Even if you clean and air out your home regularly, it can start to smell bad. Here is a list of common and persistent odors – and tips on how to get rid of them.
Read more about Ozoneair and find the model that suits you here
A home is full of smells, pleasant and less pleasant. Some bad odors can be difficult to get rid of, no matter how much you clean, scrub, and air out. It can also be a challenge to trace the odors and know for sure what they are due to.
Regardless of the odor, you can remove it with Ozoneair – a unique Swedish product that converts atmospheric oxygen into ozone gas.
– Ozone attacks and eliminates odors, mold spores, allergens, bacteria, and other harmful microorganisms. It penetrates nooks and crannies and even superficially into materials, thus providing incredibly effective odor remediation, says Johan Lundberg, founder of Ozoneair, a technology company in Luleå.
Here are 5 common odors that can be difficult to remove with traditional cleaning agents:
Moldy smell
Mold usually has a musty, pungent, and acrid smell. Approximately one in five Swedes has dampness and mold in their home, according to a report from the Public Health Agency. "Dampness and mold" in this context refers to mold odor, visible moisture damage (such as stains), or visible mold growth.
With Ozoneair, you can get rid of the odors:
– Ozone removes the moldy smell. The gas breaks down the cell walls of mold spores and renders them harmless. Ozone kills mold spores in the air and also mold spores superficially in materials. Our advice to families who suspect mold is to first investigate whether the space is affected by mold. You may then need to address the cause, for example with a dehumidifier. But even if you have done that, mold smell usually remains – an odor that Ozoneair effectively removes
Musty smell
Musty smell is common in houses and doesn't necessarily indicate moisture damage or mold.
Holiday homes that stand empty, boarded up, and perhaps cooled down for periods tend to start smelling musty. Lack of ventilation, increased humidity, and accumulation of dust and bacteria are common causes.
Older materials in a house, such as old wall panels and cork carpets, can also cause a musty smell. In linoleum carpets, moisture can penetrate and the linseed oil can turn rancid, which smells bad. Moisture-damaged carpet adhesive can also smell musty.
The smell can come from underneath if the house has a crawl space or a stone foundation, in which case an earthy musty smell can spread throughout the house.
Pungent odor
A pungent odor can come from mold, but it can also have other causes. Impregnation in the house's construction (especially from the 1960s and 1970s) smells a bit like mold, but more acrid. There can also be a chemical odor in the home. Urine can be another reason for a pungent odor that is difficult to clean and air away.
Animal odor
Cat litter boxes, damp and dirty fur, sweat excreted through dog paws. Animal odors are often strong and settle into walls, carpets, textiles, and furnishings. No matter how much you clean and air out, you can't get rid of all the smells.
Smoke odor
Even if it's been a long time since someone smoked indoors, a stench of tobacco can linger. The smell adheres to walls, floors, and furnishings and usually cannot be cleaned away with traditional cleaning agents.
Ozoneair works effectively against all these odors, confirms Johan Lundberg.
– We have over 37,000 satisfied customers in Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia. The Ozoneair machine is very easy to use. It is fully automatic; you just need to plug it into a power outlet and enter the size of the room, then it works for a few hours. Afterwards, the bad odors are gone and have been replaced by a fresh and clean scent.
Fact: How ozone works
- Ozone is a reactive gas, also known as active oxygen, with a molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms. Ozone attacks and neutralizes the molecules that cause odors, and the odors disappear.
- Ozone technology has long been used to purify water and to kill bacteria and viruses in textiles in healthcare. Since the 1970s, remediation companies have used ozone to sanitize homes and premises from fire, tobacco smoke, mold, and other odors.
- With the Swedish innovation Ozoneair, private individuals can sanitize their homes with ozone without any prior knowledge.
Guide: Sanitize with ozone – step by step
- Move flowers and other plants out of the room to be sanitized. Open doors to cupboards where you store clothes, textiles, and anything else you want to freshen up – the ozone also purifies materials. Close windows and doors.
- Connect Ozoneair to a standard electrical outlet and set the room's area using a dial. Then press the start button.
- The machine is fully automatic. While it is working – usually 2-6 hours – you should not be in the room. Pets are also not allowed in the room as inhaling ozone is harmful.
- Two hours after the treatment is complete, you can re-enter the room. By then, all ozone molecules will have broken down into ordinary oxygen. Ventilate; there might be a slight smell from the ozone treatment itself afterwards, but it will dissipate with ventilation.
- Repeat the same procedure in the next room. Sometimes it may be necessary to repeat the treatment a few times.
