beekaytee I 'm hoping that something works out for you that doesn't cost thousands of dollars.

It seems worth it to try a DIY option. Of course I know zero about ozone stuff, but knowing nothing about things has never stopped me on a DIY project in the past!

What are the VOCs in question? Are they still being generated? Is there any reason to be confident that an ozone generator will actually help?

Um, an ozone machine sounds like a scam. Do air purifiers not help? The link below basically says that it did help some of the VOCs from a new carpet but produced other chemicals just as bad, in the reaction??

[link]

I'm not sure about retail ozone machines, which do sound kind of scammy, but full-bore ozone treatment is a different thing (hiring a professional group to basically blast your home and/or belongings, for a bare minimum of 2-3 times the cost of an ozone machine and often more). When my dad's home burned down and all our belongings and the cars were permeated with smoke stink, intensive ozone treatment dealt with most of it.

This WaPo article from 2018 seems to have a pretty good rundown of exactly how they work and what they entail (moving, covering or hiding away all the plants, fabrics and art that isn't under glass; 48 hours of sealing the property off; an extra airing-out afterward before it's safe to reenter).

I don't know all the details, but I do know that (a) all our belongings that survived the fire reeked in the beginning; and (b) after it was all done, there was maybe a single banker's box left of unsalvageably reeking stuff.

tl;dr: ozone machines, scammy like meara said; professional ozone *treatment*, lots more costly and may take a week to complete before safely moving back in but probably not scammy?

I dunno if any of that is remotely helpful.

dcp, the vocs are emanating primarily from caulk used to make the space energy efficient, along with the paint in this brand new (opened last August) building. I am the first resident in the space, which has never been aired out.

The indoor environmentalist I hired to do the initial testing recommended this specific machine. He's been in the business for 20+ years and assures me that the process will work for the level of vocs present.

As you say, JZ, professional services are available, but that $3100 is halfway to breaking the lease. And, thanks for the article link. I actually read it awhile ago and that is what made it seem at least possible to go this route.

I've read the EPA research and am concerned that there will be no improvement. But, after going over it multiple times, I interpret it...and this is admittedly because I'm desperate...to mean that repeated use is ill-advised. And, that there may be no cure for formaldehyde.

The warning is well-founded. I read a review of a different machine on Amazon where the woman has multiple pets and runs an ozone machine daily!!! What are people thinking?

I should also add that, except for the furniture and new rugs, all my possessions are still in moving boxes.

The building manager is willing to pay for the machine, and if there is no improvement, let me leave at the end of the month without the usually required 60 day notice and the aforementioned 15k penalty. But still the 6k, which does not cover the cost of moving to a new place.

I bought this air cleaner last month and will use it regularly. It features a whopping 15lbs of carbon, plus zeolite. Other cleaners top out at 1.5lbs of carbon alone.

I've also requested that the window limiters that block opening more than 3 inches be removed during the treatment period. I'm going to feign amnesia and forget to ask to have them replaced. Hopefully, the maintenance dude will be too busy to remember. Still, they are code, and I can't complain if my ploy doesn't work.

Ventilation is the best option. However, asking for a fresh air return to be added to the hvac system is a modification the company is unlikely to allow. The building manager is willing to do whatever flies under that radar to avoid invoking the Big Bad, which I appreciate.

It sounds like the building manager is at least somewhat helpful. I'm sorry you are going through this ordeal. Being up in the air takes a toll.

Of possible interest to meara and megan walker, I'm sitting in the Leavey Center (eating a salad while I wait for a test to be done at the hospital for DP) -- I cannot fathom that this is the same place I remember... vaguely, honestly, but still. So weird. My memories of Healey Basement are much more vivid, but still.

Good salad with falafel, though.

Teacup is headed to my in-laws for two nights. I was hoping they'd get here early enough that I could go see Papa while Mom was still there, but no such luck. He's sleeping much more lately, and he's pretty much settled in for the evening when Mom leaves. So, I'l head up early tomorrow and spend the day there. TCG has meetings tonight and tomorrow night. So, I'll have the health to myself. It might be a good time to watch Bridgerton S2.

I mean if you’re able to get a good salad there it’s clearly not the Leavey Center I remember!! I think the last time I was there was about 5 years ago. But Healy basement wasn’t a thing when I was there