Cleaning smoke odor and Ozone

[Dave Swartz]

At 11:27 AM 6/19/97 -0600, you wrote:
>Look for an "ozone room" in your area.  Companies that do fire damage
furniture insurance claims are likely candidates to have one.  In my area,
you can stick a piano in one of these places overnight for about $30.
>
>The room is flooded with ozone - which does a pretty good job of
neutralizing all but the most stuborn smoke odors
>
>John McKone, RPT
>St. Louis Park, Minnesota
>(612) 280-8375
>-----------------------------------------------Danny Moore wrote:
>
>OK Rob, I've got one for you and anyone else who will offer some
>insight!
>
>I've just looked at (actually, smelled) a Kimball console, about 25
>years old.  It's in excellent physical condition.  Unfortunately, we
>moved it from "mom's house" to "daughter's house" - daughter does NOT
>smoke, mom and dad smoked heavily, so the piano now smells like the
>proverbial broken stove.  Daughter says that one night in her house and
>the smell is already making her sick - it's really odiferous.
>
>Apart from trailering through the local coin op car wash, what can be
>done to remove the smoke odor?  I'm afraid this is far beyond the normal
>wipe-down with lemon oil and vacuum out the insides . . .
>
>Thanks,
>
>Danny Moore
>Houston Chapter
>

John, Bob and other interested list lurkers,

The ozone machine is not the logical choice...as a stand alone fix it. Allow
me to explain.  Ozone is ineffective in the removal of smoke odors resulting
from synthetic substances like plastic, synthetic texiles, etc.  Ozone has
been proven less effective in the removal of smoke odors resulting from
protein odors becaause ozone is a poor penetrator.  Ozone is effective on
the exposed portions of odor bearing surfaces but fails to penetrate into
the greasy residue which normally accompanies cigarette smoke.

Cigarette smoke essentially is a  complex combination of malodors.
Synthetic, natural, protein odors consist in the particles.  To make an
assumption that one can put a piano in an ozone chamber for say 30 hours for
complete odor removal is unwarrented.  The piano should be cleaned,
detoxified, odors counteracted with professional treatment.  Because of the
short half-life of Ozone (15-45 minutes) it may provide a false sense of
security.  Ozone is an olfactory desensitizer, having a pungent odor.  When
sniff-testing your nose may be fooled into believing the odor has completely
off-gassed.

Ozone should not be utilized to deodorize damp or moist clothing, felt,
cloth, etc....many felts exist in a piano, and don't forget the humidity
factor...here's why:  O3 + H2O= H202 (ozone + Water=Hydrogen Peroxide).
BTW, Ozone destroys rubber and latex...I"ve even seen some glues hydrolize
as a result of the Ozone.  

I hope this enlightens and is useful.

Dave Swartz, RPT
dms2000@pioneerplanet.infi.net
Majestic Piano
Smoke damage restoration for pianos & organs
website:  http://www.majesticpiano.com
>