Short answer
You don't solve a recurring odour problem by spraying again and again. Record when and where the odour occurs, investigate the source and air flows, carry out the technical repair and then assess whether temporary or additional odour control is still needed.
Step 1: make the problem measurable
For a few days, write down:
- time;
- location;
- weather conditions if relevant;
- the state of doors and ventilation;
- the intensity of the odour;
- what is happening in the building at that moment.
Patterns can tell you a lot. An odour that only appears after heavy rain points to a different problem than an odour that occurs every day after kitchen service.
Step 2: don't just look where you smell the odour
Air moves odour. The source may be a floor below, behind a wall or in a technical room.
Check drains, traps, pipes, damp spots, waste streams, HVAC, basements and adjoining rooms depending on the type of odour.
Step 3: assess the risk
Strong sewer, burning, chemical or mould-related odours should not be masked without investigation. In case of possible danger, the space must be assessed according to the appropriate technical and safety procedure.
Step 4: repair what can be repaired
Seal a leak, clean a contaminated source, repair a trap, improve extraction or have moisture professionally remediated where necessary.
The odour can only disappear permanently once the production of the disturbing molecules stops or is sufficiently reduced.
Step 5: treat the remaining odour nuisance
After an incident, odour can linger in porous materials or in a part of the building. A structural solution may also be delayed by external parties.
In that case, professional odour control can temporarily help improve the experience of an operational space. Depending on the formula used, this may be masking or documented malodour counteraction.
Step 6: evaluate again
If the perfume intensity has to keep increasing to hide the same problem, that is a signal that the source needs to be investigated again.