Carpet that stinks?

Question

I am renting a house and the carpet in one bedroom stinks. I have tried everything that I can think of plus I have cleaned it numerous times and it still smells like an animal used it for it's bathroom. My landlord refuses to replace it or let me do it...I need some help on how to get rid of this smell...Summer is coming up and that is when it smells the worst.

Answer 1

Tell your slumlord that you rented a house,, not pee. You have a good claim for small claims court, it'll be the best $70 bux you ever spend.

Answer 2

Since your landlord will not let you replace the carpet you only have a few options.

You can try to just replace the pad - but I would only do this if the underlying floor is concrete. You will want to seal the concrete and then put the new pad down. I would clean the above carpet really really well first and then relay it when it is dry. If the underlying floor is wood you are just stuck because you would have to replace the wood to get the smell out and a rental is not worth it.

If you do not want to replace the pad you can go to your local pet store (Petsmart or Petco) and they have specific cleaners for pet odors. You will want to saturate the entire carpet and you may have to do this more than once.

The other thing you can try for quick fixes it to dilute your favorite fabric softener in water and spray the carpet. You may have to do this daily to help with the smell. I use this to help keep all the fabrics in my house smelling fresh. It is much cheaper than other sprays and works much better. You can make it as strong as you would like!

One last thing. By not keeping the house sanitary, your landlord is failing to maintane the house and there fore he is breaking the lease. You can legally move out without recourse however you will probably loose your deposit. You may be able to get it back by taking him to small claims court. If you do decide to move out, send him a certified letter letting him know that he is failing to maitane the house by not replacing the carpet to keep it sanitary and that he has thirty days to do so before you take further legal actions. If he fails to act, then give him the appropriate notice (30 days unless otherwise noted in you lease) that you will be moving due to his failure to maintane the premises, also send this via certified mail. Keep copies of both letters, you will need them in court.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Carpet is the dirtiest thing we have in our homes...

You are dealing with the pad and the floor itself. No matter what you do to the carpet itself you need to replace the padding and treat the floor.

Your landlord will not let you nor will he do it himself? This is a health hazard and can make people sick. If he wont do it get the health people in there and they will make him. Though this will tick him off and he will find a way to make you move.

Just replace the pad and treat the floor without him knowing about it. If your landlord does not show up all the time at the place you can do this on a weekend. If you get busy. Good luck and hope you get that taken care of!

Answer 4

You should have a tenant/landlord association in your county. It's an organization that helps renters know their rights and assert them against their landlords without getting in trouble. It's also a free service. Contact them and watch how fast your landlord responds.

You also have a health issue, particularly if you assert that it's affecting your ability to breathe and is causing lung problems. There's no disputing that you have a right to live in a healthy home, especially when it's rented, and if you can't get action from him then call the County Health department and have them inspect your rental unit for health concerns stemming from unsanitary carpeting. You'll have the upper hand if there's a cease occupancy order issued or a notice of non-compliance with health codes served on him.

Answer 5

since your land lord won't change the carpet or let you change it, and you tried everything for it, and it does not work, I don't think nothing will but to remove the carpet. but there is another solution to this matter. why don't you find another apartment with a different landlord. I have dogs, and I use the deodorant that you throw on the carpet and vacuum it up. and I also use plug in air freshener. good luck.

Answer 6

the only way to get rid of the smell completely is to replace all the carpet and padding. you should also remove any tack strip that has urine on it and seal the floor with paint. If your landlord won't let you replace it then all you can do is mask the smell with deodorizers.

Answer 7

you can try cleaning it all you want, the carpet will be clean but the underlay and wood/concrete floor has to be cleaned, the carpet has to be removed, no other way, been in this business 27 years and it is the only thing that works, tell your landlord to shake his head, if this does not work call Health department, it does pose as a health risk
Hope this helps

Answer 8

Well, you could try a tablespoon of Clorox bleach in your carpet shampooer, that will not discolor the carpet except to brighten it and it will freshen it up a lot. Also, when its dry you could try shaking some baking soda on it and then vacuum.

If it still is overwhelming, you should probably check with the renter's mediation in your area and ask what your rights are; it could be that you have a mold or something you really don't want growing underneath it and that wouldn't be good.

Open those windows and let it air out. Also, VANILLA candles are great for freshening the air.

Answer 9

From my experience of cleaning residential homes this is the best advice I can give:
try each of these and hopefully one will work for you.
baking soda sprinkle lots on let it set for a few days then vaccuum.
or
white vingar sprinkle on let set for about 1/2 hour use a wet vac to retrieve the vingar. Yes, it does have an odor but believe me it will reduce in time enough for the better weather.
I sure hope this helps you. LL.

Answer 10

try using vinegar through a carpet cleaner. or put a jar orf it in a corner or on a shelf. it works well to nutalize. there are also carpet powders that are specificly for pet oder. try sprinkling baking soda in the carpet and leaving it for a few days and vacume it up. other wise, i'm all tapped out for idea's good luck.