full bath, and a disused HVAC room, all of it joined to the north wing by a long, narrow, stuffy hall. The north wing houses a rectangular and airy conference room, flanked on one length by double-wide sliding glass doors which open to the campus garden, and on the opposite length by a large fireplace. The north wing also has a small foyer, full kitchen/dinette, a 15 x 20 library, and numerous storerooms or utility closets. The south wing is poorly ventilated and beset with odors from: two pets kept in the vicar's office; hundreds of old, dusty/mildewed books; bathroom odors; smoking (pipe); occasional but pervasive cooking odors from the kitchen in the opposite wing; and what I think of as "sweaty tennis shoes".Since becoming sexton (caretaker) of the parish properties six months ago, one of my biggest challenges has been how to restore the building to a welcoming, clean, fresh-smelling state (short of gutting and rebuilding it!), and how to eradicate/control the fusty staleness endemic to old pier-&-beam, multiuse buildings and the occasionally unpleasant odors generated by its occupants and users. Visitor traffic is heavy in both wings, so it is essential we disinfect surfaces and "freshen the air" two - three times daily. Although we can count on the daily cleaning subcontractor to address principal sanitation levels, we also wanted a quick touch-up method after group meetings and events, with a lightly- or pleasantly-scented antibacterial aerosol, and as a latent back-up, a static odor-absorbing/odor-eliminating product.The battery of over-the-counter products we've tested so far yielded interesting results, either by their success or their epic failure. We've experimented with Lysol aerosols in all their deodorizing & sanitizing manifestations, Febreze aerosols, Oust, plug-&-play oils/sprays/wicks, even a salt-like product sold in pet stores (!) recommended for "malodorous college dormitories" etc., etc., ad nauseum.We rated products most and least effective, based on a matrix of 6-7 factors: Initial cost; Maintenance/Replacement cost; Tolerance of/Usefulness in extreme hot/cold climate conditions; Ease of Use; Conspicuity (1 = Discreet, Unobtrusive, Noninvasive. 9 = Overt, Visible, Noisy/Disturbing, Invasive); and Occupant Feedback (any group or group leader using the building, whether using it free or with-fee, must complete a 1-page multiple choice feedback sheet. Three queries on it ask the user for ratings and comments about the Parish Hall's condition and appearance.)Most effective: Lysol Disinfectant Spray "Clean Linen" won hands-down over all other Lysol versions & fragrances, including Neutra Air and Infection Control. Neutra Air comments ranged from "metallic smelling" and "sticky" to "I can still smell last week's spaghetti dinner." If we offered Lysol's manufacturer any suggestion for improvement, it would be they should create a spray mechanism as powerful as the Febreze aerosols and which produces as fine a mist. The spraying distance and width of Lysol is roughly half to two-thirds of Febreze and, even when sprayed as highly as possible into a room, the coarser mist creates a thoroughly unpleasant tackiness on bare marble, linoleum, or wood floors.Least effective: the Air Sponge, dead last. When standing within five feet of a freshly-opened container, there is a faint yet unmistakable "wet chalk & burned toast" aroma. We placed a container of Air Sponge in one of the 12 x 12 offices and we placed another fresh container in the 15 x 20 library. (N.B. the doors to these spaces stay shut.). Scarcely two weeks later, the Air Sponges had dried to small, hard paperweights and both spaces were just as musty and stale, with no discernible improvement in air quality.At [$] a pop (a/o 15th Nov 2010), and bearing promises of "Eliminates odors and pollutants from air; Removes carpet dust, pet odors, paint and solvent odors; Also eliminates cooking, tobacco mildew and humidity odors" and "Lasts up to six weeks in a 300 square foot area" we were chagrined Air Sponge achieved =none= of those ends. We won't buy Air Sponge again and wouldn't recommend it for improving air quality in anything bigger than a shoebox. Lest readers think we failed to use the product as recommended, we used it precisely per the manufacturer's instructions (printed on the outside of the container, which, by the way, you'll need super-human strength to open it's so well-sealed.)

Comments about Air Sponge Odor Absorder:

This is a great product for a small area and if you are looking for an odor neutralizer you can forget about. It does not overpower with a flowery scent and is barely noticeable by others. Only downside is that if someone knocks it over the charcoal can and will cause a mess. It does not stain, but it does require some careful clean up.

Comments about Air Sponge Odor Absorder:

This work good when we warm up food in the breakroom.

Comments about Air Sponge Odor Absorder:

I use this by the cat litter box and would recommend it to anyone- it works but you will need 1-2 monthly.

Comments about Air Sponge Odor Absorder:

These really work, and we continue to buy them on a regular basis.