Many households develop odors ranging from mild to strong. Poor ventilation can create stale air, a damp environment can cause a musty, mildew odor. Others are caused by direct contact with a contaminant such as pet urine, vomit, and other offensive sources. These require odor treatment services which we provide.
Pet Odors
Dog and cat urine are common to many households. If treated immediately while in a neutral state, odors and damage are minimized. However, many times the pet urine has dried, turned alkaline and develops an ammonia-like odor. Frequently this is accompanied by discoloration. In the case of wall to wall carpets, urine sometimes penetrates the carpet backing or is absorbed in the padding making complete odor removal more difficult.
Area rugs saturated with urine should often be sent out. However, for small accidents, most on-site treatments are highly successful. That decision often hinges on whether the problem is repetitive and what the value of the affected rug is.
We use enzyme based products that work to eliminate odors. They work by gradually digesting and neutralizing the source of the odor. They are designed to treat uric acid which causes these types of pet odors. In the case of area rugs, sometimes it’s advisable to replace the padding. If the problem is a recurring problem, it’s often sensible to take a more limited approach to keep costs at a reasonable level. We care about animals and recognize they’re important members of any family and try to provide a fair and reasonably priced service as pets will be pets.
Pet odor removal on upholstery is more involved where the accident occurred on the upholstery frame since there is no direct access to the underlying material. There are different ways to handle this. Upholstery cushions are handled differently since the covers can be removed and washed if necessary. They should generally be hung wet to help avoid shrinkage and be done professionally. The interior of the cushion is treated in many ways depending upon the composition of the material. We carefully evaluate your upholstery to determine what should be done.
Some homeowners elect to wash cushion covers. There are risks involving the types of detergents which often have brighteners that alter the color so that the appear lighter than the rest of the upholstery. Also, placing cushion covers in a dryer can cause shrinkage so that they bulge.
Pet Stains
Pet stains are sometimes permanent. We carefully inspect this type of damage and explain what can be achieved prior to commencing any work. In many situations, they are yellow in appearance and can be neutralized completely. For more serious damage with a higher contrast, we try to reduce the contrast so that it’s not that noticeable. In severe situations, particularly on area rugs, there could be dye bleeding. Although that can often be permanent, sometimes it is reversible. Each situation is different.
Mildew Odors
Mildew odors are usually caused by excess moisture, high humidity and flooding. For odor treatment, we use antimicrobial products to address this. This type of disinfecting is highly successful and typically not expensive. For severe issues such as flooding, the work is more involved. Quite often the carpet has to be lifted, to remove the soaked padding and things are reinstalled. The use of air movers and dehumidifiers add a lot to the cost. The carpet is then cleaned and disinfected.
One of the recommendations we make for customers that have repeated flooding problems in basements is to have their carpeting glued down if the need for padding is not important. Although padding insulates and for children can cushion a fall, if possible, gluing the carpet directly to the basement without padding not only reduces costs, but future floods will be far simpler to deal with.
Mamaroneck, NY 914-381-7305
Mt. Kisco, NY 914-242-3944
White Plains, NY 914-391-2197
Greenwich, CT 203-869-4158
Stamford, CT 203-348-4647
