When Hugo from Luleå opened the balcony in his new condominium, he was met with something unexpected: a pungent and ingrained smell of cigarette smoke from previous owners.
"It smelled so bad that I couldn't be out there. I thought we'd have to live with it," he says.
Curious about the odor remover Clean? Click here!→
Hugo and his partner Klara moved into their apartment last autumn. The large, ten-square-meter glazed balcony was one of the selling points – but it had remained unheated all winter. When spring arrived, they started preparing to get it ready.
– We started taking down the curtains, and then it started to smell sour and disgusting. A really pungent smell of old, ingrained cigarette smoke, says Hugo.
The smell permeated textiles, furniture, and clothes.
– I couldn't stand being out there. It smelled that disgusting.
"Smoke smell doesn't go away"
The odor came as a surprise to the couple; they hadn't noticed anything during the viewing. Hugo started Googling for tips. He tried vinegar, air fresheners, air sprays. But nothing helped.
– It got a little better at first, but after a day or so, the smell was back. And we all know that smoke smell doesn't go away. You hear that ever since you were little.
Swedish technology became the solution
The couple was about to give up when a friend mentioned something unexpected.
– He said: "Try Ozoneair Clean, it worked for us in the basement." I was skeptical, but we felt we had nothing to lose, Hugo recounts.
But Clean has science on its side. Ozoneair Clean is a portable odor remover developed in Luleå in collaboration with Luleå University of Technology and the EU Innovation Fund. It uses ozone – a gas used in professional sanitation – to break down odor molecules deep down.
How Ozoneair Clean works
✅ Clean converts oxygen into ozone – which penetrates fabrics, walls, and furniture
✅ The ozone eliminates odor molecules, mold spores, allergens, and bacteria
✅ You select the room size, press start – then the machine does the work
✅ After treatment: ventilate for about an hour – done
Unlike air fresheners or purifiers, Clean doesn't hide the smell – it neutralizes it at the source.
Try Clean Risk-Free for 14 Days! →
"The smell just disappeared"
Despite his skepticism, Hugo decided to give Clean a chance. He ran the machine on the balcony for a few hours and aired it out overnight. The next day, the difference was clear.
– The smell just disappeared. It's a world of difference now, he says.
The balcony, which was previously unusable, has now become their favorite spot – even for the family's four-legged members.
– We have finally been able to start using it as we intended. Our dog and cat love to lie out there and sunbathe. Before, they barely went out – it smelled far too disgusting. Now we can even have the door open without being bothered.
Will test it in the summer cottage
The next step is to test Ozoneair Clean in their summer cottage.
– I'm extremely happy with it. Now we will also use it in the summer cottage. We have a sleeping area there that can smell a bit.
Do you also want to get rid of musty odors?
Ozoneair Clean is used by hundreds of thousands of Swedes to remove smoke, mold, and stale odors in homes, cottages, and recreational vehicles.
