Hi all,
I recently bought a used car. The car dealership made the unfortunate decision to disguise some organic smell (dog presumably) with lots and lots of perfume/air "freshener." I took the car to a detailing place, and they cleaned the fabric of the interior and then ozone-treated the car overnight. When I got the car back, the animal smell was gone, but the perfume was still there and very noticeable. I called the detailing place, and they said, "No problem, bring it back, we'll ozone it over the weekend."
When I got the car back this time, there was a very strong biting chemical odor in the car, and the steering wheel was strangely sticky. I read online that ozone can oxidize surfaces like plastic and rubber, so that's what must have been going on. I let the car air out for a few hours, and when I got back in, the smell was still pretty strong. I got worried and stopped by the detailing place. The owner sniffed the car and said, "No problem, that's what the ozone treatment smells like. Will go away." It's been three days and a night of frequent airing, and the smell is still noticeable. It's faint, but it's still there a little bit. I rubbed down the steering wheel with a 50% alcohol solution, and the stickiness is gone.
Questions:
1. Has anyone else had or done ozone treatments this intense? What were your experiences with the treatment smell? Many sources say the smell should be gone after a few hours. Others say a few days.
2. Since ozone is so unstable, what I am smelling must be the product of the oxidization, correct? Are there any known health risks associated with oxidized plastic/rubber surfaces? It sure doesn't sound very healthy.
3. Is there anything other than airing the car a lot that I can do to get rid of the smell?
Thanks so much!
I recently bought a used car. The car dealership made the unfortunate decision to disguise some organic smell (dog presumably) with lots and lots of perfume/air "freshener." I took the car to a detailing place, and they cleaned the fabric of the interior and then ozone-treated the car overnight. When I got the car back, the animal smell was gone, but the perfume was still there and very noticeable. I called the detailing place, and they said, "No problem, bring it back, we'll ozone it over the weekend."
When I got the car back this time, there was a very strong biting chemical odor in the car, and the steering wheel was strangely sticky. I read online that ozone can oxidize surfaces like plastic and rubber, so that's what must have been going on. I let the car air out for a few hours, and when I got back in, the smell was still pretty strong. I got worried and stopped by the detailing place. The owner sniffed the car and said, "No problem, that's what the ozone treatment smells like. Will go away." It's been three days and a night of frequent airing, and the smell is still noticeable. It's faint, but it's still there a little bit. I rubbed down the steering wheel with a 50% alcohol solution, and the stickiness is gone.
Questions:
1. Has anyone else had or done ozone treatments this intense? What were your experiences with the treatment smell? Many sources say the smell should be gone after a few hours. Others say a few days.
2. Since ozone is so unstable, what I am smelling must be the product of the oxidization, correct? Are there any known health risks associated with oxidized plastic/rubber surfaces? It sure doesn't sound very healthy.
3. Is there anything other than airing the car a lot that I can do to get rid of the smell?
Thanks so much!
