Have you ever heard the term porta-potty blue used to describe the color of someone’s eyes or a body of water? Maybe you’ve listened to friends lamenting over the blue liquid splashing their bum while using a portable restroom. Across social media and the web users joke about the familiar blue water in a portable toilet. As a PRO, you’ve undoubtedly had a customer ask, “Why is the waste tank water blue?” Let’s dive into the science behind odors, deodorizers, and how it all works.
The amount and intensity of the odors stem from the mixture of the waste matter and the number of particles. According to Compound Interest, solid waste is 75% water and 25% solids. Depending on what users consume, fatty acids, sulfur-containing, and nitrogen-containing compounds make up waste. All these delightful combinations of molecules create smells that PROs want to avoid.
Once this waste enters the holding tank, bacteria multiply. The increasing number of molecules adds to the disagreeable odor. If left to its own devices (no deodorizer) the smell can become unbearable.
Let’s cut to the nitty-gritty. When you purchase a deodorizer, whether it’s liquid, packs, pucks or tabs, it contains similar types of ingredients. Biocides, dye, fragrance, and surfactants are common in deodorizers.
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Experts in the portable sanitation supply industry update their products to fit their customers’ needs. We’ve seen a shift from using the OSHA-regulated formaldehyde to using biodegradable and environmentally friendly deodorizers.
Ingredients may include beneficial enzymes that eat away at solids, along with microbes and biological additives. These products are widely-accepted at waste treatment plants and give a portable restroom company the opportunity to promote their small environmental footprint as a selling point.
The deodorizer, while the butt of many jokes, is a familiar shade of blue that customers associate with portable restroom units. However, it’s more than a dye and fancy fragrance. Inside your waste tank, both at the surface and deep down, the deodorizer keeps your unit smelling fresh. The next time a customer asks why the water is blue, tell them it’s the formula that keeps their unit clean, sanitary, and odor-free day after day.
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