Mr. Kwan correctly cautions, "whether you want ozone in your old house
could well eliminate this possibility, though." Ozone is a very powerful
oxidizer, attacking the double carbon bonds of organic material.
Consequently, it can do considerable damage to organic materials,
including what may well already be in the structure (or even
architectural details). Moreover, many report that tobacco smells come
back, even after ozone treatments -- placing you in the position of
doing harm, but achieving no benefit.

The National Institute for Disaster Restoration outlines a variety of
deodorization processes which are far less intrusive, including cleaning
(suggested by a previous post), pressurized air (i.e., high volume air
exchanges, also suggested by a previous post), charcoal (or other
absorbent) filtration, and sealants (to encapsulate the smell where it
can't be removed). They also point out that the use of hydrogen peroxide
and hypochlorite are also effective. They, too, are oxidizers, but as
cleaning solutions you can be very specific where they are applied
(unlike ozone generation).  There is also the option of "reodorization,"
which just replaces one smell with another (probably not a real good
idea).

Finally, one last suggestion is "demolition." In fire restoration the
more damaged material you can get rid of, the lower the odor. In a house
setting this would certainly include eliminating drapes, carpet, and
other non-historic textiles; perhaps even non-historic wall coverings.
Encapsulation would include repainting, although we know that latex
paints are not good at encapsulation, so it is likely that odors would
return, although perhaps abated.

Best,
Mike Trinkley

--
Michael Trinkley, Ph.D.
Director
Chicora Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 8664
Columbia, SC 29202-8664
803/787-6910
www.chicora.org
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