What Are The Key Ingredients Of Toilet Odor Control Products

Portable toilets have been around since the turbulent days of World War II, and they were initially intended for the war effort. According to the Portable Sanitation Association International (PSAI), make-shift, sturdy and sanitary portable toilets became a necessity while establishing military bases and transporting personnel into areas lacking facilities.

They were large, heavy structures made out of wood or metal, and were troublesome to transport from site to site. Down through time, advances in industrial science brought about the introduction of plastics, polymers and other improvements.

One company, Surco Portable Sanitation Products, that was founded in 1946, emerged as a leading provider of superior odor-control products designed specifically for use in portable toilets.

A Little History Of Surco Portable Sanitation Products

We are a leading chemical manufacturer and have been in continuous operation within the commercial, institutional and industrial odor control industry since 1946. We are a family-run company, whose continued success lies in our superior customer service-oriented approach and keen understanding and application of the most advanced tools in the field of industrial science.

Here are 8 ways we innovated the portable toilet odor control industry!

Our clients include: portable sanitation workers, portable toilet (PT) supply companies and potential distributors who come from every corner of the world, and the quality of our state-of-the-art odor-control products far surpass standards set by others of their ilk.

Our advantage over our competitors lies mostly in our in-house 85,000-square-foot Technology Center located in suburban Pittsburgh, which is comprised of a team of experts and laboratories equipped with the very latest in gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, head space analysis, distillation, extraction and quality control technology. 

All of these tools translate into every formulation being the best of its kind that can be found anywhere.

What Exactly Is Get Flushed?

Get Flushed is the very first and only weekly podcast of its kind that is focused on the portable toilet industry as it affects purveyors, suppliers, customers and end users. Each week, a man named Pete Bean, addresses a different topic that concerns the global portable sanitation landscape. Written and produced in New Zealand, this podcast is now heard on six continents, 16 countries and throughout 26 US states.

The goal is to educate, bring people together, exchange ideas and share information about new and improved products. Sponsored by Sanitrax International, the world’s leading purveyor of modular fresh water flushing vacuum restroom systems, the podcast is open to all who are passionate about portable sanitation, a global enterprise that is now valued at over US$15 billion each year!

Get Flushed and Interview With Tonya Ray

On June 13, 2020, Pete’s guest was our very own Tonya Ray, odor-control expert and Surco account manager. Tonya’s business objective is and always has been to help portable sanitation companies increase customer satisfaction and nourish their businesses.

She stressed the fact that the focus for modern researchers developing new products has dramatically shifted over the course of at least the last 30 years from the elimination of dangerous microbes and pathogens that may thrive inside the porta-potty tank to the introduction of beneficial biological digesters, enzymes and microbes that feed upon this odor-causing bacteria.

The topic at hand was a discussion about the innovative nature of Surco and among other things, the four major elements that make our toilet odor control products the best that can be found anywhere. These include: non staining blue dye, fragrance, detergent and biocides.

In Tonya’s own words. ”I work hard to create a win-win scenario for my customers and my company. If there is a need for a product that we do not currently manufacture, I work with our chemical experts, in-house perfumer, and production specialist to come up with a new product line that fills that need..”

The four main elements in portable toilet odor-control products are as follows:

1) Non-Staining Blue Dye

Our blue liquid is designed for use in in portable toilets and is meant to keep their interiors smelling fresh and clean at all times and to hide the waste and debris that lie beneath the surface.

Blue suggests clean and sanitary more than any other color of the rainbow, and this modern, unique, non-staining blue dye ranks far above others of its ilk for a number of reasons. First of all, it does not stain.

Secondly, it contains five rather than the standard four components offered by other companies producing deodorizers, with the fifth being the odorless and colorless additive known as Metazene, which attacks malodors via a chemical reaction.

This amazing, non-formaldehyde and ultra concentrated blue bacterial inhibitor introduces beneficial enzymes and microbes that feed on odor-causing bacteria, and at the same time, provide a pleasant, overall fragrance that enhances the end user’s overall experience.

2) Fragrance

Portable toilet users have ranked odor as the most unappealing aspect associated with their use. Modern science has come to the rescue with the advent of citrus and earthy scents that are not only fresh and clean and have a universal appeal, but are also environmentally friendly.

Scent provides a pleasant experience for every user, and emulsifying agents insure that aromas can be dissolved into water to create a uniform mixture. While fragrance softly whispers, like flowers blooming, it also subliminally reinforces brand recognition and loyalty.

According to Tonya Ray, the scent of cherry is particularly favored. It counteracts septic odors best and in liquid form is much more potent than powder. Unlike many of our competitors, we never utilize inferior surplus fragrances, which has earned us a reputation for providing the highest quality scented products.

3) Detergent

The use of detergent in portable toilets helps to reduce the surface tension between human waste and chemical liquids, and prevents the waste form sticking together. Known as surficants, these compounds found in detergent chemically make molecules more slippery, and therefore less likely to stick to themselves and more likely to interact with other compounds such as oil and grease.

They also allow the detergent to better penetrate and loosen dirt. When used in tandem with fragrances and biocides, detergents help to both improve their effectiveness and speed up the job at hand, namely; the cleaning phase that must be done before sanitizing or disinfecting portable toilets.

Detergents also serve as agents that cause selected fragrances to dissolve in water, which aids the scent in becoming more uniform in nature.

4) Biocides

Biocides are chemical or biological agents that are used in a wide number of applications. They are meant for use on any surface that can harbor bacteria, and they are vital to portable toilet maintenance because they hinder the growth of malodorous, gram-positive pathogens.

This in turn helps to maintain portable toilet freshness for long periods of time. Unlike formaldehyde, modern biocides are completely safe for both humans and the environment.

In Conclusion

At the conclusion of this Get Flushed episode, Tonya Ray made a special offer to listeners, especially to those companies who have never used Surco products before — First-time visitors to our website can now receive free samples of products as well as 10% off their first order with the mention of the specific code, Get Flushed!

Give us a call and see what Surco can do for your company!

Photo Credits: Pixabay