How Does Ozone Kill Mold

Ozone Generators & Mold

The easiest way to use ozone to minimize mould growth in your home is by using an ozone generator.

You can find ozone generators for homes that are made to be smaller than the commercial-grade ones that are used in larger establishments.

There are a couple of different kinds of ozone generators that you can choose from. There are ones that only produce ozone and there are others that feature ozone features with HEPA filters.

The ozone generators with HEPA filters can be effective for reducing mould spores as well as other pollutant particles in the air.

They include pet dander, allergens, smoke, and dust particles.

There are air purifiers, such as the Winix 5500-2 that come with PlasmaWave technology that can break down mould spores without releasing potentially harmful ozone.

They also feature true HEPA filters for removing other pollutants from being airborne in your home.

You can also find ozone generators that feature UV lights.

The UV lights can be a great way to get rid of more viruses and bacteria in the air that may have been caused by the build-up of mold spores.

You should be aware that ozone emitted from generators are only able to target mould that has accumulated on the surface.

If mould has grown inside your walls, ozone wont be able to get through and have any kind of effect.

Furthermore, before you start using an ozone generator, we recommend that you deal with any moisture build-up in your home.

Do Ozone Generators Remove Cigarette Smoke Odor

Yes. Ozone will oxidize the over 4000 chemicals that make up cigarette smoke and eliminate the lingering smell.

Cigarette and cigar odors tend to travel to every nook and cranny they can find.And because of the tar residue that that is part of tobacco smoke, it adheres to everything, especially carpets, drapes, and furniture.

Thats why cigarette and smoke odors seem so hard to get rid of and keep lingering on for years.

Ozone will travel in a similar path as cigarette smoke and break down the the molecules that are causing the odor, even the molecules that have glued their self to your furniture.

Automobiles that have been used by smokers that smoked inside their vehicles can have a very persistent third hand smoke presence.

Detailers use ozone to return a vehicle back to a new car smell that people love.

What Is Ozone Generator

An ozone generator is a device that creates ozone. Ozone is a gas molecule made up of three oxygen atoms. Ozone is unstable and highly reactive. It is a powerful oxidizing agent that can quickly break down organic matter. There are some air purifiers that use ozone to improve indoor air quality.

Related Article:Does Vinegar Purify the Air?

Also Check: How Does An Injection Molding Machine Work

How Boieozone Generators Are Superior

BoiE is an EPA-registered, American company that builds rugged, high-power ozone generators using the latestozone technologies and high-quality, energy-efficient components that last. We design machines for both home andcommercial use. BoiE high output ozone generators remove strong odors and sterilize bacteria, viruses and moldspores in minutes. Our portable ozone machines are the industry’s most powerful and durable units, generating significantlymore ozone and lasting much longer than lower-quality overseas imports. BoiE ozone generators are built tough tosurvive falls, extreme conditions and keep doing their job.Whether it is for a home, apartment, vehicle or business use, when you have serious odor problems or decontaminationneeds, you’ll want to buy a BoiE ozone generator to do the job quickly and completely. Simply put, BoiE manufacturescommercial-grade ozone generators for serious consumers who have done their homework. If you want a high-performanceozone generator directly from an American manufacturer at the best price point, buy from BoiE. We stand behindevery machine with a money-back guarantee and lifetime customer support. BoiE ozone generators will never becomeobsolete and with minimal maintenance, can last a lifetime.Review of BoiE Ozone Generators

Ozone And Mold Remediation

Using ozone for mold remediation has become popular recently. It can be used to shorten the mold removal process and save time and money.

But before you consider using ozone as part of the mold remediation process it is important for you to understand what ozone can and cannot do.

Ozone can kill black mold or other household molds on surface areas and in the air but it can not penetrate inside walls.

For this reason, it can not be used as a standalone procedure for mold remediation.

Once a home has been gutted, ozone shock treatment can be used to kill mold on those surfaces instead of costly and messy sanding or sandblasting procedures.

This can save time and money, allowing homeowners to return sooner.

Because it is a gas it has the advantage that it can be used to get into hard-to-access areas like venting.

One of the biggest problems with black mold removal is containment. Since mold is microscopic it can easily spread without being seen.

Ozone generators can be set up to shock treat a home after mold removal and prevent this spread and assure that there is no mold escaping to other parts of the home.

Don’t Miss: How To Remove Mold From Wood Deck

Warnings About Relying On Ozone

Ozone Generators are another futile attempt to “kill” mold instead of cleaning it up. This “magic bullet”approach does not work and can destroy some building materials as well as the health of building occupants.

Because of the trouble and cost of performing an effective mold cleanup in buildings, some vendors offer what sounds like an attractive alternative, offering to “kill all building mold” using ozone.

One Midwest company offers to tent the building and follow a mold extermination procedure.

It would be silly to leave Aspergillus sp., a problematic and easily-airborne mold, in place on this subfloor, trying to “kill it” with a sterilizing gas or spray.

Killing mold is not the same as “removing” problem mold:

As with the “bleach” and other “kill the mold” approaches we described above, this process fails to remove the problem reservoir from the building, leaving toxic or allergenic particles, even if they are no longer viable.

Trying to kill mold with ozone risks oxidizing other building materials:

One of our clients, in an effort to remove odor and mold problems from their building, rented a commercial ozone generator ran it aggressively in closed rooms in their home.

The ensuing odors, which we tested and traced to oxidized carpet padding, were so severe that the building was no longer habitable. Carpeting had to be removed as well as other oxidized rubber and foam products which had been “ozone treated.”

This discussion has moved to COSMETIC MOLD CLEANUP EXPENSE

Canair Purifiers Protect Against Viruses

No, and here’s why. Millions of air purifiers are sold in the U.S. each year. What air purifier manufacturerswon’t tell you is that most viruses simply pass straight through. A virus is very small .Air purifiers are limited to 0.3 microns or larger using high-quality HEPA filters, which is effective for trappinglarger particles such as dust and allergens, but too large to trap something as small as a coronavirus.Air purifiers are also passive devices that can only act on air passing through, while much of the contaminationthat causes odors or sickness is present on surfaces the air purifier can never reach. On the other hand, ozonespreads and saturates the air along with fabric and carpets, breaking down volatile organic compounds , mold,bacteria, viruses and biological contaminants.4 In the world of chemistry, ozone is a scavenger molecule,a search-and-destroy substance that removes or de-activates impurities and unwanted reaction products.A virus has no defense against ozone, which had a 99.22% kill rate during the 2003 SARS coronavirus pandemic.5Ozone has proven, wide-reaching sanitizing applications for homes and businesses. In laboratory experiments conductedby Kowalski et al, an ozone generator removed 99.99% of bacteria within 40-60 seconds of exposure to air ozonation.6For serious odor elimination and virus disinfection of a large area in a short period of time, ozone generatorsfar surpass air purifiers.

You May Like: How To Clean Mold And Mildew From Boat Cover

Ozoning A House Dos And Donts

Ozoning a house can produce good results when used properly. And produce some not so desirable effects when not properly employed.How to use an ozone generator at home.

Getting the best results out of a ozone generator.

Ozone Can Be Hazardous Inside Your Home Or Office

First, ozone is very good at killing mold spores, which is what they advertise. However, on the hierarchy of services that are needed for mold remediation, killing mold spores is at the bottom or not even on the list at all.

Using ozone in such a highly concentrated manner inside a property comes with side effects. Inhaling ozone is extremely bad for your health and can cause permanent respiratory problems. The American Lung Association says that breathing in ozone is the equivalent of having sunburn on the inside of your lungs.

If these health risks arent bad enough, theres a laundry list of side effects to the actual home itself, including rapid deterioration of rubber and plastic. Take a second to think of everything in your home made of rubber, such as the rubber gaskets for your plumbing system. If these were rapidly deteriorated and damaged, they will begin sprouting leaks. Then, with this new water damage, you will be almost back to square one and, as a result, possibly experience more mold damage. Then, think about the plastic in your property: your electronics, your appliances, the electrical system itself. All of these electrical wires are wrapped in plastic. The deterioration of this plastic could cause a fire and has in the past. As a result of these fires, a number of lawsuits have resulted from use of highly concentrated ozone in properties.

Read Also: How To Remove Mold From Bamboo Cutting Board

What Do Ozone Generators Do

Professionals use ozone generators to kill mold, mildew, odors and bacteria. Commercial users often use the terms shock, shocking or blasting for ozone treatments. Professionals enlist them for mold remediation, renovation and restoration work.

Manufacturers sell them to consumers, calling them air cleaners, air ionizers, air purifiers, disinfectants or deodorizers. For our purposes we will be concentrating on industrial and commercial use. This use requires high concentrations of ozone, and should only be undertaken when the space is unoccupied.

It Is Impossible To Predict Exposure Levels

As the EPA points out, its becoming increasingly difficult to accurately measure the concentration of ozone created by an ozone generator. If more powerful devices are deployed in smaller areas, the concentrations will be higher. Whether or not the interior doors are closed rather than open will affect concentrations as well. Additional factors which affect concentration levels include how many materials and furnishings are in the room to react with ozone, the level of outdoor air ventilation, and the proximity of a person to the ozone generating device.

Don’t Miss: How To Clean Mold Properly

Does Ozone Kill Mold Conclusion

Ozone generators can be used for mold remediation, but they are not a standalone solution.

Ozone can kill mold on surfaces and in the air, but it cannot penetrate inside walls.

For this reason, it is important to use other mold removal techniques in addition to ozone treatment.

Home ozone generators are available and can be used to improve indoor air quality.

However, it is important to be aware of the dangers of using ozone generators and to take proper safety precautions.

But Wait Before You Start Thinking Thatozone Treatments Are A Good Idea Consider This

The amount of ozone it takes to truly killmold is so toxic it will kill you too. Therefore, you would need to stay out ofyour home for several days if not a week after treatment.

This also means that the vast majority ofozone generators available for sale or to rent to the general public are NOTpowerful enough to produce the amount of ozone needed to effectively kill mold.

In addition, ozone treatments for mold need to be done in an airtight environment. This means that your house would need to be completely sealed up. No gaps around exterior doors or windows, all attic vents sealed, cracks and crevices closed up, etc Most homeowners and remediation companies wont go through all this effort. And effort it is.

You May Like: How To Remove Mold From Headliner

Can Ionizers Kill Or Remove Mold

Ionizers work by adding an electrical charge to the particles that move through it, usually giving them a negative charge. As they float about the room, these negatively charged particles tend to stick to other positively charged particles with which they collide. These clumps of particles are heavier than the individual particles, causing them to fall out of the air onto surfaces much faster than they would in their original state. Charged particles might also stick to surfaces that have the opposite charge . Some ionizers have a charged plate specifically designed to attract opposite charged particles to it. These are known as electrostatic purifiers, although they function in the same basic way as ionizers.

When mold spores go through an ionizer, they get an electrical charge, clump together with other particles, and fall out of the air. This results in mold spores in your carpet, on the floor or on your furniture, which is exactly what you want to avoid. The ionizer does nothing to kill or destroy the mold spores, it just makes them settle out of the air faster.

Thus the answer to our question is: No, ionizers do not kill mold spores. They also will not have any effect on mold growing in your house.

Advanced Sanusaer Ozone Machines For Mold

Advanced Purification is committed to supplying high-quality ozone machines worldwide. Our ozone generators are perfect for moderate and severe mold and mildew cases, improving the indoor air quality, thus minimizing health risks. There are several advantages using our SanusAer line of high output ozone generators to destroy mold, including:

• Affordable pricing

You May Like: What Are The Signs Of Black Mold Exposure

You Can Always Run It Again And Turn It Up A Little If You Need

The problem with ozone not dissipating the way it should can linked to too much ozone being blasted for too long.

According to some experts, you can get into an arena where VOCs begin to break up and form other types of gases when exposed to heavy ozone too long.

This is not result youre after. It is much better to start small then have to deal with a problem like that.

Does Ozone Killmold

Yes, technically ozone kills mold. But thereare a LOT of limitations.

Ozone does not penetrate walls, floors, orother surfaces. While it can get into nooks and crannies, ozone can only tackleair born mold and surface mold. Ozone can only go where air can go. As I amsure you are aware, mold is never just in the air.

Ozone will not remove the mold spores it just rendered inactive nor will it kill the mold spores that are growing deep down into building materials and household items. Mold remediation including properly removing the moldy materials and items still needs to be completed.

Using ozone to kill mold does not correct the conditions that allowed the mold to grow in the first place. You have to fix the leak or address the cause of moisture intrusion before you begin dealing with the resulting mold.

In fact, using ozone to kill mold is pointless if you havent addressed the root cause and removed all the moldy building materials and household items. As soon as you disturb the mold, spores will go flying and you will recontaminate your home or the contained area.

Ozone typically isnt used before remediation. There are two exceptions however.

Don’t Miss: What Size Crown Molding For Kitchen Cabinets

How To Dose Ozone

3500 mg/hr in a medium or big room is usually enough for a shock treatment. One milligram per hour of a shock treatment, which kills and usually denatures the mold, is typically applied to 100 square feet .

You should strive for a concentration of between 6 and 10 parts per million. For most individuals, the shock lasts between one and three hours, but for those of us who are more sensitive, the shock continues until the chemical is denatured. An extremely small trailer has allowed me to go up to 500 and 700 mg/hr for 2448 hours at a time.

The Jenesco Ozone Generator with an output of 100-2100 mg is one of my favorites. Also, there are little, low-cost 5000 mg pills available on Amazon with a hold option.