Hi folks, has anyone used a strong ozone generator to freshen / deodorize their car's interior? My car doesn't smell too bad, but it is a bit musty smelling being an '04. I have a Living Air unit (below) that puts out significant ozone, which I could run in the car for a couple of hours. Ozone is a strong oxidizing agent that will surely nuke any smells, but I don't want to radically change the interior smell to something strange or chemical smelling, since I'm not sure how the ozone would react with the interior materials. I know that dealers and such use heavy ozone shock treatments for really bad odors such as smoker's cars, etc.
Ozone is a pollutant at ground level. I don't think it's a good idea to fill your car with it. I would suggest washing or replacing the cabin air filter first. If the carpets and upholstery have an odour, sprinkle a couple of boxes of baking soda throughout the interior, leave it overnight, and then vacuum thoroughly. Even the glass can smell, if the car's been smoked in, and some hot water with vinegar will take care of that. If you notice a mouldy smell when you turn on the defrost or air conditioner, you may need to clean the condenser.
I haven't used ozone in my Prius, but I do use it in our boat. It dissipates quickly, so it isn't a health risk, unless you sit in the car while you run the ozone generator. On the other hand, ozone is a strong oxidizer. It tends to attack plastics and rubber, so there is some concern for the interior and gaskets on the Prius. It won't make the car smell funny, but it may take a little life out of the plastic and rubber parts. Tom
I know that my dentist uses ozone to sterilize equipment. At my last visit, he used ozone after digging out a cavity and before filling it. I've also had Prolozone treatment on my heel to promote recovery from an injury that just didn't want to heal. You could call me a medical ozone advocate, or a least a happy consumer. Ozone treatment of air that you breathe scares me. Ozone is an irritant to lung tissue. The amount of ozone released has to be carefully matched to the situation. I think that Los Angeles water is treated with ozone. It's also an effective alternative to chlorine in swimming pools. In both cases, the ozone is injected into the water, does its job, and is gone before anybody is exposed to it. Since you already have the unit, you might set it up inside the car. Run it for a few hours, then open the car up and let the ozone dissipate. Hold your breath while opening up the car and stay away from it for a while. It will probably improve any bad odors. As for running that device inside your house, I'd treat it like having the house fumigated. If it actually produces enough ozone to kill off unwanted bugs, then there is no way you want to breathe the same air.
When I purchased my 2006 G2 it did not smell good so I asked the Toyota dealer to do something about it. Anyway we left the car running with the air fan on high for 20 min before it was safe to enter the car. It was like a pressurized canister and when the pin was pulled a ozone spray came out. Six mths. later and the car is still fresh. It worked great what ever it was. I tried to find out the name of the product but they would not tell me. Next time I go there I will try again. H
I should have clarified, I was thinking of using the ozone for a couple of hours while the car was parked with no one in it. The stuff is quite harsh on the lungs.
A 2004 has old plastic which has already been "attacked" by oxygen for seven years. I doubt your ozone generator would harm the plastics or anything else in the interior. I'd go ahead if there is an objectionable odor in there. But first I'd check the filter box (interior filter) for "stuff" and also the cowl vent area (remove wiper arms and then the cowl plastic pan to get good access). Often animals can build nests and/or leaves can collect in these places. Then vacuum under the seats and clean the carpets with a powerful vacuum. -Then- you can deodorize the car.
