Q.There is a bad cigarette odor in a house we were thinking of buying. Is there any real way to remove this odor, and how to do it? Sherry.
A.Hi Sherry-

Thanks for the inquiry- here's some help, maybe. 

There are several potential answers, rather than one simple one. There are several potential locations where the odor sources may be coming from, and it is possible that you might like an expert to examine the premesis for an exact answer. 
Meanwhile, here is some things to consider. 

1. There will likely be - let us refer to the word "Contamination" for all of the things that are causing the malodors- some in the draperies. some in the ceiling tiles, or other acoustic material of the ceiling. Some in the carpets and padding. (If you replace the carpet- replace the padding also.) Some contamination in the air handling system. Some in the paint or wall coverings. Some in the furnace itself in the heat exchanger.

2. Steps to remedy the problem for your consideration. First, wash the walls well. If the ceiling is acoustical, hire a ceiling cleaner, or do it yourself. If the ceiling is not acoustical, wash it the same as the walls. Have your ducts and furnace professionally cleaned. Replace, or have the draperies cleaned.
The idea is to remove the major sources of contamination that are causing the odor. If there is any remaining malodor after doing these steps, then perhaps an ozone treatment is called for. 

The ozone treatment will remove any odor from many sources, but will not affect the source of contamination, that might react at a future date. This is why I suggest a thorough cleaning first. I expect you will find nicotine, etc in all of the locations I mentioned above, as it adheres to virtually everything.

I do not clean walls, ceilings, draperies, or ducts or furnaces- look in the yellow pages for these services for professionals who do this type of work, if you do not care to do it yourself. 

You did not mention what city you are in. If you are in the Portland OR metropolitan area, part of my work is to find the sources of contamination, and recommend the elimination, or control of these sources.

If you wish to hire me as a consultant, to locate the sources, and recommend whatever procedure will be best in my opinion. please get back to me. If you are in a different city, I might know of a qualified professional in my capacity there.

I have several things for odor control and elimination, such as odor adsorbent media, hot fogging of deodorants, cold fogging of deodorants, ozone equipment of various sizes and capacities, etc, but I always recommend cleaning first.

In many cases, cleaning is all that is needed, and for general health reasons. If you elect to do the cleaning yourself, I can recommend some cleaning products that are safe for the user, and for the environment. Nothing harsh, or toxic. These products are what I use as a professional cleaner, and I know how effective they are.

Do any and all cleaning prior to removing the old carpet- so if a splash, drip or messy spill is accidently done, so what? You were replacing the carpet anyway.

I hope this was helpful. thanks-
--------------
Q.I have a customer with a pasta factory. Is there any way to clear the air of flour? Will an ozone machine do this?
A.Re the pasta factory's flour in the air problem.
I have not had this exact problem to work on, but think about this- the ozone only works on a molecular level.

The flour particles are too big to be affected by ozone. I think what is needed is an HEPA type filter- and a pretty good sized one. (Or two)
Depending on the size of the room where the problem is, how much air there is needed to move, etc.
I would think they already have some plain exhaust fans, but maybe they need more, if that is allowed under OSHA and EPA regulations.

If they do not already have HEPA type filters, you can get them, and sell them to the customer. Generically, they are referred to as- "Air Scrubbers".

Some have 3 or 4 filter medias, some have electrostatic ones, also. The finer the particle, the more frequently the filters need replaced.

I got into this several years ago, when I began my "Guaranteed Odor Control", and I have bought several types of air scrubbers, with different types of filter medias, and degree of fineness. So it depends on the problem type, and severity, as to what is needed to solve the problem. There is no single answer.

If this pasta factory will hire you as consultant, and pay you, you can find the answer. If they want to do it themselves, good luck to them.

How are you doing with the Alpine sales? Do you have another line of work, or product to augment Alpine? 

Your business with Alpine, in odor control, and allergy control, could probably use some technical information, about bacteria, mold, mildew, particle size, particle makeup, etc.
My main business- carpet cleaning- involves odor control, and allergy control to a fairly large degree, just with the cleaning. Our industry has classes all over the USA and Canada on the technical aspects of odor and allergy control. It might pay you to attend one of these classes. The thrust of them is not cleaning, rather, the technical aspects of what generates odors, and allergies, and what to do about them, to control, or to eliminate them.
The classes are usually given by several manufacturers of different products and equipment, and are generic in the class, and these manufacturers show and exhibit their stuff.

Odors from urine, vomit, diarrhea, for instance, need the source digested, when in flooring, carpets, or furniture. I use a product called Bac-Out enzyme digester. It is sprayed onto these deposits, and depending on the deposits severity, either need wiped with a towel, or rinsed out with a steam cleaning.

Today, for instance, my cleaning customer had 3 poodles. They all urinate, vomit, and have diarrhea all over the place. I used a gallon plus a quart of Bac-Out to remove them all. No residual odor. Alpine not needed.

You might consider something like this for yourself. I also sold her a quart of Bac-Out for her future use.

I sell Bac-Out to pet stores, vets, hardware stores, and every home with a pet that I clean. 
Yes, you can buy wholesale, quarts and gallons in case lots for retail sale, and in 5 gallon pails for your own use to apply. I will send you a price list, if you are interested.

You might also sell to carpet cleaners and janitors in your area.

This way, you have more than one weapon in your arsenal. Think about it.
--------
Q.Tell me about your ozone machines.
A. Are you in the carpet cleaning or restoration business?

Have you been to my web site? There are 12 pages there, and perhaps the info you want will be there under air purification, or under ozone.
I also have some info on carpet yellowing, filtration soot lines, biodegradable cleaning products, cleaning manuals, etc

My web site address is http://www.heacocks.com

The ozone machines I use are smaller than the ones sold by most carpet cleaner suppliers. The maximum size square feet that they will cover is 2500 sq. ft.
They are totally adjustable, down to 50 sq. ft.
The maximum ozone output is below the unsafe or toxic levels, that other professional type machines put out.


These machines are primarily sold for allergy relief, and for odor control.
I both rent them on a short term basis for minor problems, such as clean water floods, to control mildew, and other bacteria that may be generated from these sources, and I sell them to people with allergies such as mold in a house or office, or cat dander, smoking, etc.
I am a smoker, and have one running in my house for the benefit of the non-smokers who come here. I sell them to restaurants and bars to control the odors etc from smoking customers.

I have been using these machines since 1996, and between rentals and sales, it has been very good for me.
There are several cleaners and restorers I know that are also using them for the same purposes.
As I see it, for floods, if you apply a quat, a phenol, or a glut to control mildew, or bacteria, how do you know if you have enough, how do you know if you have treated everything that needs it, how do you know if the residue is going to be harmful to the tenants- kids- pets in the future? The answer is you do not.
There is no way to know this. All you can do is apply it, and hope for the best.
With ozone, it goes everywhere air goes, even into walls, sub flooring, etc.
There is no residue afterwards, or toxic material of any kind.
It is safer for the restorer, and the customer. There is no possibility of a chemically sensitive person to be affected by it.

The machines sell for $595.00, and have a 3 year warantee.
I rent them for $25.00 per day on short term basis for floods and other short term basis. It does not take long to be in a profit situation.

I have used quats, gluts, and phenols doing water damage for a lot of years. No more.
I have been in the cleaning business since 1956, and doing restorations since 1960, and have a pretty good idea of what I am doing.
-------------
Q.My brother and I have been thinking about starting a cleaning business. do you have some advice?
A.Hi Victor-
Thanks for your interest. Have you been to my web site?
If not, go to http://www.heacocks.com

There are some things that might be of interest to you, such as my cleaning manuals. The manual called "Wealth: What it is, and how to get it" is a manual on how to successfully start and run any kind of business. It is from a series of lectures I gave in the 1980's.
All businesses run on the same principles, no matter what kind of business it is.
All successful businesses are successful for the same reasons.
I take a person from the kitchen table, right up through a million dollar per year income.

You might be better off making your hobby your business. It helps to know quite a bit about any business before starting your own, in any field.
For instance, you might start a car resale, or shoe business. What did you do in the Ukraine? That might be a starting point for a business.

Carpet cleaning is as competitive as any business. Look in the yellow pages, and see how many carpet cleaners there are already. While there is certainly room for any person to begin in any field, to start without instruction, or previous knowledge is inviting a very tough time, or failure. There is about a 1/3 turnover in the names in the yellow pages every year, suggests that there are a lot of failures in this field.
That is one reason there is so many used items of equipment available.

I am not telling you this to keep you out, but be aware of this.
I do want to encourage you to begin a business of your own. 

Carpet cleaning equipment and chemicals, everything to begin will cost about $10,000 with used equipment, and $30,000 to $50,000 for all new equipment and a truck.
That's before you earn ten cents.

You need a business base, such as an apartment complex to clean, or several businesses that need a monthly maintenance to keep you going while you build the business up.
To begin a business with no prospects, is inviting failure. You need money in the bank to live on while you get some beginning business for income. I would suggest enough for 3 months.
Your overhead runs about 1/2 of your income for gas, truck and equipment payments, insurance, etc, plus your living expenses. You will need an income of at least $150.00 per day to break even.
If you clean apartments, and charge $50.00 per apartment, then you need to do 3 per day, minimum, every day. Each one takes from 1 to 2 hours.

First you need a business license to do any business. At the same time, you need insurance. Liability, health, etc, runs me about $400.00 per month.
The IRS wants an estimate of your business, and pay the taxes in advance. We pay all taxes in advance, and at the year's end, to pay any difference, if we under-estimated, or collect if the estimate is over paid. That is difficult the first couple of years. But they still want it, and you must comply.

You need workman's compensation insurance (SAIF).

You do not need to be certified to begin with, but take the classes as soon as you can, as the certification is for knowledge in the field, not to keep people out.
Most classes cost $200.00 each, and are held all over the country- sometimes you may have to go to Seattle, Spokane, or elsewhere to take the classes, and the cost of out-of-town trips can get expensive.
Figure spending about $1000 per year on education, and that never ends. That does include the local meetings, and the conventions, that are important.
Yearly dues to the CCINW, and to the IICRC are $300.00 each.

You need a truck. You need a truck mount machine, and a portable steamer. Without a portable steamer, there is no way to reach a high rise over 3 floors, or a float home, or anywhere it is over 300 feet away from the truck, or at night when the truck mount is too noisy.

You need a rotary shampooer that does shampooing and bonnet cleaning.
Not all cleaning is done by steam. New, these are about $1000.
You need a furniture cleaning tool, and a stair cleaning tool, and an edge cleaning tool- for the edges of the carpet.These run about $200 to $400 each, new.

A commercial or professional, not a home type vacuum cleaner, or pile lifter vacuum for dry soils.

A pump-up or electrical sprayer for applying traffic lane cleaner, protectors, etc.

Chemicals- you need a main cleaning detergent, traffic lane cleaner, upholstery cleaning detergent, several spot removers, one for oily spots, one for urine, vomit, diarrhea, coffee, one for rust, and similar stains, volatile solvent, and a non-volatile solvent. Take a look at my web site for a more complete, but not a full list.

The cost of chemicals to begin with can run $1000.00, and you will always need a constant supply of most of these. It averages me around $200.00 per month for chemicals.

I suggest a business name that would include your brother's name- perhaps V&V Cleaning Service, or perhaps your last name- Studenets Brothers Cleaning,
otherwise, a fictitious name like Steve's Lake Oswego Cleaning, Acme Cleaning, Super Cleaning, and so on.

Before you begin with your brother, have a WRITTEN plan of who is in charge, who will buy out who in case of dispute. I have seen a lot of partners disagree, and when it is equal partners, and a disagreement, the cost of dissolving the business can get real expensive with lawyers, courts, etc.
You two may be the best of friends now, but it sometimes does not take much to disagree, and then escalate into a big fight.

My present business is my fourth. Before, I had partners, who I thought I knew pretty good, but turned out, did not, and it cost me the business in every case, and a lot of money. One turned out to be a drunk, one turned out to be a thief, one was simply incompetent.

I think it would be a very good idea to go to work for a carpet cleaner, maybe for a year, to learn the business, and what to expect, before beginning your own business. That way, you can find out IF the business is what you want, and what to do, and the expenses, and the income to expect.

The work is hard work, and hard on the back. You are tired at the end of every day. There is nothing easy about it. There is no big money. There is no easy money. It is a living- I have done this since 1956, and pretty well know.

Gary
I tell you things are so bad,
it makes you want to give up your membership
in the ACLU, and join the NRA
---------
Q.Tell me more about ozone machines. How can I make money with them? Gary.
A.Hi Gary-
What city are you in?

Here's a lead- a lot of carpet cleaners do flood dry-up work. some call it de-flooding, some call it water damage cleanup- anyway, I have found ozone, and particularly the Alpine machine to be a benefit here.
Ozone goes anywhere air goes, and it is an excellent anti-microbial, to control most bacteria, and mold, mildew, etc, so when there is a flood, there is always a possibility of these problems.
What most of us do is apply an anti-microbial chemical to all of the affected areas to control this potential problem. 
The complication to this is the residue from these chemicals. If they are not all removed following drying, there is a potential of lawsuits, etc from customers who are chemical sensitive, of kids, pets, etc on the carpet picking up some pretty powerful chemicals.

Ozone dissipates within minutes of the machine being shut off, and there is no residue to create a secondary problem.

In this field, there is extremely powerful ozone machines that put out hundreds of times the ozone that the Alpine puts out, and if you mention "ozone" this is what these people think.
It will have to be some education on your part to educate these people that the Alpine is a safe type of machine where people are present.
I like the sticker that now comes on the machines saying- "Safe for human habitation" or whatever it does say.

Anyway, contact all of the carpet cleaners in your area who do water damage cleanup, and see if they might be interested in purchasing a machine or two, whether they become a distributor or not, it will be some sales to you.

Look them up in the yellow pages.

I use a machine on every water damage job, and rent it for the same price per day that the other equipment rents for, and so they pay for themselves pretty rapidly, just like the other equipment.

If any cleaners want more info on what I do, have them contact me.

For odor and allergy control, I go out as a consultant, for a minimum fee of $60.00, plus the rental fee of the machine of $25,00 per day. No free useage of the machine. Phooey. My time is worth something, and my machine is worth something. If they buy a machine, I refund the rental fee, and put that towards the cost of the machine.
If they do not buy a machine, my time is covered, and I have made some money while sleeping, with the rental fee.
I like to make money while I sleep, and would rather rent a machine than sell it, because over time, I make more money with rentals than with sales.

I have no downline, and have not made any attempt at building one- I don't have the time, as my other work pretty well fills up my day.

When you let me know the city you are in, maybe I can refer a cleaner, or someone to you, as I get occasional inquiries from people al over the country, and even Canada and Australia.

You say your area is depressed. Baloney. You have no real idea of what people have and do not have. I get calls, and e-mails saying that from cleaners all over the country. It is just because they do not know how to market their services to get clients with the money to buy their services.

You MUST advertise. Alpine has a lot of good advertising stuff. Use all of that you can. The more advertising, the more sales. It is just that simple.
Knowing what you are talking about helps, too.

 On my web site is a page of manuals. One is called Wealth: What it is, and How to get it. This tells how to start any kind of business, and to run it successfully. All successful businesses operate on the same principles, no matter what kind of business it is.
You are in the kitchen table stage now, and to survive, you must grow. O.K., how, and which direction is something only you can decide, but in the manual has tips on how to look for directions to go.

Go back to my web site, and write down all of the suggestions I have there to use the Alpine. Then follow them ALL up.

You will have plenty of sales, and plenty of rentals.

Go for it.

Gary
Help! I lost my recipe for ice water!
Can anybody remember what it is?
-------
Q