Cornell business offers solution to everyday odors
By Julia Wolf
Sandy Kerschner started kicking around the idea of starting a small business about 20 years ago. After experimenting with multiple ideas, some more successful than others, R86 Industrial Odor Eliminator was born.
“I think it kind of runs in both sides of my parents’ family,” said Kerschner, “in terms of just an entrepreneurial spirit.”
She has kept it in the family, too. Kerschner and her mother, Joanne Van Den Heuvel, are co-owners of the Cornell-based company.
R86 Industrial Odor Eliminator can be mixed with water and used as a spray, or dry. Kerschner says the product is designed for both soft and hard surfaces. She says the versatility is what makes the product unique.
The label includes a listing of the uses for the product, which includes uses in washing machines and carpet shampooers, on urine or vomit, in litter boxes and trash cans, in living areas and in drains.
“It is meant to be a gentle product, but what it’s used for, is not for the gentle stuff,” said Kerschner.
Kerschner says the product came about after she met a man from Illinois, whose family has an herbal farm. The man also has a long history in biology and chemistry, so he understands the product’s properties.
“He’s actually the one who developed the product,” said Kerschner.
When Kerschner met him, she says she was looking for a good, solid product to work with. They ended up talking about what would later be labeled as R86 Industrial Odor Eliminator and Kerschner gave it a try herself.
“After speaking with him, he decided to give me exclusive rights to the formula, and would allow me to just brand it and market it any way I wanted to,” said Kerschner.
The guy continues to manufacture the product, putting the bottles and caps together.
“From that point, we just started labeling it and went to the obvious place, which was Amazon,” said Kerschner.
She says technology has made it an easier business, as the internet provides the bulk of their sales, but says the product living up to claims, is what keeps the odor eliminator selling.
They first listed the product online in 2015, and it has accumulated credibility through reviews and word of mouth. R86 Industrial Odor Eliminator is listed under the pet section, as it can also be used in pet baths to help eliminate skunk odor and as a spray on any surfaces the pet rubbed against while smelly.
“In 2019, that’s when it really started to take off,” said Kerschner, though things slowed in 2020, when essential items were given priority.
The odor eliminator is made with salt and plant-based essential oils, and is non-toxic and biodegradable.
“That’s all it is,” said Kerschner.
Kerschner says the essential oils in the product are actually food grade, the same as what are used in toothpaste, candies or pastries. That way, if someone accidently were to ingest a small amount of it, it would not hurt them.
“If an animal were even interested in licking it, the salt would actually cause them to vomit before any harm was done,” said Kerschner.
Recently, R86 was listed on menards.com. Kerschner says their goal is to expand to brick and mortar stores, over the next year or two.
“That’s another lengthy process, to break into retail and get credibility that way,” said Kerschner.
More information on R86 Industrial Odor Eliminator is available at r86odor.com.
