If your previous occupant had pets, odds are that they will leave unwanted pet odors behind. A reeking rental property can be tough to rent out, particularly if your new tenants don’t have pets or are extremely allergic to pet odors. Eliminating pet odors from a rental property can be tricky, particularly if the tenant lived there a long time or the pets involved a lot of damage. To restore your property and get the pet odors out, here are a few tips from the pros that may help.
Assess the Damage
The first step to eliminating pet odors is to try and figure out what is causing them. Look for areas where the previous tenant’s pets may have urinated or defecated, for example on carpets, walls, or trim. You may also want to use a blacklight to help you locate any urine stains. Just be aware that pet stains can frequently penetrate below the surface and may be coming from carpet padding or even the drywall. If there is any visible damage, such as urine stains or torn-up carpeting, these will have to be faced.
Deep Cleaning and Odor Removal
As soon as you have detected where pet odors are coming from, it’s time to deep clean the entire house. Using a steam cleaner or hot water extraction method on carpets and upholstery can help eliminate any residual smells. Use an enzymatic cleaner that has been designed specifically for pet messes on hard surfaces such as tile or wood floors. These cleaners break down the bacteria that cause odors rather than just momentarily disguising the smell.
If the pet odor problem is particularly stubborn, think about hiring a professional carpet cleaning or odor removal service. These professionals have specialized equipment and techniques that can effectively tackle tough odors.
Nevertheless, it’s important to note that even deep cleaning will generally just remove surface odors and perhaps not eradicate deeper smells embedded in floors, walls, cabinets, or carpeting.
Repair and Replace
If the deep cleaning didn’t eliminate the pet odors, it might be necessary to replace heavily soiled materials such as carpets, pads, subfloor, or even drywall and trim. This can be costly but may be required if deep cleaning isn’t enough to eliminate the odor. For example, if pet stains have penetrated through the paint on a wall, repainting may or may not do anything to get rid of the smell. The same thing goes for flooring. In serious cases, you may need to replace sections of flooring, drywall, and trim to eliminate all pet odors completely.
Prevent Future Odors
As soon as you’ve positively gotten rid of pet odors, it’s important for Tigard property managers to take measures to prevent them from coming back. For future tenants with pets, require them to use odor control procedures such as pee pads or regularly clean up after their pets are outside. It’s also a good idea to routinely deep clean carpets and upholstery, even if there are no pets in the rental property. This can help avoid odors from building up and becoming a problem in the future.
Overall, getting rid of pet odors in a rental property can be difficult. Still, with deep cleaning and potentially replacing heavily soiled materials, you can restore your property and make it more appealing to potential tenants.
If you do not want to deal with issues like stinky rental properties and pet addendums on lease contracts, Real Property Management Assurance has your solution. We’re the local property management experts who can help your Tigard rental investment thrive. To learn more about our services, contact us online.
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