Hey everyone! I need some advice about my carpet. We bought our new home at the end of 2021 and lived in it without any pets. Last summer, we had to rent it out for 10 months because of a job change. The tenants had two older cats, and now that we're back, I'm wondering if I should replace the carpet. I have documented allergies to cats and dogs, and the tenants are supposed to have the carpet and vents cleaned as per our lease. Given that they only lived there for 10 months, do you think it's necessary to replace the carpet? Thanks for any tips you can share!
1 Answer
If there's any chance the cats urinated on the carpet, then yes, definitely replace it. You might never be able to eliminate the odor completely, and sometimes you'll even need to seal the subfloor underneath just to ensure it’s clean. Steaming might not do the trick if there's any lingering urine smell.
Thank you! I hope the tenants would be honest when asked, as I wasn’t there to see, but I'm assuming we’d notice a smell right away. Would steam cleaning really not help? I hadn’t thought about the subfloor—thanks for mentioning that!