As you might already know, ozone is just another form of oxygen. We breathe O2 (normal oxygen). When oxygen is exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun or electrical charge (like lightening), the O2 oxygen breaks down and changes into it's O3 form.

O3 is ozone which mixes with regular air. Ozone is naturally made in our air by the sun, but reverts back to O2 form in about 30 minutes. Host Boise will use commercial grade ozone and Ultra Violet light generators to briefly raise the level of ozone in your home's air for the purpose of odor remediation.

There are currently no examples in the public domain, of ozone sterilization was successfully used to kill the current strain of Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (technical name of the Coronavirus which causes the COVID-19 disease). However, there are reasons to believe it would be effective:

• During the SARS epidemic of 2003, ozone sterilization was successfully used to purify environments infected with the deadly Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-1, the virus which causes the SARS disease.
• As SARS-CoV-1 is also a member of the Coronavirus family, it is highly likely that ozone sterilization would be effective at killing SARS-CoV-2, the Coronavirus which causes the COVID-19 disease.

Coronaviruses are classified as “enveloped viruses”, which are typically more susceptible to “Physico-chemical challenges”. In other words, they don’t like being exposed to ozone.

Ozone destroys this type of virus by breaking through the outer shell into the core, resulting in damage to the viral RNA. Ozone can also damage the outer shell of the virus in a process called oxidation.

Put simply, exposing Coronaviruses to sufficient ozone dose (ppm x time) can result in them being 99% damaged or destroyed.

Data Provided by: aeroqual.com

Host Boise uses commercial grade electrostatic ozone generators with a high voltage and low amperage transformer to create an electromagnetic field on a metal screen and porcelain plate. All ozone units use a fan to move air through the unit. Additionally we use UV (ultraviolet light) ozone generators that mimic the sun by using high-intensity UV lights inside the generator to create ozone as the fan blows the air past the lights.

A common mistake in using large-volume equipment for too long can cause embedded ozone smells. When the treatment is done properly, the ozone smell should last no longer that 2-24 hours depending on treatment length. Embedded ozone smell is not harmful, but can be annoying to some and can smell clean like a fresh rain to others. For this reason, we do not use overly large equipment that is too powerful for your home, and we don't provided any treatments lasting longer than an 8 hour period. If a stronger treatment is needed, multiple smaller treatments are the solution. We also spray a all natural lemon scent in the home at request to temporarily enhance the fresh and clean smell of the home.

Ozone is not flammable. We do not add additional oxygen or any other gas into the home. Our process is only transforming the already present oxygen in the home into ozone. There is no concern regarding open flames on stove pilot lights or furnaces.

The primary rule for ozone treatment is to vacate the treatment areas of people and pets. Ozone is a respiratory irritant, and will cause a tickle cough if breathed for a brief period of time. Longer exposure can cause the “Tired Lung” syndrome which passes in a few hours.

Mammals and birds will be adversely affected by ozone much like humans. So, all people and pets are removed from the home during the treatment cycle. Your fish will not be harmed by the ozone treatment. Many aquariums inject ozone for sanitizing reasons.

Plants will not be affected by an ozone treatment like ours. Ozone exposure of plants over several days could causing yellowing.

Like leaving something out in the sun, UV light can yellow or age some materials. UV light will harm rubber, affect color, or corrode electrical parts. Ozone has some of the characteristics of UV light, but a typical ozone treatment will not damage goods in your home. The limited cycle of ozone application has a minimal time to affect goods. Even routine use of ozone will not cause problems, if the cycle is limited to under our 8 hour policy. In short, ozone will not harm anything if you observe some basic protocols.

If anything is of intense value, it should be removed for precautionary reasons and peace of mind however.

The internet is full of myths and hype. You may hear that ozone can harm delicate things, deteriorate rubber and latex, or harm electronic systems. This happens only from ill-advised, prolonged exposure to high concentrated ozone levels. These issues are mitigated by doing treatments of 8 hours or less and following proper techniques by knowledgeable trained staff.

Unless we are dealing with a hoarder type home using an ozone “knock-down” pretreatment, the first job is always to have the home and trouble areas cleaned. Remove as many odor-holding conditions as humanly possible.

Host Boise will generally place the ozone treatment at the end of a cleaning job rather than the first step of the odor treatment process. While it may seem tedious, ozone is not a cleaning agent. You wouldn’t scrub something with just water, but you would apply soap first to soften things up with a brush. Cleaning is always the first step to an effective ozone treatment.

If you want great results, consider ozone as a part of the whole process. Do not consider ozone as a singular solution even though it overcomes many problems.

Every home has something called a “Biofilm”. You will not see it, but normal living leaves a microscopic layer about 10-29 nm thick on every surface. This layer is worse in smoker homes where years of smoking can create a yellow layer that is akin to a layer of tar.

Ozone will break up the biofilm and neutralize the hidden smells, but is not intended to break through thick layers of gunk. Ozone would solve the odor problem of pet urine in the home on the surface, but if the pet urine wasn't cleaned out of the carpets, the urine would still exist and eventually will come back.

Carpets, drapes, and furniture can hold smells. In the end, the success of the ozone treatment depends on the thoroughness of the treatment and process of cleaning up the initial problem or source of the odor. Air ducts can also hold odors. If there is debris in the ducts like pet hair, dust, dander, mold, and other contaminants; they may need to cleaned to solve the odors problem source. In some smaller situations, having the furnace fan running during the ozone treatment can help or solve some odor problems in the air ducts.

If the odor remains after the ozone treatment, the problem odor source most likely had been missed.

If mold is visible on surfaces, the ozone will kill the visible mold on the surface as well as spores in the air. After repeated treatments of ozone, mold will change color, (gray to white) and can then be wiped away with bleach.

However, if mold is behind your walls or underneath the surface, it probably won’t be exposed to enough ozone to kill it. So you will need to have the non-visible mold removed to completely eliminate it from your home.

It may be wise to get advice from a mold inspector to determine the extent of the problem and the source of water. The primary task for treating mold is to find and stop the water that feeds the mold. If the water source continues, the mold will always come back. The water can be a small drip or leak, humidity levels over 70%, or a roof or window leak.

Once the water problem is solved, the next question is removing damaged material and cleaning up the area. It is not wise to leave mold-damaged material in place.

Ozone treatments have proven helpful in reducing the environmental threats that trigger allergies. Monthly or biweekly treatments can help reduce allergy threats in the home.