Smoker's house

[Old Coastie]

We tackled an empty home last Thursday, that had been rented out to a smoker. Phew.
Here's what we learned:
1. Vacuum thoroughly.
2. Using a backpack sprayer, hose the walls and hard ceilings with Flex to sweat out the tar and nicotine. Do everything, woodwork, baseboards, glass, blinds, fans, light fixtures (turn them off) everything.
3. Wipe the walls with a microfiber flat mop. You may need several rinses per wall. Be methodical, it goes quickly. Mop anything that hits hard floors, be prepared to suck moisture if it hits carpet.
4. Switch the Flex for Hydrocide, 6oz/gallon. Now, saturate popcorn ceilings and respray everything else all over again. Again, wipe the walls (and hard ceilings).
5. Extract the carpets and use Hydrocide mix as a rinsing agent. Mop the hard floors to take up the overspray in those rooms.

Let it all dry, ventilating the home with fresh air. Carefully go through to ensure no odor remains, treat with Hydrocide if you locate any smelly areas. Don't forget to treat the interior of the air return plenum.

Pour a cup or set a dish of deodorizer inside the return plenum, to evaporate throughout the ductwork. The customer should have the ducts cleaned, btw.

Success.

Now here's my question: has anyone here used hot fogging to distribute the hydrocide as a penetrating vapor? How does that work?

 

[hogjowl]

I've got an ozone machine goober

 

[Bob Pruitt]

I've only used the hot foggers for this. ...but it worked pretty well. Talking walls, ceiling and vents.. carpet was pre-sprayed and cleaned. Seemed to work.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I've never fogged Hydrocide but many other odor counteractants.

The benefit of hot fogging is that the chemical fog penetrates into all cracks and crevices chasing the malodor and neutralizing it.

The concern is you are fogging a chemical into the air space so you'll want to ventilate it really well before its re-occupied.

The hot fog can set off smoke alarms, so disable or cover them. You should also extinguish any open flame just to be safe.

I'd also have a fire extinguisher nearby, just as insurance.

 

[dgardner]

The concern is you are fogging a chemical into the air space so you'll want to ventilate it really well before its re-occupied.

And wear a respirator, I imagine?

 

[Nate The Great]

And if you hot fog, just give a courtesy call to the local fire department on what your doing... We've had the neighbors call the FD and they showed up once....

 

[Desk Jockey]

Thank you Dan.

Yes, a mask 1/2 or full face with p100 organic vapor cartridges should be sufficient.

 

[Old Coastie]

I won't pretend here; what exactly is a hot fogger? One of those electric bug foggers that sends liquid over a heating element?

 

[Nate The Great]

I won't pretend here; what exactly is a hot fogger? One of those electric bug foggers that sends liquid over a heating element?

It's like an exhaust system on a car that vaporizer the chemical agent to follow where the smoke went... The micron size simulates and travels the same way smoke does...

http://www.dynafog.com/products/insect-vector-control/handheld-thermal/golden-eagle/

 

[Desk Jockey]

Can be.

Had several of the Dynafoggers, the last units we owned were the Unsmoke VF models. They were more dependable as far as starting.

 

[Bob Pruitt]

These seem more controllable...easier to use. Easy to clean up. Should be available at all the Carpet Cleaning Supply Businesses.

 

[Cleanworks]

I didn't know you could use hot foggers for water based products. I have only used one with solvent products.

 

[Nate The Great]

We'd have the flying termites come in certain seasons.... Would be cool to fog the insecticide and watch them drop... It'd literally drop hundreds of them....

 

[Desk Jockey]

View attachment 19167 These seem more controllable...easier to use. Easy to clean up. Should be available at all the Carpet Cleaning Supply Businesses.

I never had good luck with this type. I had a couple nearly catch fire. Nothing like fogging a fire and nearly starting one.

The big ones can shoot a flame too if you shut them down without letting all the solution clear through the system.

Never actually caused a fire but we learned to always have an extinguisher handy.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I didn't know you could use hot foggers for water based products. I have only used one with solvent products.

The Electrogen 2000 you can. It looks like a smoke machine and you use Thermo 2000, a water base.

 

[Cleanworks]

I have the one that Bob pictured. don't use it much anymore. I have an old electrogen golden eagle. Not working right now. Used one like it to fog a dining car that caught fire and had smoke issues. Forgot to call the fire department to let them know. Had 3 firetrucks respond.

 

[Bob Pruitt]

Never actually caused a fire but we learned to always have an extinguisher handy.

Well you would know since you are using these all the time on big Fire Jobs.
We had both...early versions probably, but I never had any issues with Electro-Gen. 190 dollars at JD so economical. I know we used chemicals that were designed to be fogged. I think the Thermo gen used fuel and was sometimes hard to start. It felt dangerous so I rarely used it.
I liked the electric one... plug it in, use it and unplug it...but I didn't do Fire Restoration... but plenty of Rentals that had smokers.
But I think @hogjowl is right about using Ozone machines for cigarette smoke.

 

[Desk Jockey]

They all worked fine and did what they needed to do but...using them isn't for someone weak of heart.

We fogged businesses, schools, homes after fires. Good money in deodorizing even when just charging fraction of a cent per cubic foot.

 

[Old Coastie]

So, the solvent based fog compounds; do they encapsulate the smoke molecules (hydrocide) pair with them (deodorizers) or do they simply perfume the place? Do they leave oily film on the windows and hard surfaces?

Also, I thought about using ozone but did not want to leave a generator 90 miles feom home, or have some real estate agent dink with it.

 

[Cleanworks]

The solvent compounds are used for serious smoke damage. Richard knows more about them that I do. Ozone works wonders in that situation. I have some old apartments where we have a lot of seniors that have smoked for 25 years or more in the same suite. Before we ozonate, that place has to be cleaned, top to bottom, carpets and drapes cleaned and then we leave the ozonator overnight. Yes, the solvents can leave an oily substance.

 

[Bob Pruitt]

Richard would know.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Yes they pair with the odor molecule. The particle size is very small, small enough to go anywhere the smoke would have gone and left a residue. The heat gives it pressure to help push it into those spaces.

Yes, it can leave a residue and "fallout" but that is only when over applied. It shouldn't resemble a fire, just a light haze. A dense fog could leaving wiping horizontal surfaces.

We have mainly used ozone in the last 10-15 years. It still needs to be aired out and you have concerns with control of the gas. You don't want it going into adjacent apartments or condos.

 

[Cleanworks]

I am using the unsmoked oasis ozone generator. What kinds do you use, Richard?

 

[Desk Jockey]

We use theses, we have a dozen of the 2000's and we have a few of their larger wheeled models as well.

http://ozonegeneratordirect.com/rainbowair-activator-2000-series-ii.html

It doesn't have to be this model though, we have owned Sonozaire, we have a couple of the US Products on maintence models and one of the CTI units.

They are all simple units, you just want to look at output, easy of cleaning and longevity.

 

[Cleanworks]

Pretty good price on those. Mine puts out 240 mg per hour and has up a 30 hour timer. I have been looking at get a larger one, I saw one last year on wheels that has a catylytic converter that renders the ozone harmless in a relatively short time. I think it was another unsmoke unit. There were some really nice units at the Vegas show for about $1495.00 that were about the same size as my oasis but put out twice the output. There is a market here for treating homes just to freshen the air and get rid of mold spores and allergens, etc. Of course, the family has to leave first. I used to do a dentist in his suite. He smoked pot and wanted the smell gone when his kids came by on the weekend. I would leave the unit Friday morning. He would stay with his girlfriend and everything would smell nice on Saturday. $200.00 every second weekend.

 

[Larry Cobb]

We would go a couple of different ways:

1. Thermal Fog with Tabac-Attack or

2. One of the new high output Ozone Generators that Ron looked at Las Vegas :

http://www.cobbcarpet.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=82&products_id=5433

 

[Cleanworks]

I think that is the one I was looking at Larry. I wish it had a longer timer. 24 hours at least. I have a body shop that I work for as well. Usually put the machine for 4 hours for smoke. Overnight for cars that have got wet.

 

[Larry Cobb]

It now has a 24 hour Timer . . .

and produces massive ozone !

 

[Desk Jockey]

How many grams per hour Larry?

 

[Cleanworks]

I believe it is 16 grams per hour. Supposedly has a lifetime warranty.