Old house with dog odor question

I'm considering buying an older house that has some noticeable dog odor.

I assume I could get rid of it by pulling up all the carpeting, is that
right?

The carpeting is otherwise in good shape. Could a professional steam
cleaning be expected to eliminate the odor?

Thanks

"John D99" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] m:


Carpets, underpad and sometimes subfloor removal is needed. Steam cleaning
only gets the surface. I just went through this, though the home was only
8 years old. Previous owner had a sick dog and I had to rip everything out
to get the smell out. Fortunately, the dog was too sick to climb stairs
and only messed up the first floor.

Sometimes it gets rid of it and sometimes steam cleaning makes it a
fresh smell. If you do, do that, put vinegar in the water (assuming
there's no bleach in the cleaner). Vinegar tends to get rid of smells.
Problem is, it has often times gone into the wood underneath. In which
case you will need to pull the carpet and paint the wood with a smell
sealing paint.


--
Dymphna
Message origin: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

On Nov 5, 8:38*am, "John D99" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

Is it dogs smell or dog urine smell? Big difference. If it's just the
smell of dogs then a good carpet cleaning could clean that up, but if
it's urine, then you probably have to replace the carpet. Urine smell
is pretty obvious and you'd probably also see stains, it you don't
think it's urine, I'd give a good cleaning a try, then wait a few
days and see if the smell comes back.

On Nov 5, 11:38*am, "John D99" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

You could start there but it might not work. Can you figure out where
the dog went? Then you could work on those areas. Pad probably will
have to be replaced. You might salvage some of the carpet.

On Nov 5, 10:38*am, "John D99" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:


Personally, I'd never live on someone elses old carpeting even if
there was no previous pet, but thats just me. Nothing beats hardwood
(or hard surfaces) for a truly clean home.

On Thu, 5 Nov 2009 09:38:10 -0700, "John D99" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:


No. A better idea is to find another house.

John D99 wrote:

If all other proposed remedies fail, a next-to-last option might be an Ozone
generator. These are used to recondition REALLY bad organic-caused odors,
like the smells that emanate from very dead things.

Caution: Commercial Ozone generators can create fumes that, when breathed in
sufficient quantity for sufficient time, have been found to not be
compatible with life. [I put this warning in to appease those who worry a
lot about dunderheads operating anything more complicated than a spoon.]

"John D99" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] m...

Answers are yes, no, definitely, absolutely, maybe, and I don't know.

Most pet odors are absorbed odors. Getting those out are a sequence.

Fergeddabout having the carpet cleaned. It will only put water on the
urine, and have that water carry it down to the next substrate, be it
padding, concrete, underlayment, particle board, whatever. Junk the entire
carpet and pad, ESPECIALLY THE PAD. DID I SAY ESPECIALLY THE PAD? That's
where all the stuff collects.

Depending on what the odor was that went into the living space, it could be
in the sheetrock, AC vents, furniture, you name it. Dogs, like people, have
some particularly nasty odors that are individual to the situation and
person/animal and their affliction. Urine and feces are the most common,
but from there, dogs get everything that humans get, including cancer, and
they can put out some skanky fumes. (I have a Lab Rott mix who's on her
last leg right now with cancer, so I know.)

Here's what I would do to get it right THE FIRST TIME. Did you get that,
Sparky, THE FIRST TIME. Yank the carpet and pad and toss. Have the
underlayment treated by a professional who can get the chemicals it takes to
neutralize the good stuff so that it doesn't come back on you like a dark
cloud on a humid day. Whilst the carpet and padding are out, give the house
a week to breathe, and the sprayed chemicals to work. Open windows, run
fans, and RENT OZONE GENERATORS. The ozone will chemically and molecularly
alter the offensive compounds. Hire a pro, and do what they tell you, but
the longer you let the place air out and dry out before you seal it again
with padding and carpet, the better.

Sniff around. If there's a chair or a sofa, or anything that's been marked,
have it professionally cleaned. Send out the drapes for professional
cleaning. If it can't be cleaned so you can't smell it, toss it. Trust
your nose.

Have the ductwork at least sanitized, but don't let them sell you the $1,000
package of routing through them unless they can show you a specific area of
big buildup or mold.

Buy some chemicals that you can subsequently spray to keep the residual from
reforming, or spores from reseeding, and causing another mess.

This sounds complicated and it is. I have seen this procedure take out the
smell of a dead human. And I mean three weeks dead.

You want to do it once, and you want to do it right. If you want to do it
any less than that, go for it, but when you wake up in the middle of the
night and smell YKW, or your guest comments on it, that's when you will know
whether or not you did the right thing.

Ya gets what ya pays for.

HTH

Steve

"Phisherman" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...

I knew if we went long enough, there would be something we'd agree on.

Yes, if it is that bad and recovery costs are that high, pass on it. The OP
ain't gonna know until all the carpet and padding is pulled up as to just
what they are dealing with. It could be far worse, and layers deeper than
they suspect. Get the recovery costs before making a bid, if you choose to
bid at all after you have all the facts. Might be a cheap fix, might be
buying a nightmare.

Steve