biosweep2021 - TheDenverSmokeGuy

The Marshall Fire

by biosweep2021June 7, 2024Leave a comment

On December 30, 2021, the Marshall Fire burned around 1,600 acres and destroyed or damaged homes and 30 commercial buildings. 9 News has created a great website including a map, timeline, evacuation and rebuilding information at www.marshallfiremap.com

In the months that followed, BioSweep treated 8 homes, several large office workspaces and a community church. These jobs were covered by CSAA, Farmers Alliance, Chubb and Pure insurance companies.

While BioSweep could not help the many people whose homes were destroyed in the fire, may structures we adjacent to burn areas and were subject to smoke odor damage and high concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

Soot, Ash, and Char from fire smoke can be toxic and corrosive. The particle itself is not toxic. The problem is the VOCs that these particles off-gas. The BioSweep oxidation technology is incredibly effective are neutralizing/eliminating these VOCs, rendering the remaining particles inert. The remaining “dust” particles can be cleaned up while the homeowner can be confident that any remaining particles are completely safe.

The homes treated by BioSweep of Denver were able to be safely reoccupied immediately after the treatment was complete. In most cases, a cleaning crew was employed to do a wipe down of horizontal surfaces and HEPA vacuum the bedding and furniture. All personal items were treated in-place, left in the original positions at the time of the fire.

In nearly all homes that I treated there were small piles of soot/ash/char in windowsills or adjacent to sliding glass doors. Necessary clean-up was limited in scope and was able to be quickly completed.

Homes that went through the “traditional” remediation process had varying levels of demolition/reconstruction that took months – during this time, families were living in hotels or apartments waiting for their lives to get back to normal.

This was a large-scale tragedy that caused long-term consequences to the community. The homeowners who chose to use BioSweep were able to get back into their homes and recapture some degree of normalcy within days of our treatment.

Fire odor at Denver Bronco’s Stadium

by biosweep2021May 29, 2024May 29, 2024Leave a comment

On Thursday afternoon, March 24th, 2022, a fire effected seats on the third level and the suites directly above them. The fire directly affected about 1000 square feet of outdoor seating. Several luxury suites, the adjacent hallway and atrium were smoke damaged.

Contractors gutted the suites next to fire area. But, after flooring and drywall was removed, smoke odor was still present. At that point they realized that removing material may not be enough to eliminate the smoke odor – that is when they called BioSweep.

BioSweep of Denver was able to successfully eliminate the smoke odor from 20 suites, most of which were in the original condition (no demolition). Prior to BioSweep treatment, the suites were subjected to “normal” housecleaning taking place (vacuuming, wiping down surfaces for any ash, soot).

To treat the large atrium, it was necessary to bring in a corporate truck with extra equipment and BioSweep Franchise owners from Wisconsin and Tennessee to run staff the project. Fortunately, there was still a bit of time prior to the next large event, and we were able to work over the weekend and limit access to the treatment area.

When complete, the entire area was smoke odor free and ready for normal operations. This project was completed over a 72-hour period. Everyone was happy with the outcome.

Why We Only Treat The Entire Home

by biosweep2021May 6, 2021May 6, 2021Leave a comment

While it is possible to treat part of the home, there are a couple reasons that we rarely do. Most importantly, we can only offer our “Outcome Guarantee” if we treat the entire home.

An example – I was recently asked to treat the upstairs of a home and not treat the finished basement. I was told that nobody ever smoked in the basement and there isn’t any smoke smell. Let me take a minute to discuss two of the main issues…

OUR NOSES FOOL US!!!

Because we rapidly adapt to odors, by the time you get to the basement, it is likely that you are somewhat desensitized to the smoke odor and interpret the lower odor level as being odor-free. It is likely that when the upstairs is truly odor-free, the odor in the basement becomes obvious.

Even if nobody ever smoked in the basement, it is likely that smoke has entered the ducts and the odor is in the basement at a lower level than upstairs.

Treatment vapor concentration levels tend to equalize

It would make sense that, if the upstairs and basement spaces were of comparable size (volume), we would only need half as many machines to eliminate the odor in approximately half of the house. For several reasons, it is likely that a significant amount of the treatment vapors will end up in the basement; the furnace is likely in the basement and many of the heating ducts are exposed to this space (some of them are likely have vents to heat this space).

The bottom line is that to successfully treat the designated treatment area, we must use enough equipment to make-up for this vapor loss to the “untreated” part of the house.

Other reasons for only treating the entire home include:

financial considerations (larger jobs are discounted),
containing treatment vapors to smaller spaces requires extra time/materials (poly, tape, temporary vapor barriers),
our inability to treat the HVAC ducts without treating the entire home (If the heater or air conditioner is on when someone is smoking inside, there will be smoke odor in the ducts.)

IF you have further questions, feel free to send me an email…

Pot Smoke / Grow Odor

by biosweep2021April 14, 2021February 2, 2022

Questions about our ability to eliminate the odor associated with pot smoke and marijuana grow operations are becoming increasingly common.

The most common call is from a landlord who just discovered that their tenant is smoking pot in their “non-smoking” rental property. They are concerned that shockingly pungent odor will be impossible to eliminate and that they will have a difficult time re-renting the property.

Fear not! In my experience as a landlord (since 2002) the odors from smoking pot are not persistent! I have had tenants who seemingly smoked pot on a daily basis for years and within a couple days of their moving out, the odor is completely gone. Unlike cigarette smoke, pot smoke does not seem to “stick” to the walls/ceilings or the HVAC ducts.

Over the years, I have had pot smokers in properties ranging from new condos to hundred year old homes and the result is the same – once they move out, the odor goes away within a day or two.

I have shared this experience with many landlords and asked them to please call me back if they have a different outcomes, as I know that our BioSweep process will easily eliminate the odor. To date, I am still waiting for my first call back…

A marijuana grow operation is a much different situation. In this case, the odor is persistent and will linger long after the plants have been removed.

If the grow was a couple plants located in finished closet, this is likely a really easy problem to solve. A general cleaner/degreaser (Simple Green, 409 or similar cleaner), some paper towels and a few minutes to spray and wipe down the walls is usually sufficient. If they were growing over a long time, it may be necessary to spray, then use a brush to better remove the residue prior to wiping. Don’t forget to wipe the ceiling and the back of the door! Leave the door open overnight and reevaluate the odor the next day.

Larger operations always seem to be located in unfinished basements where the odors seem to attach to open wood ceilings and exposed insulation. In these cases, I don’t know of a better, more efficient way to eliminate the odor than BioSweep. Eliminating odors from insulation is difficult as you cannot spray/wipe to physically eliminate the odor source. BioSweep treatment vapors will be able to go everywhere that the odor source molecules went. With proper time and vapor concentration levels, the source odor molecules will be oxidized, effectively neutralizing the odor forever.

We will typically identify the area of the actual grow, the source of the odor, and position at least one machine in this area. The treatment vapors from this machine will flow outward, similar to the odor, from this nexus point. Additional machines are strategically positioned throughout the home to provide sufficient concentration levels of the treatment vapors for the HVAC duct and the remainder of the interior space.

Though a grow operation creates a very persistent odor, the BioSweep process is able to provide a permanent solution. We are able to guarantee the outcome as long as the property has not been painted since the grow operation created the odor problem.

In 2019, BioSweep of Denver treated a large home (more than 6000 square feet, including an unfinished basement) that was used as a large grow operation with more than 250 plants. Police were notified by neighbors who could smell the odor from the street. Once the home was emptied of the plants and related growing equipment, we were able to completely eliminate the odor.

In summary, if your tenant is smoking pot, don’t worry about the odor sticking around and making it difficult to rent to future tenants. In my experience, the odor will completely disappear. If they are growing plants in a small, finished/painted area like a closet, you can likely solve the problem by cleaning the surfaces in the grow area and physically removing the odor source material. Larger grows, especially in large unfinished areas often present a problem that is the time to contact us!

Our 5-Phase Treatment Process

by biosweep2021February 23, 2021Leave a comment

Our equipment’s unique process, called Phocatox, combines the latest in airborne and surface contamination destruction technology. High intensity Phocatox technology eliminates airborne and surface organic molecules and microorganisms including pathogens and bacteria. The BIOSWEEP® system uses a highly advanced form of the established science of photo catalytic oxidation to produce simultaneous, interrelated forms of oxidation.

This multi-phase process utilizes:
HEPA filtration
Hydroxyl radical production
Purified O3 and vaporized gas-phase hydrogen peroxide (H202) production
Singlet oxygen and oxyradical plasma production
Sterilizing germicidal UVC radiation

All these are generated internally in one portable unit to produce unparalleled decontamination capabilities on site. For more information on BioSweep click The BIOSWEEP®

The Fine Print

by biosweep2021February 23, 2021February 23, 2021Leave a comment

No People, pets, or plants may be present during treatment time.
This is a green process, no chemicals are used in the BioSweep treatment process.
If we treat before you paint, the outcome is 100% Guaranteed. If the odor is not gone, we will re-treat for free. If it is still there after re-treatment, we will refund your money.
Call 720-499-5518 for a free quote.

Call Before You Paint!

by biosweep2021February 15, 2021February 23, 2021Leave a comment

Many people think that painting the interior of a home is a way to eliminate the smoke odor. DON’T DO IT! In about 1/3 of the calls I receive the property owner has painted the interior of the house and it still smell like smoke! Unfortunately, at this point, I may not be able to solve the problem.

Paint is an imperfect sealer: it keeps our vapors from getting to the odor source, but the source continues work back through the paint. The effect is very short term, lasting only a day or so. When we treat first, the problem is solved – all surfaces, duct work, heater and A/C, the whole interior space of the house.

Everywhere that we can get the BioSweep vapors, we can eliminate the odor. BioSweep machines convert water vapor into a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl, and trivalent oxygen (ozone). At the proper saturation level, this vapor can destroy the odor causing molecules once and for all.