Selling a car can often be tricky business, whether it be used or new.
However, used cars carry the particular quirks of the previous owner(s), so cleanliness of the vehicle can be a sticking point on whether or not it gets sold.
This includes stains that can be wiped off or re-colored, parts that are particularly worn, but above all, a very specific smell.
At best this could be just a lack of that "new car smell," but at worst it can be the repelling scent of years of cigarette smoke or Fluffy the dog.
Fortunately, nearly all smells can be removed with a simple device known as an ozone machine.
In a car, an ozone machine sends ozone (O3) into every single corner of the vehicle killing any mold or bacteria and chemically changing the most noxious of odors such as smoke, sweat, and even urine into something completely harmless and deodorized.
That's not to say that you need to have a circus master's car to benefit from an ozone machine, because the device works to eliminate nearly all sorts of smells, at all levels.
While other products such as sprays and washes are great for localized areas (i.
e.
vomit or drink spills) they cannot reach every inch of the vehicle as ozone can.
This is because ozone is gaseous and diffuses throughout the entire car just as the standard air from which it is derived.
To use an ozone machine in a car is quite simple.
First, obviously, get an ozone machine.
While renting is perfect for a one-time use for a private seller, anyone deodorizing multiple vehicles, either for personal use or sale, should strongly consider owning their own machine.
When ozone shocking a car, it is best to clean the car as thoroughly as possible before-hand.
This means wiping down surfaces and vacuuming the carpets and seats.
Also, take out any spare tire that is inside the vehicle.
After this all is done, all the doors and windows should be closed, save for one left open enough to allow for a flexible duct coming from the machine.
While many machines come with ducts, any dryer duct should do for those that lack it.
If one wants to be especially thorough, seal the area around the duct in the window with cardboard and tape, making it so the ozone has no way to escape.
Then turn the machine on for somewhere between half and hour and two, airing out the car after all is said and done.
After the ozone has dissipated, a slight smell of ozone (like bleach) is not unusual, but this should disappear within a couple of days.
There are a few other things to remember with this process.
Firstly, ozone is a pollutant and a poison, so everything in the car during the shock treatment will likely die.
Also, due to the small space of a car, nearly any sized ozone machine should work, but the higher the output (in milligrams of ozone per hour), the faster the job will get done; the best can do it in about twenty minutes.
The main thing to remember in a car, though, is the rubber seals.
With prolonged exposure, ozone can crack and dry pure rubber, destroying many of the rubber o-rings in many parts as well as potentially cracking the spare tire (though these are mostly made of rubber composites).
Because of this fact, if the smell is strong or remains after one treatment, it's better to do a series of short treatments than it is to do one long one.
Taking all this into mind, ozone machines provide one of the best ways to remove unpleasant odors from a vehicle, either for sale or for just personal enjoyment.
While there are drawbacks to the method, as with any, it remains more effective and efficient, both for the one-time seller and the commercial dealer, than just about any other.
However, used cars carry the particular quirks of the previous owner(s), so cleanliness of the vehicle can be a sticking point on whether or not it gets sold.
This includes stains that can be wiped off or re-colored, parts that are particularly worn, but above all, a very specific smell.
At best this could be just a lack of that "new car smell," but at worst it can be the repelling scent of years of cigarette smoke or Fluffy the dog.
Fortunately, nearly all smells can be removed with a simple device known as an ozone machine.
In a car, an ozone machine sends ozone (O3) into every single corner of the vehicle killing any mold or bacteria and chemically changing the most noxious of odors such as smoke, sweat, and even urine into something completely harmless and deodorized.
That's not to say that you need to have a circus master's car to benefit from an ozone machine, because the device works to eliminate nearly all sorts of smells, at all levels.
While other products such as sprays and washes are great for localized areas (i.
e.
vomit or drink spills) they cannot reach every inch of the vehicle as ozone can.
This is because ozone is gaseous and diffuses throughout the entire car just as the standard air from which it is derived.
To use an ozone machine in a car is quite simple.
First, obviously, get an ozone machine.
While renting is perfect for a one-time use for a private seller, anyone deodorizing multiple vehicles, either for personal use or sale, should strongly consider owning their own machine.
When ozone shocking a car, it is best to clean the car as thoroughly as possible before-hand.
This means wiping down surfaces and vacuuming the carpets and seats.
Also, take out any spare tire that is inside the vehicle.
After this all is done, all the doors and windows should be closed, save for one left open enough to allow for a flexible duct coming from the machine.
While many machines come with ducts, any dryer duct should do for those that lack it.
If one wants to be especially thorough, seal the area around the duct in the window with cardboard and tape, making it so the ozone has no way to escape.
Then turn the machine on for somewhere between half and hour and two, airing out the car after all is said and done.
After the ozone has dissipated, a slight smell of ozone (like bleach) is not unusual, but this should disappear within a couple of days.
There are a few other things to remember with this process.
Firstly, ozone is a pollutant and a poison, so everything in the car during the shock treatment will likely die.
Also, due to the small space of a car, nearly any sized ozone machine should work, but the higher the output (in milligrams of ozone per hour), the faster the job will get done; the best can do it in about twenty minutes.
The main thing to remember in a car, though, is the rubber seals.
With prolonged exposure, ozone can crack and dry pure rubber, destroying many of the rubber o-rings in many parts as well as potentially cracking the spare tire (though these are mostly made of rubber composites).
Because of this fact, if the smell is strong or remains after one treatment, it's better to do a series of short treatments than it is to do one long one.
Taking all this into mind, ozone machines provide one of the best ways to remove unpleasant odors from a vehicle, either for sale or for just personal enjoyment.
While there are drawbacks to the method, as with any, it remains more effective and efficient, both for the one-time seller and the commercial dealer, than just about any other.