One of the saddest sights a professional auto detailer can witness is the results of hapless car owners in their failed attempt to clean food spills, pet stains or vomit from the interior of their treasured mode of transportation. They spray, they rub, they scrub, and all they accomplish is to force the fluids — and accompanying odors — deeper into the upholstery and carpet.
Merely mopping up the odor source does little to make the odor go away. By the time the customer has done his or her best to clean up, the bacteria causing the odor has reproduced and has worked its way into all the porous interior components. These include the headliner, seating surfaces, dashboard and even the ductwork.
You can’t really blame these folks for trying. They aren’t professionals and they need the smell gone. Just like you don’t know how to sell insurance, run a restaurant, or whatever else it is that your customers do for a living. The point is, as a professionally trained auto detailer, you should always be the go-to guy (or gal) when it comes to odors in an automobile.
Benefits of Ozone Generators
Ozone has been found to be the second most effective way to permanently eliminate odors caused by mold, mildew, smoke, body odor and pet odors. Chlorine is the most effective way to remove odors, however, chlorine is the last thing you want to spray on any interior surface. If you have a detailing business and want to offer odor removal services an ozone generator is a must-have item!
If you don’t have a business and would rather not invest in an ozone generator, Detail King offers 1-time use Chlorine Dioxide Cups – a vapor that utilizes the power of chlorine to remove odors.
How to Use Ozone Generators in Cars
Ozone is capable of removing odors brought about by food spills, milk, vomit, blood, urine, feces, body odor, mold/mildew, cigarettes, and other foul substances containing bacteria molecules. Odor-causing bacteria reproduce like rabbits, and in just a few days after a foul spill, a car’s interior is on its way to smelling like the city dump.
However, in order to truly remove any odor, the source must be dealt with first. This involves cleaning the affected area with an enzyme-based product like our Bio-Zyme.
Bio-Zyme destroys the bacteria and when used in conjunction with a carpet extractor will enable you to thoroughly clean which will greatly reduce odors and leave only a lingering residual odor behind. After the source of the odor has been eliminated, it is time to run the ozone generator to get rid of any remaining odor. Ozone generators suck up the oxygen & convert the oxygen into ozone, which destroys the odor and then breaks back down into oxygen again, but odor-free. Here are the steps to take when operating an ozone generator:
- Turn the machine on
- Close up the doors & windows
- Let the machine run for 1-8hours (depending on the ozone generator model)
- Open up all doors and let vehicle air out
- Dispense a few ounces of interior fragrance if desired
- Voila – no more odors!
Ozone Generator FAQs
How much are ozone generators?
Detail King’s ozone generators are priced from $400-$1200 for the models used in automobiles. If you also want to remove odors from larger areas like office buildings, houses, hotels, or apartment buildings, they are in the $1200-$3000 price range.
Is ozone treatment safe for cars?
Even with an Ozone Generator, the source of the odor must be cleaned before you can fully remove the smell. Detail King’s Bio-Zyme Enzyme Automotive Interior Cleaner is a safe synergistic blend of bacterial enzymes that help break down any stain. Ozone is safe to use inside of a vehicle but it will dry the interior out so if working on an older vehicle that already has dried out vinyl/leather, it is recommended to condition the vinyl/leather prior to the ozone treatment, and then again afterward.
Will ozone get rid of the smoke smell in a car?
A professional ozone treatment or chlorine dioxide cup can eliminate most odors from vehicles.
How do you clean a car with an ozone generator?
Ozone treatment should be the last step performed after cleaning and detailing a car interior – check out our full guide to interior detailing.
How much should you charge for ozone treatment?
Detailers can easily charge upwards of $50 or more per hour just to turn on the machine and walk away. Your customers certainly won’t mind paying for a pleasant-smelling auto interior – that’s for certain!
Odor removal is a big business and a niche that can easily be cultivated with a small investment and some creative marketing. And with the bigger beasts, you might even expand your business to include apartment complexes, hotels, and other facilities where odor is an occasional problem. We’re just sayin’.
