Deodorizer is a substance or device that eliminates or reduces disagreeable odors. Such odors are sometimes called malodors.
Most deodorizers are masking deodorizers, which emit fragrances to cover malodors. Masking deodorizers include incense, scented candles, fragrant sprays, and fragrant gels. Deodorizers called disinfectants are applied to surfaces on which bacteria that cause malodors live. The disinfectants eliminate odor by killing the bacteria. Many disinfectants also contain a fragrance. Chemical deodorizers, such as the chemical compounds potassium permanganate and hydrogen peroxide, eliminate malodors by means of oxidation. In this process, oxygen from the compounds eliminates the odors by combining with chemicals that cause the odors.
To eliminate malodors in large buildings, mechanical deodorizers are typically used. Most mechanical deodorizers are air cleaners. These devices remove from the air impurities that cause malodors. The air is drawn through the devices by means of fans. In air cleaners called electrostatic precipitators, wires in the device give a positive electric charge to airborne particles that cause malodors. The positively charged particles are then captured on negatively charged metal plates in the device. Other air cleaners use a scrubbing process. In one form of scrubbing, air that contains malodorous particles is forced through water or some other liquid. The particles dissolve in the liquid and so are removed from the air. See Air cleaner.
