What is Ozone and How Can it Help?

What fire does not destroy it often ruins with a smell that permeates everything.   After all visible particulates have been removed, ozone can be a great help.

What is Ozone?

Ozone is a colorless unstable toxic gas that chemically reacts with particles that it comes into contact with in the air and on surfaces.

How Does it Work?

Ozone works by attach itself to other molecules, chemically changing their structure to create non-offensive molecules, therefore eliminating the smell. It destroys the bacteria and spores that cause unpleasant smells. The ozone molecules attach to the outer shell of the cells of bacteria and spores, causing it to breakdown and die.

When using an ozone machine to remove repugnant odors, the stronger the odor – with more odor causing molecules- requires more ozone to remove the smell. There needs to be enough ozone to react with all of the odor-causing molecules it encounters. This will require either a longer ozone treatment, or higher concentrations of ozone (a larger ozone generator).

Ozone works so well because, as a gas, it can get where other cleaning products can’t. This can include air, walls, ductwork, ceilings, carpet fibers, the gaps between floor boards, and any other small space you can think of.

Is There a Downside?

Ozone use is strictly regulated.  Low levels of ozone can be found in air purifiers and is not harmful.  But when you have a smoke filled home, the amount of ozone needed to do the job has to be monitored by a professional to avoid damage to human and animal respiratory systems.

This is where the professionals at Fire Damage Recovery comes in.  In our San Leandro facility we can clean and ozone treat all your belongs.  We have portable ozone machines we can bring into your home after we have hand wiped all visible signs of soot and smoke.  If you need our services,  give the experts at Water Damage Recovery a call at 510-351-7510 to set up an appointment today.