Ozone for clothes long term issues?

[Texasbuckeye]

So this year I got some garage style (metal) clothing/coat closets and made them into ozone closets for my hunting clothes and boots. I used two (one in each) scentlok small room ozone generators and set them to cycle on/off for 30 minutes through the season.
I never washed my clothes. And they never stunk once. I was impressed.

Anyway, thinking long term, is ozone something that could harm fabrics or clothing? Should I let the ozone generators take a breather and just not run them in the off season to give the clothes a chance to “recover” from any ill effects from ozone?

These cabinets are hardly air right, so they are getting some air flow, but they are a typical garage type closet with a magnetic closure.

Thoughts, mainly on the effect on clothes (if any)?

 

[Ohio Darin]

Ozone is like oxygen as it is an oxidizer only it speeds up the oxidation process. I wouldn't run year round. It can speed up deterioration of foam and rubber so be careful with boots but really only occurs from over treating. Typical ozone treatments are 4 to 48 hours. I would just fire it up the day before you plan to use.

 

[LJ Buck]

The only thing it has messed up of mine is Sitka suspenders. It deteriorated the elastic.

 

[Desk Jockey]

The only thing it has messed up of mine is Sitka suspenders. It deteriorated the elastic.

I am not smart enough to know how this works but I understand ozone is tough on stretch fabrics depending on their composition. This include potentially waistbands and suspenders but also the stretch material woven into the fabric. Some others may be better informed.

I would think it isn’t necessary to hit clothes with ozone year round. I store mine in totes with various scent items like (dried) pine or cedar. Make sure anything you use is well dried or you can have a mold issue in the tote. I hit them with some ozone prior to season.

Ozone cracking - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Brendan]

Yes, it can damage certain fabrics, rubbers, elastics. Some very quickly, others it takes longer. My dad had a car where all the fake leather seats fell apart and cracked to hell from a small ozone generator he left going in the cigarette lighter...

Some of the ones that stand out to me as "Definitely don't use it all" - Rubber, Nitrile, Nylon, FRP, Steel, Magnesium, Zinc.

Some of the "Prolonged Use Will Damage" are Hypalon, Neoprene, Polypropylene plus some metals.

Ozone Compatible Materials

Ozone Compatible Materials

www.ozonesolutions.com

 

[doverpack12]

I wonder if my ozone treatment in my clothes bag overnight when hunting from a base camp can explain my First Lite wick as wearing out and getting baggy. Just seems like it doesn’t fit like it used to or dry nearly as fast

 

[HunterEng]

Chemistry background here....like mentioned above ozone is an oxidizer...other oxiziders are chlorine and hydrogen peroxide which most people are familiar with. U in general will want run it the least u can. I set mine to run only a couple hours before I go hunting. And I dont use everytime either