pet smell in carpet

[chicklet]

Our son and his girlfriend just bought their house which has an apartment downstairs. The carpet was filthy so we got in professionally cleaned. Renters saw the apartment before it was cleaned and were ready to move in. Unfortunately, i think that after the cleaning (carpets look great) the odour of dog was very strong. the carpet cleaning company recommends using a deodorizer on the carpet. Has anybody had this done and does it work. We hate the have the renters move their stuff around to deodorize then find out it doesn't work then get them to take their stuff out again to get new carpet. Any suggestions??? He wants to make the renters feel at home not the feeling that they don't want to come home.

 

[vacationhopeful]

The prior renters or owners must have used "Carpet Fresh" to temporarily neutralize the oders...last about a week or so.

While the carpets might look great on the upper surfaces, the heavy stains will most likely reappear. Plus, the padding and back jutting of the carpet didn't get clean from the doggie oders.

I would replace the carpets and pads. If the subfloor shows signs of urine (via puddles and rings), that needs to be cleaned, deoderized and then sealed with a oil based paint. Liquid Lysol will kill the bateria in urine which causes the oder - apply liberally via mop. I usually remove the tackless strips and throw away when I rip out the rugs. If stains on the wood floor seem to go under the baseboards on the wall, remove for better application of the Lysol - treat and paint while off the wall (unless replacing is less work).
Urine oder will get stronger when it is damp or humid.

Hope this helps,

 

[rickandcindy23]

You need to use KILZ on the floors, and replace the carpet. It is really the only way.

 

[chicklet]

So you're saying don't even bother with the deodorizer? My husband says it's worth a shot...i'm more inclined to replace the carpets. $$ are a factor. Just wondering if anybody applied the deodorizer and had good results. Just don't want to put out $$ since he just bought the place and funds are low.

 

[Karen G]

I agree with other two responders. Nothing is going to get rid of that smell except doing as they wrote. We had a very unruly yorkie for 13 years who totally destroyed our downstairs carpeting. Nothing would get rid of the odor for any length of time. When we were preparing to sell our house, after finding a new home for the dog, we had the carpeting and padding replaced. The stains to the concrete floor underneath were appalling where the urine had soaked through carpet and the pad to the floor. No matter how much the carpet above had been cleaned or deodorized over the years, those stains underneath remained along with their smell.

Is your son planning to allow the renters to have a dog?

 

[ausman]

Best to take out the carpets, sand the floors and hope to remove the offending areas. Depends what type flooring is in the downstairs, obviously not applicable to a plywood underlay. Still would need to refinish floors or install new carpet.

The alternative is to take out the carpets and seal the floor surfaces as suggested, relay new carpet. Cheaper alternative.

The cynical, can they cope with the smell up stairs aternative, is to do carpet fresh while finding another dog owner renter.

Trying not to be harsh here but urine smells are difficult to get rid of, cats smells could have meant replacing the flooring.

 

[geekette]

deoderizing only masks the odor for a while. it doesn't remove the source.

they could try a ma and pa carpet shop, ask about cheap discontinued styles and see if they can make a deal. if the economy is still in the toilet there, the shop would be glad for the sale and it could be a bargain. Idle installers would probably also be grateful for work.

cheap carpet might not last long, so consider the rental party (kids? pets?) and how hard they would be on it.

Could ask the renters to pay a small amt more a month for new carpeting, since it benefits them, also. might make that a temp increase, just the first year.

 

[ScoopKona]

+1 for remove everything, sand the offending areas of the floors. (Unless the floors are concrete, natch.)


But why replace with carpet in a rental home? The renters may not have a dog when they arrive, but they often leave with one. And I think we can all agree that there are a LOT of very inconsiderate pet owners out there.

Tile it with inexpensive porcelain and never worry about it again. Throw an inexpensive area rug in the middle of the living room and call it a day.

Around here, tile is $0.80/sqft, good backerboard is 0.60 and thinset is 0.20. I'd install it myself because tile is an easy job -- strenuous, hard on the knees, dusty, but easy. Any homeowner can do it.

There's no rocket science involved -- unless you want to tile four rooms diagonally without transitions and know what the last row of tiles is going to look like. In that case, break out the chalk line, a protractor and a good measuring tape.

 

[Karen G]

Tile it with inexpensive porcelain and never worry about it again. Throw an inexpensive area rug in the middle of the living room and call it a day.

That's a great idea. But the OP is in Ontario, Canada, and the rental is in the basement. Tile might be kind of cold down there, but inexpensive area rugs or maybe carpet remnants might warm things up.

 

[ScoopKona]

That's a great idea. But the OP is in Ontario, Canada, and the rental is in the basement. Tile might be kind of cold down there, but inexpensive area rugs or maybe carpet remnants might warm things up.

They can add a 12-volt electric floor heating system under the tile for $10 per sq.ft. It rolls out over the concrete/backerboard and simply install the tile on top of it. The mesh will warm the house for MUCH less than a furnace. There's nothing like floor heating -- it's like a "snuggy" for your house. And we're talking pennies a day to operate. The OP could advertise "free radiant floor heating" in the rental and still make money.

We looked into it but decided against it -- it doesn't get THAT cold in Vegas during the winter, and we have 2,000 square feet of tile.

 

[vacationhopeful]

Kilz is a brand name primer here, but in the past 10 years has been marketing a latex product under that name, too. Any cheap oil base paint will block minor oders and seal the floor, but the bateria MUST be eliminated. Liquid Lysol is the ONLY product I use which will do that; sanding the subsurface plywood is cosmetic and just one nasty job. I have sometimes applied Lysol two or more times.

Tile is a problem as the grout joints with future animals will also hold urine oders. As your son is living there, a NO PETS clause is much easier to enforce, esp if he does not get any pets.

Cat urine has a worst/stronger oder than dog; did they have a cat also? Dogs urine is usually in the middle/open area of a room; cat urine is along the baseboards or under furniture or in closets.

Hope you don't also have a mold problem.

 

[wackymother]

Cat urine has a worst/stronger oder than dog; did they have a cat also? Dogs urine is usually in the middle/open area of a room; cat urine is along the baseboards or under furniture or in closets.

I was wondering about this also. Cat urine is much more "smellable," and cleaning the carpets won't have much impact on the odor.

 

[jkkee]

I use Natures miracle for Cat odor. If that doesn't work I agree the carpet needs to go.

 

[chicklet]

Tile really isn't an option since it is in the basement and the $$ of radiant heat on the floor is too expensive. The owner let the last person to rent have a dog...no cat. I am trying to convince my husband to replace the carpets but he wants to go the deodorizer route.....i see us in this same position in the next few months or less.

 

[jkkee]

You don't really want a deodorizer, those cover the scent for a short period of time, as the above posts say. You'll want an odor neutralizer, like the Natures miracle I recommend above. I know there are other brands, this is the brand I have used. These contain enzymes and/or bacterias that digest the odor-causing protein and bacteria, removing it from your carpet. I've had luck using it on a carpet my cat went on, and as others have also noted, cat urine is worse than dog urine. It works on both.

http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Mirac...6?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1253109500&sr=1-6

 

[Nancy]

I had a similar problem in dining room of house I bought. Don't know if it was caused by prior owners or our pets. When we replaced carpet, saw that it had gone all the way through carpet and padding to floors. Cleaned it good then replaced all and had no more problems.

Nancy

 

[Rose Pink]

Ditto to the enzyme-based odor neutralizer. Used to use a brand called Odor Mute that I got at a pet store. Took the cat urine smell away immediately. Also used an enzyme odor neutralizer on spilled milk in the car carpet. That smelled to high heaven even after cleaning but the enzyme took the smell away. If your DH insists on going the deodorizer route, I would suggest the enzyme products.

 

[Passepartout]

I am trying to convince my husband to replace the carpets but he wants to go the deodorizer route.....i see us in this same position in the next few months or less.

You can do it now between renters or have renters move out unexplainably and do it later, but ultimately replacing the floor coverings will have to be done. Too bad you didn't get a whiff of it in time to make this a condition of the sale, but that's water under the bridge.

This is one of those situations where there's not a cheap shortcut.

Jim Ricks

 

[vacationhopeful]

When you finally pull out and dispose of the rug & padding, I think you will figure out the last tenant did have a cat also. Most people don't put up with a dog who is doing his "business" in the middle of the floor or by the door (where the tenant walks thru it). A cat will use only a reasonably clean litter box, then will "hide" its business until the litter pan is cleaned with one exception. ==> A unneuterred MALE cat will mark its territory via spraying the edges of its space. Thus a stronger oder and usually, the renter throws the cat outdoors or gets rid of it before a landlord "sees" the cat. Damage is still done and the tenant resorts to "Carpet Fresh"-type products.

My ex-bf's house was owned by a lady and her collection of cats. Nice home but she lost 7-8 sales contracts due to cat oder so bad you could not make it past the living room (it was that bad). Those buyers got remorse listening to their friends about never being able to get rid of the oder and each contract was for a lower price. It was about 30% under market. It was a perfect house and location for him, and I had to pledge that the oder could be conquered.

The 2 upstairs bedrooms had been closed off to the cats and did not get the remove & clean & seal & replace treatment. The ONE closet upstairs when it is damp weather still has a distinct smell of cat urine in just one cornor. He has owned that house for 20+ years.

Throw the rugs out.

 

[chicklet]

I think we're leaning towards replacing the carpets. My husband originally thought that it would be $2,000 but looking around he got a good price for under $1,000. My son is talking to the renters to assure them that we are going to get rid of the smell. Thanks for all input it helped alot.

 

[Banker]

I say go for hardwoods. When I first met my soon to be husband, he had a house(the one we still live in now) that had wall to wall in the whole house. He had an elderly dog that always went to the bathroom in the living room. It reeked of urine....it was disgusting, I would tell him that I had to leave, could not stay long, he would actually get mad at me and said that he did not smell anything !!!! I guess he had become immune to it....anyway, I finally convinced him to get someone in to tear out the carpet and padding and to install hardwood flooring. It is wonderful and now, no matter what the weather, there is absolutely no more urine smell....and I have a nose that smells everything!!! The hardwood is easy to clean, we did have another dog for awhile, she has since gone onto doggie heaven, but when she had a few accidents towards the end of her life, I hated to clean up messes, but it was quite simple to do as long as I caught it in time. I have a cat now. She is good about using the litter box, once in a while she pees on my unmade bed, but I have machine washable bedding, so I can throw the bedding in the washer/dryer. I say hardwoods is the way to go, maybe add an area rug if needed. That is my two cents worth!