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Post by puppybox on Apr 22, 2009 9:00:13 GMT -5
where is mouse? she had this same problem and conquered it. it can be done. and your landlord would rather you fix the problem then have you move and have to find another tenant, I'm SURE.
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Post by Di Dreaming on Apr 22, 2009 9:01:22 GMT -5
CL, it is pulling up some seriously disgusting stuff... right now the smell probably SEEMS worse, but I can tell that it's really removing the source of the problem.
I agree with the others about professional cleaning and I agree with you on the use of special cleaners, but sometimes finances don't allow for that. This is cheap and effective.
I am at it again this morning -- this time the other side of the hall. The side that I got yesterday had dark stains that extended out from either side that were very dark. Today I can barely see them. A couple more deep treatments over the next week or and I will see the hall looking decent again. I will probably bleach the carpet with the carpet cleaner after I get all the ammonia out.
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on Apr 22, 2009 12:36:58 GMT -5
We recently had our old, nasty, nasty carpets replaced with vinyl--the most "pet-friendly" of floors. We have 3 cats and 5 dogs, and several parts of our sub-flooring had to be replaced due to pet urine damage. Even I was surprised at the extent of the damage.
I don't know what your financial situation is, but chances are your landlord will need to replace the carpeting after you move out. Perhaps he would be willing to cut a deal with you to split the cost of vinyl flooring? Maybe with monthly installment payments from you?
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Post by Lucky Laura Loving Life on Apr 22, 2009 14:55:55 GMT -5
Dear my2cats,
You seem to have worked very hard on this issue! Give yourself a pat on the back.Your fur-babies are doing what you said,developed an aversion/fear when they didn't like the box and now are stuck in a bad habit.Mine did this and I know how frustrating it is. I did find this link:
www.catsofaustralia.com/urinestainremoval.htm#Recipe0
There is some good info available. Good Luck,Laura
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Post by messyjedi on Apr 22, 2009 15:15:55 GMT -5
I would definitely go the rug doctor route rather than hiring someone for the reasons you have already stated. Once over by the pros may just bring the smell out more. We use natures miracle here for pet odors and find it works well.
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Post by tinasabrina on Apr 22, 2009 17:23:14 GMT -5
My2cats, First of all, I want you to know how very much I feel for you on this issue. You are not alone- I just left an apartment about 2 months ago because of the management's nastiness. And I have 3 cats. The biggest problem I think is that the cat owner has been smelling the odor for so long, they really DON'T smell it anymore. Such was the case with me. My former apt. manager came in for an inspection and said "Are the kitties using a litter box? 'Cause it certainly doesn't smell like it." I honestly didn't know what he was talking about. When I finally just gave up and moved, despite the lease, I picked up some clothes from my bedroom closet floor and discovered one of the cats had made her own litter box there. I knew she spent a lot of time in there but it didn't dawn on me she could be toileting in there. I'm a big fan of the plug-in air fresheners too. I think they're wonderful. But I do have to remind myself that they don't compensate for whatever is present in the apartment creating a foul odor. They essentially just emit a cloud of perfume in the air. Try quietly watching your cats and I bet you will observe them toileting somewhere they shouldn't. They can be awful sneaky about it. They could have a health problem that's causing them to do it such as worms or bladder infection. I too used to write letters of apology to my apartment management. I just hope and pray I never am in the situation of having to do it again. Having the carpets shampooed sounds like a great step. I would let the pros do it because they will be able to smell what you cannot and they should have products for pet odors. Good luck and let us know how things go!
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Post by Magpie on Apr 22, 2009 22:35:05 GMT -5
HOWEVER .... I have heard that the BEST product is "Kennel Odor Eliminator" (K.O.E.), made by the Thornell Corporation. Thornell makes products for odors for various animals including cats. I've been told however that the best product of theirs (even for cats) is the Kennel one. On former forums at Squalor Survivors, someone wrote that this product had worked in extreme cases. Might've been me. It was used on a foreclosed house that had been abandoned ... with over 60 cats inside. See www.foreclosurecats.org/. They were able to resurrect the house sufficiently that it was no longer odorous! I've not used it myself, though I bought a bottle. It has a strong scent unopened and I don't do well with those. If it is possible to pull the carpet up along the edges and flip it over, you may see stains where the cats have peed and can focus your efforts, plus attack from the back side. It might be expensive and definitely laborious, but if you can take up the carpet and maybe the pad, a corner at a time perhaps: 1) clean, then seal the subfloor with Kilz (or similar sealant product), 2) clean or replace the pad, 3) clean and re-tack the carpet down That might reduce any odor sufficiently to be undetectable. And yes, Nature's Miracle treated carpet will smell until it completes the enzymatic breakdown and drys thoroughly. Maggie
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Post by phoebepj on Apr 23, 2009 1:25:25 GMT -5
I use Odo-Ban.. you can get it at walmart... it comes in a white bottle with green lettering. Its pet friendly and safe and has a eucalyptus smell... I used it on the closet that my cats destroyed with their urine (similar situation to seeping through carpet on to unprotected hardwood floors) It's eliminated the smell... now i spray it once in a while around the corners of the apartment to continue keeping "cat" smells away. As for the litterbox... maybe getting brand spanking new litterboxes... then your cat wont smell the old one.. cats smell is particularly sensitive to odors. I discovered fresh step scoopable litter is THE BEST litter out there. It literally DOESNT smell!!! My mom has a very sensitive nose and LOVES the stuff.
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on Apr 23, 2009 2:41:16 GMT -5
My dogs pee on the floor every day; I recently made some washable pee pads, and they're great! You can buy rubber sheeting in any fabric store; I just sewed white towels onto one side. I put them wherever the dogs pee; when they're soiled, just toss in the washing machine. Now I can spend more time doing fun stuff with my dogs, instead of mopping the floor.
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my2cats
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Post by my2cats on Apr 23, 2009 8:02:45 GMT -5
Hey guys - thanks for all the ideas and feedback!
I installed weatherstripping on the door to my hall last night, so hopefully that will help in the short-term of keeping the odor out of the hall.
It sounds like if the odor has sunk all the way into the concrete using something like Kilz would be good - but I have never installed carpet, and I'm afraid of making it obvious I've pulled it up. It sounds like online I would need to restretch the carpet to get it back down properly.
I've already sprayed some enzyme-based cleaner all over the bedroom (I got a pressurized sprayer at Walmart meant for gardens, and filled it with enzyme cleaner). I doubt it was enough to soak through but I'm hoping it'll keep the odor down for the moment. I don't have a ton of time to work on the problem till this weekend, and I know carpet cleaning can be a pretty time-intensive process.
I'm thinking I'll try the Rug Doctor this weekend, and then put a fan on the carpet for a day or two to see if I can fully dry it. (Do I ask the landlord over at that point to check? I'm really not sure what the next steps are, or if I'm off the hook if I just get the smell out of the hall).
If that isn't successful, I will try the professional carpet cleaner. Problem is, I'm running a little low on funds at the moment due to taxes, but I will be in better shape by the 1st and should be able to afford the professional cleaners if it's necessary (I'm assuming they wouldn't charge more than about $200 for 2 rooms - probably 300-400 sq feet of carpeted area).
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my2cats
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Post by my2cats on Apr 23, 2009 8:06:38 GMT -5
Also.. I'm thinking I will overall just try to make the apartment look "spotless". It was a little messy when the maintenance people came by before, not terrible, but things were stacked on tables and shelves and I hadn't wiped down the counters in a while.
Perhaps if everything looks great, and I'm making a visible effort to clean the carpets and address the odor, he'll give me more time to deal with it.
I'm hoping it works in my favor that I'm otherwise a good tenant.. never been late on rent, am always quiet in my apartment (lady across the hall actually thought I had moved out because she didn't see or hear me for 6 weeks..), and am trying to handle this as professionally and quickly as possible. I'm thinking if he had already made up his mind to kick me out the letter would have provided more of an ultimatum and "you have until X day" to fix this.
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my2cats
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Post by my2cats on Apr 23, 2009 8:19:03 GMT -5
I think part of the problem is I live next door to one of the maintenance guys. I'm pretty sure he is the one who complained to management. A few months ago the lady across the hall told me he had been asking her if she smelled something bad in the hall, and she told him she didn't smell anything.. I don't know if she was trying to be nice and give me a warning, or if she really didn't smell it, but apparently he had been asking the other neighbors in the hall about it. (I'm thinking she actually didn't notice it.. she is not usually subtle. Based on other things she has said to me, I think she would just tell me if she thought my apartment smelled. Nice lady, but pretty blunt.)
A while back, I caught the maintenance guy coming in my apartment in the middle of the day when I was home from work (and I don't think he expected me to be there). No knock - door just started to open and I said "Excuse me?!" - he said "Er, sorry, wrong door" and left quickly. I'm pretty sure that was an "off-the-record" invasion since even if they're wanting to do a surprise check for something like odor they are supposed to knock.
And on a somewhat different note - I took a course on Perception in grad school and it can take about 2 weeks to deacclimate to odors. It's too bad I can't go on vacation for 2 weeks and come back to see what it smells like.
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my2cats
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Post by my2cats on Apr 23, 2009 8:30:58 GMT -5
I also got an extra litterbox for the living room but haven't brought it in from the car yet... I am a little embarrassed and want to bring it in at night when I won't run into my neighbors. I forgot to get the black light though! Looks like it's back to PetSmart after work.
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