Ozone gas, when appropriately used, is the most efficient and most inexpensive way to remove the highly negative effects of second-hand smoke. Companies like ServePro and many other disaster repair contractors have been using ozone for many years to remediate smoke damage. But they are professionals, and they charge a lot of money. You can run an ozone shock treatment yourself if you know what you’re doing. Unfortunately. You’re not going to get that information from the manual of an ozone generator.
Secondhand smoke penetrates surfaces and becomes embedded in the substrate. Removing it isn’t as easy as running an ozone generator. And something you won’t hear from other sellers of ozone generators. Ozone will create tons of tiny particles (from the broken-down second-hand smoke) after a shock treatment that can harm your lungs even after the ozone is gone. This is one of the main reasons (IMO) California outlawed ozone generators and insists this type of remediation be left to the experts. It’s hard to argue with that position once you know all the facts.
For this reason. We don’t tell people that getting rid of secondhand smoke is as easy as running an ozone generator. It requires x, y, and z as well as training. And we only give that information to our customers.
After you buy an ozone generator, especially in California. Give us a call for a free 30-minute consultation to learn what you need to do in order to remediate smoke damage the right way.
Disclaimer: In the USA, the FDA has not approved ozone for medical use in the USA. If you have any questions about using ozone, please talk to your doctor or health professional. Ozone is not for breathing! Breathing high concentrations of ozone can harm your lungs (see EPA warning on ozone air purifiers) We do not sell ozone air purifiers. We only sell commercial ozone shock treatment machines for sanitizing unoccupied spaces, never for breathing or as air purifiers. Use only in empty spaces! Please use as directed for air shock treatments, and only if you feel you can competently follow the instructions.
Removing smoke from walls with “washable paint” – or ordinary paint if you intend to repaint – is easy with a spray nozzle fitted to a hydrogen peroxide bottle (most standard sprayers fit hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, soda pop and other standard bottles though you may have to shorten the siphon tube a bit or wind it around the bottom, making sure the opening isn’t wedged closed against the side or bottom) and a microfiber cloth or long handled microfiber mop. You’ll see the wet smoke begin to run down the wall so you want to catch the drips before they get to the baseboards or floor.
Never tried that. Thanks for sharing.
The yellow sticky film on the walls is mostly tar. Second hand smoke has over 100 chemical compounds. Ozone breaks them down and permanently gets rid of the smoke smell imbedded in all substrates. Walls. Carpets. Wood. But yeah, you’ll also have to wipe things down. I’ve used a degreaser in the past but I’ll try your trick next time we do that type of remediation
It’s so much quicker and less labor intensive than the “elbow grease” methods. Some other must haves for remediation service are tub trugs – LOTS of tub trugs – and GSE. Give me a stack of tub trugs, microfiber towels, a few ozone generators, GSE and hydrogen peroxide and I can clean up after a disaster quicker than anybody! ROFL!
The smoke drips start to run instantly so you want to be ready for them!
Mike,
I just moved into a duplex style rental and realized the smell in the garage is carry over from the neighbor using her garage as a smoke shack. I’ve been researching options and your website popped up on a reddit thread as somewhere to buy an ozone generator that will work effectively. I’m trying to figure out what the best option will be for regular removal of smoke odor as I’m certain the neighbor is not going to alter her behavior and the garage will be a primary storage space for our family and space for the kids to use. The other options I’m considering are charcoal absorbers and an air purifier. Maybe some combination of them and ozone. Also the garage has a natural gas burning water heater. Would using an ozone generator present a safety risk in that regard? Thanks
Get the repeat cycle timer option with our large room ozone generator and run it for 10 seconds ever 2 or 3 minutes 24/7. When they’re smoking. You can increase the run time a few seconds. That will make the ozone concentration around 1.5 ppm. A little higher than you want if you’re going to hang out for more than 8 hrs a day. But not enough to bother your lungs if you only spend a small time (or hardly any time) in that space. And that amount will keep the dangerous second hand smoke from coating your furniture with a harmful film of second hand smoke chemicals that will off-gas and impact your health negatively.