Why Shouldn’t You Use Ozone on Cigarette Smells?
This post came to existence based on a recent experience at a national trade show that we attended, at the trade show we found little to no products that can actually remove cigarette odors and even more astounding many vendors were promoting products that we both antiquated and unsafe for the end user. Smoking has been around for thousands of years. In the last century, research has shown that the chemicals ingested by smoking cigarettes can be hugely detrimental to the smokes health but also to those exposed to the smoke and as an added layer it can also affect the third layer of those who have come into contact with the smoker as well. It is safe to assume that everyone agrees that smoking is not a healthy habit, negative health effects aside, with smoking, comes the unpleasant smell of smoke that can be corrosive to your property, belongings, and indoor environments Whether it’s smoke lingering on your clothing, furniture, or car interior, the smell of smoke can be off-putting to those who don’t smoke and can even cause them to suffer some of the same side effects as the smoker.
Several products or other remedies have been conjured in an attempt to get rid of the smell of cigarettes. One recent trend has been the use of ozone technology and the deployment of ozone in both residential and commercial environments. Simply stated, an ozone machine creates the chemical ozone (O3), which is a highly reactive chemical that tends to grab on to any other molecules nearby. It changes those molecules into other chemicals through a chemical reaction process called oxidation. When it attaches to the offending molecule, the chemical it changes into is still present, but no longer foul smelling. This process has been commonly used by professional cleaners to clean air of all kinds of odors, not just smoke.
New research from Berkeley has shown, however, that this process is not as safe as previously believed. The new chemical generated by the oxidation process of ozone cleaning can be just as bad for you as secondhand smoke (if not worse) and can be especially problematic for those who suffer from asthma. With this new information revealed, it is clear that alternative, safer methods for removal of the smell of smoke must be considered. For additional information on the dangers of ozone here is the study conducted by Berkeley Lab (http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2010/08/16/ozone-and-nicotine-a-bad-combination-for-asthma/).
Toxic Chemicals from Cigarette Smoke Lingers Longer Than You Think
Just because you can’t smell it doesn’t really mean that you are in the clear, studies presented by NBC news (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/40704560/ns/health-addictions/t/toxic-chemicals-linger-long-after-smoker-moves-out/#.WIIlNGQrJ0s) indicate that the harmful chemicals found in cigarettes remain present even when the smell has gone away. Just because the car you just purchased or the apartment you’re renting is no longer occupied by a smoker doesn’t mean you’re safe from some of the same health consequences the smoker themselves may suffer. In testing done months after smokers moved out of homes, from 10 to 20% of the dangerous chemicals lingered behind on surfaces like furniture and walls. Although less than the initial risk, the danger is still present. This risk of detrimental health effects to someone who has not even been around a smoker is referred to as “third-hand” smoke. We will cover this issue more in-depth later in this post.
Third-Hand smoke and how it Affects Non-Smokers
It may be safe to assume that the majority of people are familiar with the term “second-hand” smoke. This is when someone is close enough to a smoker to be able to ingest the byproducts of the cigarette smoke without actually smoking themselves. ‘Third-hand” smoke, however, occurs when you are exposed to the dangerous chemicals of cigarettes without ever coming in contact with the person smoking. Third-hand smoke refers more to the buildup of chemicals coating surfaces over time, rather than the instantaneous inhaling of smoke while someone is actively smoking. Research conducted by Boston pediatrician Jonathan Winickoff (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-third-hand-smoke/) indicates that nearly half of the population is not aware of the dangers associated with third-hand smoke and have no idea that bringing themselves or their children into a home where someone was smoking three days ago can have adverse effects on their health.
There are over 250 toxic substances present in cigarettes, and there is no acceptable minimum amount of ingestion that is considered safe. Exposure to third-hand smoke can cause the same health consequences that it does for smokers. Smoking can cause lung cancer and dental problems, and in some studies among children, it showed a lowering of IQ for those exposed to too much smoke.
It is clear that smoking, being around a smoker, and being in an environment where smokers have spent time, can cause devastating consequences. No matter to what degree someone or something has been exposed to cigarette smoke, it is important to take measures to get rid of the toxins and odor that result.
Do Home Remedies work for Cigarette Smell Removal?
Regardless of whether they are aware of the health consequences, most people don’t like the smell of cigarette smoke and want to do something to eliminate it. Many have attempted to come up with various home remedies to try to rid the air of the offensive odor. Several remedies out there include:
• White vinegar or apple cider vinegar spray
• Baking Soda
• Airing out the space by opening windows and blowing fans
• Retail strength carpet cleaners
• Powdered or activated charcoal
- Vinegar seems to be a very common trend among those who wish to clean without chemicals. Vinegar works to reduce the smells because many smells are alkaline, while vinegar is very acidic. It balances the smell, and can act as a disinfectant, but does not entirely remove the toxin from the air. While some of these fixes may help reduce odor initially, they don’t work to remove the harmful toxins that remain from the cigarette smoke. The smell will likely return once the particles leave the air.
- Baking soda, another common alternative household cleaner, and odor absorber, similarly only absorbs some of the odor but does not eliminate the toxin.
- Activated charcoal can absorb odors that pass by it, but only works in a small vicinity and will not be able to remove toxins from the air and just like a sponge when it gets full with water, carbon has the same potential of releasing the odors right back into the environment.
Opening windows can certainly help but again will not provide complete circulation to fully rid the indoor environment of smoke toxins. It will take commercially grade air movers or fans to really get the amount of air flow that you need to air flush out a home correctly, and that often involves a lot of time, patience, and high tolerance to noise as well.
How to Get Cigarette Smell Out of House
To really get rid of cigarette smells from a house or other indoor environments, you need to use a method that does not rely on masking agents or fragrances and equally important is safe to use around your family and pets. As discussed previously, ozone treatment was once a popular method of removing cigarette smells, but studies have shown ozone to have adverse consequences. In addition to a reliable treatment to be able to get to the source of the odor, some things that should be done to fully remove the smell include:
• Having your carpets cleaned
• Washing all surfaces of the home thoroughly
• Washing clothing and linens that may have come into contact with the smoke smell
How to Protect Yourself Against Second and Third-Hand Smoke
Simply not smoking is not enough to avoid any consequence related to cigarette smoke. Now that the adverse effects of smoking are well known, many people find it very important to be able to protect themselves or their loved ones from the non-direct effects of smoke. If you are someone who suffers from allergies and are particularly sensitive to toxins in the air, one of the best measures of protection is a breathing mask. A breathing mask such as the EnviroKlenz Mask can allow you to breathe normally while blocking out dangerous toxins found in the environment. It can significantly reduce the immediate reaction that can be triggered by exposure to cigarette smoke or other general pollutants.
Best Smoke Smell and Odor Removal Products
When thinking about the removal of cigarette smoke odor, it is important to take a comprehensive approach. If you remove it from the air but not the surfaces in your home or vice versa, the toxins are still present, and the smell can linger. The EnviroKlenz line of personal environment protection products is able to effectively eliminate odors from laundry, walls, furniture, and your indoor air while using a patented and safe Earth Mineral Technology. This technology uses the active metal oxide powders Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Oxide, and Titanium Dioxide, which works neutralize odors in a safe way that poses no additional risk to those with chemical or allergy sensitivities There are no potential irritants or chemical odors which are released back into the environment, and last but not least no EnviroKlenz product contain fragrances or toxic chemicals.
There are over 40 carcinogens in tobacco smoke. EnviroKlenz recognizes that those contaminants pose a huge risk to the public, and it must be dealt with. Our line of products uses our earth mineral technology to neutralize odors through various applications which include surfaces, air, and contents. In addition to our mask for pollutants that can offer immediate protection to contaminants in the air, our specialty HVAC filters work actively to remove those contaminants, including smoke smells and the harmful VOCs associated with smoke odors.
How to Remove Cigarette Smoke From Clothes
Removing the cigarette smoke smell from the air is not enough. To protect yourself and your family from the dangers of smoke, it must also be removed from your belongings and your clothing. Our laundry products remove fragrances and contaminants that can exacerbate allergies or sensitivities, while also effectively removing smoke smells.The additive can be used right along with your normal detergent to attack the chemical odors associated with cigarette smoke and more importantly does so without the use of toxic chemicals and masking agents.
Many people don’t realize that smoke can also make its way into the crevices of your home, for example, surfaces like wood or drywall. EnviroKlenz offers a surface treatment products that is versatile and gentle enough to be used either for every day cleaning supplemental to your regular routine, or in situations where there is a particularly strong odor. As with our other products, EnviroKlenz surface cleaning products use our natural Earth Mineral technology to neutralize odors and safely neutralize them upon contact with the noxious or chemical odors. We have both a liquid and a granule form to tackle different situations. Our liquid cleaner, the EnviroKlenz Everyday Odor Eliminator, is ideal for spot cleaning of surfaces, upholstery, or walls, while the EnviroKlenz Absorbent Neutralizer granules are useful for larger spills or when potential contaminants must be absorbed.
Smoke Smells in Cars
The lingering smell of smoke in cars can be particularly difficult to get rid of. It can also be particularly harmful because a car is a more enclosed environment with less air circulation than a home or business, and the dangerous remnant of cancer-causing chemicals can be significantly magnified. Many times the second or third-hand smoke that families are exposed to the worst occurs in family cars where a household member is smoking. Practices such as rolling down the window while driving and smoking are just not sufficient enough to clear the danger presented by the smoke.
The first step to ridding a car of smoke smells is to stop smoking in it all together. Next, the interior surfaces and air must be thoroughly cleaned and scrubbed. The EnvironKlenz Everyday Odor Eliminator is perfect for removing the smell of smoke from cars as it can be used at full strength to do a thorough cleaning of a contaminated vehicle or can be used in a spray bottle diluted with water for quick touch-ups. It works using the Earth Mineral Technology to attack to harmful chemical odors, neutralizing and eliminating them upon contact. All it requires is 15 minutes of waiting after its initial application, then the dried liquid along with the smoke remnants can be extracted or vacuumed up. The health risks of having had a smoker in your car are then effectively eliminated.
Cigarette smell removal from clothes
Smelling like smoke is unpleasant both for the person who is the source of the odor as well as for those around them. Our laundry products can be used in the washer right alongside your normal detergent, and will effectively neutralize the odors that would otherwise be bothersome. Even if you aren’t regularly exposed to smoke, new clothes can pick up tobacco particles from the warehouse they came from, along with other chemicals. You can also absorb tobacco remnants while walking through a public place where smokers have been. By using our EnviroKelnz laundry enhancer, you can be rest-assured that with every wash your clothes will be smoke and contaminant free.
What makes the EnviroKlenz product unique from other additives that claim to be able to remove smoke and cigarette smell. Other laundry products that claim to be natural or fragrance-free may not produce any fragrance, but also don’t utilize the same neutralizing technology that we use. You may not be able to smell anything on your clothes after using one of those products, but similar to the home remedies listed previously, they do little more than hiding the contaminants still present in your clothes. The EnviroKlenz Laundry Enhancer, which comes in both liquid and powder form, gets to the source of the contaminants and eliminates their risk by breaking down the chemical composition of the odors that makes it noxious, to begin with.
The EnviroKlenz laundry products can be used regularly to complement your regular laundry routine or can be utilized on occasion only when odor neutralization is a must. If you or a family member is particularly sensitive to fragrances, it is advised that you use it every time you do laundry in order to avoid any adverse reaction that could result from fragrances or chemicals commonly found in regular laundry detergent.
Cigarette Smell Removal from Hands
Have you ever noticed that a smoker still smells like smoke even right after they take a shower or brush their teeth? Cigarette smoke does not just affect the smoker’s clothes, mouth, and lungs. Smoke can cling to and linger on our body surface, and the smell can be quite difficult to get rid of.
If you are someone who smokes, you may end up with your hands smelling of smoke even after you’ve washed them. That is because basic soap just removes dirt and debris from your hands and leaves behind a fragrance that quickly disappears, and does nothing to change or neutralize the chemicals present originally. The EnviroKlenz Hand Soap and Deodorizer uses our same Earth Mineral Technology that eliminates odors by neutralizing chemicals that cause them. This process is called destructive adsorption neutralization, and it happens when you rub your hands together with our soap product and our technology makes contact with the chemical or offending odors. Our fragrance-free formula will not leave your hands dry and is formulated especially for those with sensitive skin.
Cigarette Smoke Removal: Air Purifiers
As mentioned previously, the dangerous after effect of smoking that causes second and third-hand smoke is the smoke particles that linger in the air even after smoking stops. Smoke from cigarettes, along with other harmful pollutants present in the air, build up and circulate throughout a home if nothing is done to remove them from that environment. If you are sensitive to allergens or to chemicals, this can be especially bothersome and cause breathing difficulties. Air purifiers can help minimize this from occurring. EnviroKlenz can provide several solutions that can remove those toxins from the air, resulting in a safer breathing environment. Our most popular product the EnviroKlenz Mobile Air Purifier System utilizes both HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filtration and our destructive adsorption neutralization through our EnviroKlenz specialty cartridge to mitigate toxic and noxious chemicals.
The EnviroKlenz Mobile uses a special EnviroKlenz air cartridge that contains a proprietary blend of materials that neutralizes harmful chemicals, including those that result from cigarette smoke. The unit comes on wheels, so it can be transferred very easily from room to room. A single unit can cover an area up to 850 feet, or half the size of an average home.
The technology used by EnviroKlenz is superior to that of other air purification systems, such as carbon technology. The natural earth minerals not only attach onto the molecules of offensive odors and chemicals, but it also neutralizes them and renders them inactive. Other technologies may result in the recycling of harmful particulates out of and back into the air, which does not solve anything for those suffering from chemical sensitivities or respiratory illnesses such as asthma and allergies. This is because they are only able to break down toxins in the air on a molecular basis, and are not able to affect large particulates.
When it comes to removing the smell of cigarette smoke from the air, you want to ensure that you are not only removing the odor but also eliminating any risk from the toxins left behind. With EnviroKlenz’s products, you can have peace of mind that you are accomplishing both.
Cigarette Smoke Removal: Air Filters
Cigarette smoke can linger in the air for quite a while once a person stops smoking. Many of the harmful chemicals that result will coat the surrounding surfaces, but much of them will remain in the air. If something is not done to remove those toxins from that environment, they can build up over time and cause a serious health hazard.
Air purifiers aim to eliminate contaminants from the air. They often work on a molecular level. Air filters, on the other hand, are porous materials that absorb larger contaminant particles from the air. They often contain some substance or chemical that is meant to neutralize the harmful chemicals absorbed. At their most basic, air filters consist of foam, paper, or cotton material cartridges that fit into existing ventilation system. These materials catch bigger particles before they pass through that system. These more basic filters do some good in removing some significant sources of irritants that otherwise would cause problems for those sensitive to certain chemicals, but they do not do a thorough enough job when it comes to removing cigarette smoke from the environment.
The EnviroKlenz HVAC filter works differently than these other filters and is more effective in thoroughly removing toxins from the air. The EnviroKlenz filter does what those filters do, which is removing those toxins from the air, but then goes a step further and destroys or neutralizes those toxins. The Earth Mineral Technology used attaches to both molecular and larger particulates in the air.
Conclusion
It is no secret that smoking, and being around smoke, is harmful to your health. There are many proposed solutions out there for dealing with the toxic chemicals that smoking leaves behind. Some products may mask odors for a little while, but will not entirely eliminate the smell of smoke. EnviroKlenz offers a comprehensive line of odor neutralizing products with its superior Earth Mineral Technology that can help your space be a healthy environment that is odor free.
Our Recommended Solution…
The EnviroKlenz Everyday Odor Eliminator was made with those suffering from chemical sensitivities in mind! Chemicals and odors can come from a variety of sources in your home- some you don’t even know about! Now with the EnviroKlenz Everyday Odor Eliminator, you can expel these chemicals from your home with an easy application! Just dilute in a spray bottle 1-part product to 4-parts warm water, and spray on the surface.
- Safe to Use on Any Water-Safe Surface
- Non-Toxic and Fragrance-Free
- Removes the Toughest of Odor and Chemical Smells, FAST!
We are confident that our EnviroKlenz Technology will drastically reduce the odors in your home, if it doesn’t live up to your expectations, we will issue a full refund within 30 days of your purchase!
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