Help- nasty indoor dog odor

[rfuerst911sc]

Hey guys I need help/suggestions on eliminating dog odor in carpet . We just moved my MIL from NY to Georgia . Her home in NY will be sold . She had a dog with a nasty ear infection and the house wreaks of the smell . Keep in mind we are 800 miles away .

We have the AC running to help with circulation and humidity . We have a realtor under contract and one relative in the area that an assist . The realtor is worried if we hire someone to clean the carpets it may make it worse . I think she's worried that the moisture from " steam cleaning " will make it worse .

There are hardwood floors under the carpet/padding but we have no way of knowing the condition . We have asked the realtor to pick a corner and lift up the carpet to get a rough idea of what the hardwood looks like .

So we think we have two options , attempt to clean carpet professionally or tear up carpet/pad/tackless strip to expose the hardwood NOT knowing it's condition . Have I missed an option ? Have any of you had good results defunking carpet ? The goal is to get the home visually ready for sale without offending the nostrils 😁 . Thanks in advance for your suggestions and feedback .

[Norm K]

Remove, then go from there.

_

[fastfredracing]

I see lots of positive talk about ozone generators on the landlord forums, I have no personal experience myself .

[Joe Bob]

Tear up the carpet dump it. Consider a credit to the buyer to choose the carpet THEY want.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Norm K

Remove, then go from there.

_

Probably this .... but...

Can you open the windows, leave the A/C (fan only) running, and burn incense, etc. for several days?

[fastfredracing]

We just had our second worst house go under contract . I wanted to pull, and replace the carpets before we listed . Same thing as you have ,stained, nasty, and smelly from pet urine .
Realtor told me to chill, and just have them cleaned
Sold for asking in less than a week.
I think the market is cooling slightly , but still pretty fast paced

[KFC911]

^^^^ and what Fred said .

[Chocaholic]

Replace the carpeting. Real Estate is selling at a premium everywhere. No reason to pinch pennies and it’s the right thing to do. Cleaning is temporary. The stink will return.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

So we think we have two options , attempt to clean carpet professionally or tear up carpet/pad/tackless strip to expose the hardwood NOT knowing it's condition . Have I missed an option ?

Third option (and the best one) tear out the carpet and replace it with new carpet.

[KFC911]

Many potential buyers may not want carpet... even new carpet. In this market .... I don't think it matters... seriously. Clean it, air it out, put it on the market ...
won't be your problem within a few days .

[ben parrish]

https://www.chemdry.com/reviews?page=2
Dry cleaning carpet works for this. It should will be the quickest option for you. Replacing the carpet is a crap shoot as far as the style and what a buyer wants. Leaving the smell is off turning to potential buyers as they’re not sure it will come out. Traditional steam cleaning can cause real issues if an inexperienced tech saturates the carpets and doesn’t get the excess moisture up...mold and damage to the hardwoods.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by KC911

Probably this .... but...

Can you open the windows, leave the A/C (fan only) running, and burn incense, etc. for several days?

No because no one is living there now . Security and weather is a factor .

[masraum]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Third option (and the best one) tear out the carpet and replace it with new carpet.

Yes, that's #3. In a markets that's not this hot, that would be the thing to do. In a market this hot, I'm not sure if it's necessary.

[craigster59]

Talking with my real estate friend I had mentioned some things that needed attention on my house before selling.

Some cracks in the patio border from settling, a leak in the tile roof, possible carpet replacement, etc. Nothing really major. He said buyers are willing to accept A LOT of deficiencies in a house just to be able to move to the front of the line when it comes to purchasing a home.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

We just had our second worst house go under contract . I wanted to pull, and replace the carpets before we listed . Same thing as you have ,stained, nasty, and smelly from pet urine .
Realtor told me to chill, and just have them cleaned
Sold for asking in less than a week.
I think the market is cooling slightly , but still pretty fast paced

What Fred said.

Just have them cleaned.

GLWS, Rick!

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by Baz

What Fred said.

Just have them cleaned.

GLWS, Rick!

Thanks Baz

[KFC911]

Though you can't open the doors & windows, etc. now, doing so early on the day(s) it's going to be shown to buyers would help. Have yer RE agent douse herself with patchouli ....

Good luck!

[group911@aol.co]

Glade plug ins.
Seriously

[john70t]

I'd be cautious about dry cleaning if it's not wool or a nice oriental.
I got an extra hand-me-down and it stank of nasty chemicals for a while. Probably made us sick.

I bought a Bissell 'professional' type which leaves very little residual water.
My only gripe is that it's not extremely sturdy and has a ton of thin seals to go bad (use their detergent)

Ozone generators will get rid of odors/etc but allow a few days before going back inside. Ozone burns lungs.

I second trashing the carpet if it's not new and seeing what the hardwood looks like.
Buyers may want their own type of carpet.
(and beware of cinnamon-scented candles at open house showings.)

[rfuerst911sc]

I am waiting to hear back from the realtor on what she suggests is a good path forward . If I was in the house or at least near it I would have the carpet and pad out in a few hours . But I am not there and don't want to make a trip back unless absolutely necessary . Good advice as always from you guys thank you