Pssst…I can smell your BFF, can you?
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Big dog. Little dog. Big dogs and little dogs. Black and white dogs. These are the first few lines from one of my daughter’s favorite books when she was around 2 years old. Guess what I see every day as a design consultant? Big dogs and little dogs. I also see cats. Long hair cats and short hair cats. Lucky for me, I don’t have pet allergies! Here’s what I want to talk with you about today… I know they are a part of your family, your companion, your confidante, your everything. But here’s the problem that I, as a neutral observer, need to tell you that no one else will. I smell your BFF or BFFs! I can sometimes smell him or her or them before I even enter your house! As an in-home design consultant, I visit people’s homes every single day. I would say that 75% of the homes I visit have pets. I don’t have a problem with that, your pets that is. But the smell? Let’s just say I prefer a home that has a fresher scent. Admittedly, pets are not the only culprit when it comes to disturbing scents, but that’s the topic at the moment. Beyond the initial offense, my concern for you as a pet owner is your health, your children’s health, your guests, and your property value. You probably don’t even know it exists anymore because you’re so used to it.
Here are my recommendations for pet owners:
1. Get Real – You probably don’t smell the odors in your home because you’re so used to it. Get a neutral third party that is not afraid to tell you the truth to clue you in on what’s happening in your house. Do people know you have pets just walking by your home? If so, that’s a problem. Address it. Don’t be offended. Be grateful they’re willing to tell you so you can fix it.
2. Get Help – Have your pets had accidents in the home? Just like children, if you have them, there’s probably been an accident or two. If that’s the case, there will be traces of urine or feces in your carpet which probably soaked through to the pad underneath and sometimes even into the subfloor. Pets are territorial which means if they’ve done their business once, they’ll do it again in the same spot. The only way to remove the urine altogether is probably to replace your carpet or flooring. In some cases, a restoration company may be able to clean the soiled area and cut out the damaged padding, but again, if the subfloor is damaged, that will need to be addressed and you may go through all the effort, but if you don’t remove the pet from the home, guess what, they’ll do it again!
3. Get Practical – Carpet is probably not your best flooring choice. Opt for more low maintenance, easy to clean, less likely to be damaged flooring such as vinyl or tile. Hardwood and laminate are better options than carpet because it won’t absorb the moisture, BUT since urine has chemicals, it will penetrate the seams of the wood or laminate if not addressed right away. Urine is not covered by any of the topical water warranties that some of the higher end wood and laminate products have.
4. Get Clean – Just like small children, pets rely on their parents to clean them and their environment. Regular baths, daily maintenance of their litter boxes, dog runs, and thorough cleaning of your home is absolutely necessary. Having pets means extra dust, hair and dander in the home. Frequent vacuuming, professional carpet cleaning every 6 months, frequent dusting including baseboards and blinds, extra cleaning of fabrics in the home, regular air filter changes and mopping is needed. Extra care should be taken with pregnant women and babies who live in the home to avoid infections. If you experience allergy symptoms regularly, your pets and your environment can be adding to those symptoms.
5. Get Sold. The reality is, most people don’t address these concerns until it’s time to sell. Unfortunately, by then, the damage may be more costly to remedy. If you are in the process of preparing your house to sell, you need a reality check about having pets in the home. It will not help your cause especially in a slow real estate market. Change the flooring, paint, clean, remove the pets from the home during the time your house is on the market. You don’t have to like it, but if you want to sell quickly and for the best price possible, heed the advice.
Hope all you pet owners out there find these tips helpful. I would welcome your feedback. Please feel free to leave your comments below.
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