Carpet Maintenance for Units With Pets

Carpeting can be a substantial investment for most property owners. Unfortunately, many times tenants owning pets do not properly maintain and care for the carpets in their units.

Carpet pet odor can be so strong there is no alternative but to replace the entire carpet and pad. This is especially true for cat urine, which is highly concentrated and therefore difficult to remove completely from carpeting.

But before you throw out the carpet, examine its condition thoroughly and consider this potential alternative:

If you are dealing with odor and not unsightly stains, replace just the pad underneath and shampoo the carpet.

Leave the shampooing to professionals, however, since most now have effective enzyme-based treatments to remove even the toughest odors.

Replacing the pad is nearly always required when dealing with pet urine because the pad will retain moisture and odors even after the carpeting is dry. If you shampoo the carpet without replacing the pad, the smell will eventually resurface and you will have to address the issue again.

Another key step to take is to apply a sealant, such as Kilz, to the base flooring before you install the new pad. Strong odors will often soak into the base flooring, including concrete. If you skip this step, the smell could come back due to the spoiled flooring.