Ozone generators make ozone, a reactive form of oxygen that breaks down some odor molecules. Some odor providers use high concentrations as a shock treatment in an empty space. Ozone is also a lung irritant: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has long cautioned that ozone generators marketed as air cleaners do not effectively clean indoor air at levels safe for people, and that higher levels can harm health.
For a single-family house that is empty, properly sealed and ventilated afterward, some professionals still use ozone carefully. A Cherry Creek condo is different. Units share walls, plumbing chases, corridors and sometimes ventilation, and an ozone treatment that is safe inside your unit is not automatically safe for the people next door.
Most important, ozone does not lift the tar and nicotine film from surfaces. At best it reduces the odor coming off the film for a while. If the residue stays, the smell usually comes back.
What ozone can damage
- Rubber and elastomers
- Window and door gaskets, appliance seals, some plumbing washers and elastic in fabrics can crack or harden with heavy exposure
- Fabrics and dyes
- Some dyes in upholstery, rugs and artwork can fade
- Electronics
- Rubber and plastic parts may degrade with repeated high exposure
- Neighbors
- Ozone can travel through gaps around pipes, outlets and doors into adjacent units and halls
- The residue
- Untouched; ozone does not clean surfaces
If ozone comes up in a proposal
- IfThe proposal relies on ozone instead of surface cleaningThenAsk for a scope that cleans ceilings, walls, ducts and soft goods first; any airborne step should be secondary.
- IfThe unit is in a multi-unit buildingThenCheck your HOA's rules and tell building management before any airborne treatment; many associations restrict work that can affect neighbors.
- IfYou have valuable art, rugs or vintage furniture in the unitThenHave them removed or protected before any airborne treatment, whatever the chemistry.
- IfSomeone in the household has asthma or another lung conditionThenAsk about re-entry timing and ventilation in writing, and consider alternatives.
- IfThe provider cannot explain how long the unit must stay empty and how it will be aired outThenTreat that as a reason to keep looking.
Questions to put in writing
- What airborne treatment do you plan to use, at what point, and why that one?
- How will you keep it from reaching hallways and neighboring units?
- How long must the unit stay empty, and how will it be ventilated before re-entry?
- What should be removed or covered beforehand?
- What surface cleaning happens before any airborne step?
Common questions
Is hydroxyl treatment the same as ozone?
No. Hydroxyl generators use a different process and are often described as gentler and usable in occupied spaces, though they usually work more slowly. Like ozone, they do not substitute for cleaning the residue off surfaces.
General information for Cherry Creek, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.