You love your pets, however, you don’t love the damage and stains that they could leave behind your carpets. If Fluffy or Fido has literally left their mark on your old carpets, it’s time to replace them. Unfortunately, this might require a few additional steps than ripping out the old carpet and replacing it with a new one, particularly if your furry friend has soiled the carpet and cushioning.
Assessing the Damage
Choose whether you really need to replace all your carpeting or simply a few regions of it. If your rug is in fairly good condition with the exception of a small stain or a pit your furry friend has dug into it, you might be able to replace a small area of the carpet and padding when you have some leftover from the original setup. Unfortunately, heavy soiling from pet urine or feces causes deep-set stains and odors, meaning that replacing your carpeting is essential.
Out With the Old
Carpeting mediated by pets usually affects both the rug itself and the rug padding too, which means that you are going to have to rip out and replace both. To remove this carpet, contact your local waste disposal service to arrange for a special pick-up if necessary. While carpeting in good condition may be recycled, carpeting that’s been destroyed by pets is probably not acceptable for recycling, although you can check with your waste disposal company regarding their policies. If you’re having the brand new carpet professionally installed, the company you’re using may remove the old carpet and padding for you.
The Stinky Subfloor
The major problem that may occur when replacing flooring that’s been urinated on by pets is that the contamination of the subfloor. The subfloor is that the area under the carpet and padding, usually made from timber. If this area becomes saturated in urine as time passes, it might not be possible to remove the deep-set smell from it. In this case, replacing the carpeting won’t help this problem, and you’ll still be coping with scents in your home, particularly when the area becomes moist during the humid, warm months of this year. For such smell problems, replacing the subfloor is essential before putting a new type of flooring, whether it be carpet or some thing else.
Sealing the Subfloor
To help locate all urine-saturated spots on the subfloor, use a blacklight — available in pet supply stores — in a dark area to light these spots. If damage to the subfloor is minimal from the pet’s urine, soak it using an enzyme-based cleaner designed to remove pet urine one to two times, allowing the floor dry between applications. Once completely dry, seal the timber under using an oil-based stain and odor blocking primer. Paint two coats of this primer all over the subfloor to seal in odors and stop them from seeping into your new floor. Allow each coat of the primer to dry between programs and prior to installing the replacement carpet or flooring. Keep all your pets from the area in this procedure, so that they do not soil the area or get the primer on their paws.
Decisions to Make
While carpeting is cozy and soft under your feet, it might not be the best choice for a family with pets, particularly ones that have a tradition of soiling mentioned carpets. To avoid always having to replace your carpets, pick a durable, water-proof type of surface, such as tile, vinyl or laminate flooring, all which can wiped and re clean in case your furry friend has an accident on the ground. These types of surfaces also appear well to pets that like digging carpeting, usually leading to tears and holes in it. If carpet remains your floor of selection, decide on a darker color that hides stains and a durable fiber, such as wool, that you can wash soap and water, advocates The New York Times.