Eliminating Pet Odors in Carpet & Various Other Surfaces

 

When the tenant, who hadn’t asked permission to have a cat, moved recently the cat urine odor in the one-year-old carpet was overwhelming.  After getting over being totally ticked, the “how-to-proceed mode” kicked into gear.

 

After shampooing the carpet twice with a product from my favorite big box store without eliminating the odor, my son reminded me about Nature’s Miracle Stain Remover.  So with this amazing product and an ultra-violet light in hand, the problem areas were identified and soaked thoroughly.  The instructions say to soak the spots thoroughly, and you should.

 

The ultra-violet light… my generation still refers to them as “black lights” …can also help you identify if the pet sprayed the baseboards or walls.  Those areas can also be treated.  A gallon of the Miracle stuff and an ultra-violet light are a little over $40 at Petsmart.  Not so much to save an entire apartment of carpet and pad.

 

This is a non-toxic substance that is pet and human safe, so no worries about breathing it or doing harm to others.  Do test the carpet or surface before using it as the bottle instructs.  You don’t want to fade the carpet if it is sensitive to the product.

 

My situation turned out good for the most part.  The living room and bedrooms are now odor free.  Unfortunately, the walk-in bedroom closet is beyond hope.  The carpet, pad and tack strip had to be pulled out completely.

 

Here is the next great tip… when you have animal urine that has soaked that deep into carpet pad it is likely to have saturated the sub-floor below.  Whether the sub-floor is wood or concrete, you will need to seal it.  I have found it best to roll on an oil-based paint like Zinsser’s stain killer.  Let it thoroughly dry, with plenty of ventilation, then check for odor.  Sometimes you have to do a second coat.  Let both coats dry a couple of days before installing new carpet and pad.  If you don’t seal the sub-floor, the smell will return if the carpet and pad get wet.

 

My construction foreman is a dog rescue enthusiast with a big heart.  He has been known to drive across two states to rescue a dog that is in need.  He highly recommends Odor Block from Sam’s Club.

 

These are both commercial grade pet odor products that should take care of just about any nasty smell or pet stain.  Let me know if you have other products that work well.  We are always open to suggestions.

 

Yes, I, too, am a pet lover.  Currently, we only have one dog and two cats, but it is not uncommon for me to be feeding and relocating litters of feral kittens or finding a home for a stray.  I truly love pets… just not their smells.

 

Thanks,

B

 

 

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Art of Being a Landlord by admin