Our breakthorugh attack on urine odors.

Urine odors have plagued the nursing home and long-term care industries since time began. It is only through an understanding of the fundamental cause of unwanted odors that we can then approach the problem of their elimination with science and systems.

For years, facilities and their residents have suffered because there seemed to be no way to eliminate odors caused by incontinence. The difficulty was that once a urine stain appeared it could be cleaned, but the dried uric acid crystals would remain. While these crystals are a major source of urine odors, they are not always visible, and facilities had no effective way of removing them.

Fortunately, unique chemistry from Australia, coupled with our understanding of what causes the odors, has now given us the tools with which to solve our urine odor problems. It begins with tea tree oil.

Tea tree oil is a unique and interesting biocide. Australian aborigines used it for centuries for healing purposes. It was only in 1920 that its antiseptic properties were first realized by European medical authorities and became one of the first genuinely effective "natural" health remedies regarded as useful by modern medical standards. Its main purpose until quite recently was as a general skin antiseptic in areas where conventional medicines were not readily available, such as in remote farming communities or while traveling.

Recently, it was found that in addition to its antiseptic properties, tea tree oil is a very active cleaning solvent. After much research into what tea tree oil can do (see sidebar), Whiteley Chemicals of Australia joined forces with Collins & Aikman Floorcoverings of Dalton, Georgia, to formulate a product specifically for nursing homes and other healthcare facilities. Called SYON-5, it has four distinct modes of eliminating unhygienic odors in healthcare settings:

1. The tea tree oil, aided by additional ingredients, rapidly penetrates through odiferous organic deposits, destroying the adhesive forces that bind them as soil on carpet or fabric. This then permits them to be removed through proper cleaning.

2. Complementary biocides work to essentially eliminate microbes that can off-gas odor.

3. The solution rapidly neutralizes existing airborne odors through a harmless chemical reaction.

4. Odor-causing enzymes are lifted from the uric acid crystals.

After two years of field-testing in nursing homes throughout the United States (see sidebar), SYON-5 debuts this spring.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Science of SYON-5

by Allen L. South

The development of this important new product had a brief but interesting chronology:

1997

We began research into scientific knowledge concerning odors from urine, with emphasis on how odors were generated. By midyear we had learned that the odor source is the uric acid crystals formed by dried urine. Uric acid crystals support anaerobic bacteria, which off-gas offensive odors. In addition, those enzymes that pass through the kidney and bladder attach themselves to the. crystals and generate odors when moist.

We also learned that the various minerals and salts in urine fluoresce under a long-wave UV black light. Using the black light, we began inspecting various nursing homes to determine where the uric acid crystals were located and to determine the effectiveness of current products and cleaning procedures.

Inspection of a number of nursing homes revealed odor problems stemmed from carpet only 20% of the time. The biggest area of odor source was the bathroom, followed by wheelchairs, upholstered furniture, bed rails and bedpans. We were also surprised to find urine in some unusual places, such as unit ventilators, drapery bottoms and on doors.

1998

We began trials of various products to determine their success rate in removing uric acid crystals and enzymes. The various products we tried fell into two general groups: enzymes and detergents/disinfectants. Using recommended cleaning procedures, we learned that these products did not remove the crystals. Some gave short-term relief from odors, but within a day or two they returned.

In March, we learned of a product used in Australia that would remove the crystals and neutralize the offending enzymes. This product was based on Australian tea tree oil and other technology. We obtained the product and began field-testing.

By the end of 1998, we had field-tested 16 locations (nursing homes and hospitals). In every case, using the black light and the Australian product, we were able to find and eliminate the uric acid crystals. Most importantly, the odors did not recur. Conclusion: Eliminate the uric acid crystals, eliminate the odors.

After all the years of frustration, the answer was amazingly simple.

Allen South is president of SCS Associates, a consulting firm focused on carpet maintenance and indoor air quality that he founded In 1991, after 30 years at E.I. Dupont Co. Mr. South began his efforts to find a solution to urine odor problems in 1996, after visiting his aunt in a nursing home.

Reginald Whiteley is chairman, Whiteley Industries Pty Ltd. For more information, contact Collins & Aikman Floorcoverings, 311 Smith Industrial Boulevard, PO Box 1447, Dalton, GA 30722-1447; phone [phone]; or visit the Web site at www.powerbond.com.