One of the most efficient ways to remove odors is an ozone generator.
Ozone generators can remove curry and skunk smells, and ozone generators can even remove smoke odor. Ozone generators are so effective that they can kill mold and viruses. The impact of ozone on mycotoxins is the absolute destruction of the organism.
The problem with ozone generators is that they cannot be used in a space occupied by living things like people, pets, or plants. They can be dangerous when not used properly, so we created a guide to navigating home ozone treatment safely.
Ozone generators should never be used in an occupied space because they produce a concentration higher than what is safe for humans to be exposed to.
Since ozone gas is very reactive to organic material, living things are in danger. It can cause a few breathing problems and is quite detrimental to people who have lung diseases.
Those that have asthma or mesothelioma can have worsening reactions to ozone. It can mess with our cells and cause inflammation and sinus problems if you breathe it in.
But here's the truth. You'll leave quickly if you walk into a room with high ozone levels. It's a strong respiratory irritant. You'll be in search of the quickest exit possible.
What is Ozone?
Ozone is the gas created whenever an oxygen molecule gains a third oxygen atom. Normal oxygen molecules have two oxygen atoms, but an ozone gas molecule has an additional one.
Ozone generators attach the third oxygen atom to create the gas before pushing it back into the air or water. Whenever this happens, it is heavier than normal oxygen so it will sink toward lower levels.
The thing that makes ozone dangerous is its reactivity. Since it is highly reactive, it gets into other molecules and disrupts them. That’s why it is harmful to humans, animals, and plants.
Organic material, like cells, will take this ozone gas in and mess with its molecules. This leads to inflamed lungs, sinus problems, and sometimes rashes.
However, since that is true, it is also true for microbes like bacteria, viruses, and even mold. The ozone will get into those cells' deep inner workings and break them down. It will change them into something else and slowly neutralize those odor-causing bacteria.
Running an ozone generator for a few hours will kill them and remove the odors altogether.
One of the better notes about ozone is that it doesn’t stay like that when it’s not in the atmosphere. Those three molecules will separate from their gained atom, becoming regular, breathable oxygen again.
After you turn off an ozone generator, you only have to wait a couple of hours, and it will all turn back to normal air.
What Odors Does An Ozone Machine Remove?
Body Odor
Everyone's heard of that “locker room smell”, but it doesn't have to be that way.
Even if we bathe our bodies and wash our clothes, our scents and oils can embed themselves in other places. Common areas where this happens are the living room, bedroom, and anywhere you may workout. Even when you wash your sheets every week or two and clean the space, that body odor somehow persists.
Something like Febreeze or Fresh Wave is a good thing to use on fabrics before you go with an ozone generator. Spraying or washing these things will assist in removing the odor-causing bacteria first.
Cigarette & Marijuana Smoke
Let’s face it: tobacco stinks. Marijuana stinks, too. A lot of people call it skunk grass for a reason, but tobacco isn’t any better. Cigarette smoke stains and leaves unattractive discolorations in places. It stains ceilings, furniture, clothes, and even your body. That smoke smell will stick around for a long time unless you really try to remove it.
The first thing one should do with dealing with smoke is to remove the source altogether.
Removing the smell of tobacco and cigarette smoke will help people stop, as well. The smell causes cravings to arise again, so using an ozone generator will assist with removing it all. It will get into the chemicals in clothes and furniture and neutralize these harmful molecules.
You should run an ozone generator no more than 1.5 hours at a time and do so only when the room is free of people, animals, and plants. Valuable electronics, leather items, etc should be removed also.
Keep repeating the process of filling the space and letting it return to normal, check smells and repeat until the odors are gone.
Curry Odor
As delicious as curry can be, it can leave behind a strong smell if it's cooked very often. This can pose an issue for those who rent residential spaces, but is easily dealt with using an ozone generator after the space has been cleaned.
The ozone treatment should be run in 1.5 hour bursts and repeated multiple times until the odor is gone.
When it's finished, your kitchen will smell as if you’ve never cooked in it. That curry smell, possibly seafood and more, will be gone. It will be gone from your curtains and cabinets, as well as your table and chairs.
Again, it may take several cycles to completely eradicate the odors.
Skunk Spray
There’s one animal that causes an odor more rancid than any other: the skunk.
Skunks will lift their tail and spray you or your pets with a disgusting, horrible-smelling liquid. It’s extremely difficult to get out, especially with materials that are absorbent.
If you’re looking to get rid of those gross smells, a thorough washing should be done first. This will get any of the excess liquids off the material.
Hanging your clothes up for about an hour in a closet with an ozone generator like this one from Amazon would be best; it shouldn't take more than one treatment for clothing. If you regularly have to deodorize clothing (such as for hunting), a portable closet unit like this may be more convenient. The ozone will neutralize the scent particles and eradicate the smell.
While the ozone generator works great on clothing, it doesn't work so well on pets and people. To get the odor off of your pets, grab some Skunk-Off.
Pet Odors
While no one really enjoys that “wet dog smell”, it’s possible that our four-legged friends can stink up the house. Even if you bathe them pretty often, you will know when someone has a pet in the house.
Some pets can have accidents and get some waste in the carpet or on the floor, leading to more unappealing scents. These will happen sometimes, so you have to be prepared.
On the other hand, you might be coming into a home that has had pets before. If this is the case, the scent might still linger and you will have to get it as clean as you can.
Thankfully, an ozone generator will also kill any odor-causing bacteria when used properly.
Mold & Mildew
There’s no doubt that mold is dangerous to humans. Ozone generators are used in the removal process, so using one in your home is appropriate.
You must fix the water damage or whatever caused the mold to grow.
Ozone can not clean the mold mess or a mess from water infiltration. That's your job. Ozone removes the odors and kills mold spores in the air, preventing its spread.
Gasoline
Warning: Some manufacturers suggest that you can use an ozone generator to clear the smell of gasoline. Do not do this. Period. End of story.
The reason that you don't want to do this is because the ozone generator produces sparks as it's producing ozone and the gasoline fumes are much more flammable than the liquid form of gasoline.
What you can do is use an ozone generator to clear lingering smells out of your garage, but you MUST remove fuels like gasoline, kerosene, etc from the garage and let the space completely air out before doing this. There should be no spilled fuel, containers of fuel, etc anywhere near an ozone generator because the sparks from within the machine could ignite the fuel.
The company that we mentioned above is a commercial company that uses high end commercial units that are built for this purpose. An average person shouldn't be doing this in their household garage.
Car Odors
While our homes may be the prime area for odors to grow, there are other areas where it can be just as bad. While we don’t spend as much time in our cars as we do our homes, a vehicle can get pretty bad. Fortunately, you can use your ozone generator in your vehicle as well!
Whether it’s a car or truck, you don’t have to drive around with a smelly car. Keep in mind that an appraisal can lower your vehicle’s worth as well if there are bad odors in your car.
It’s relatively easy to use an ozone generator in your car.
Conclusion
An ozone generator is capable of removing almost any odor you can think of and as long as you use the machine properly, there's little to no risk of harm.
