Ozone has been used successfully for years by restoration professionals and homeowners alike to kill mold and get rid of musty smells. How does it work, how is it done, and should you try to do it yourself?

The first thing you should do is buy yourself a toxic mold test kit (around $10) and test to see if your mold issue is of the toxic variety. My opinion is that toxic mold issues should be adjudicated by professionals. Toxic mold is no joke. It can kill you. Why risk it? If you suspect you have a toxic mold issue, you should 1) Call your insurance company. 2) Have a professional test to determine the type of mold (toxic mold mostly grows on wood, sheetrock, etc., not cement or tile). 3) If you have toxic mold, call an attorney. Get the money you need to fix the problem.

Can you kill toxic mold with ozone? Sure, if you first remove the moisture source (a leaky pipe, etc.) but at the end of the day, you still have the toxic mold that needs to be physically removed. Special air cleaners need to be employed; the area has to be sealed to prevent the toxic mold from spreading, HAZMAT suits need to be worn, then afterward ozone is used to kill any stray mold spores in the are or on surfaces.  There is A LOT more to the process than merely running an ozone generator for a few hours.  I wish it were just as simple as buying one of our ozone generators and VIOLA!, no more mold issues, but frankly it’s not!  Now I know this article will cause some people to forego buying our ozone generator to deal with their mold issue, but when it comes to something as serious as toxic mold and one’s health, I err on the side of health over self-interest.  Please don’t believe the simplified hype and consult with professionals and do some research before trying to do it yourself!  

That being said, the proper use of an ozone generator to perform an ozone shock treatment in an unoccupied space is very beneficial to anyone with a mold problem.  How can ozone generators help with mold issues?  One hour daily ozone shock treatments to sterilize the air and surfaces and deal with the airborne mold spores does help. When done right, an ozone shock treatment will disinfect your area and rid it not only of mold spores but dust mites and dust mite droppings (major indoor air allergen).  What is needed? You need 1000 mg/h of ozone per 100 square feet. And you will also need to employ box fans to churn the air to perform a proper ozone shock treatment. Or better yet, consider our “whole home” commercial ozone generator kits.  They shoot 2400 cubic feet a minute (CFM) of ozone straight up into the air return so that your HVAC system can distribute 30, 40 or 50,000 milligrams of ozone throughout your home to do a “one-shot” ozone shock treatment. (yields best results – what the pro’s do). 

Besides doing an ozone shock treatment, you should also run your HVAC system in the “ON” position 24/7 so that all of the air in your dwelling will get sucked through the furnace filter at least three times an hour.  The fans in modern HVAC systems are very efficient, under 150 watts ($8 a month power usage)  You should also consider investing in an induct UVC system with a 16″ lamp.  They cost under $70 on eBay.   They will kill the mold spores that make it past the  MERV 11 filters you will BUY FROM EBAY and change every month. (About $5 a filter vs. $20 at the hardware store).  Before I got into ozone, I was in the IAQ industry testing the air and installing air purification systems.  I’m sharing the most effective, least expensive way to clean your air.  Don’t waste your money on an air purifier. They are not useful because they can’t filter enough air fast enough to make a difference. Total waste of money, especially tabletop air purifiers vs. a $5 MERV 11 filter, a $70 induct UV system, and ozone shock treatments to sterilize everything.

Conclusion:  Use common sense when dealing with your health.  Don’t waste $1000’s of dollars thinking you need to spend a lot of money to fix a problem. Sometimes simple solutions, keeping it simple is the best solution.