Getting rid of the previous owner's "smell"...

djm1972

...but I mean that in the nicest possible way!

We all know everyone's house smells different - is your scent of home. I've just moved into my new house, withe previous family having just moved out after 14 years at the address.

I'm wondering how much of that smell is actually locked up in the carpet? It is filthy - much dirtier than I remember from the viewing..! I'm assuming that the carpet has been there since they moved in, and has had a growing family do all the things that growing families do on their carpet.

My original plan was to live with what's there for a few months whilst I let my bank balance recover, and then I was going to decorate and install good quality carpet - but as the carpet is so dirty and the house so smelly I don't want to do this. (I still love the house by the way!).

So plan B is that since the decor isn't that bad and I can live with it for a few years, I was going to completely recarpet the house with the cheapest I can possibly get - cheapest underlay, cheapest carpet etc. I accept that really cheap carpet only lasts a few years, so when it starts falling to bits that will be when I decorate and install quality carpet.

Any thoughts? Has anyone recarpted before and found it to greatly reduce the "living smell" of the previous owner?

nobblyned

Can't you rent one of those carpet washer thingies from B&Q as a temporary fix. Seems would be cheaper than a new carpet?

BlondeHeadOn

Homebase also hire out carpet cleaners, those 'Rug Doctor' things that work a treat. You would not believe the amount of dirt that comes up out of a clean-looking carpet, so you moght find your filthy one is a completely different colour by the time you've finished! They are only about £13 to hire for 24 hours, so a lot cheaper than a new carpet.

Doozergirl

The carpet holds almost all of it. I'd shy away from the Rug Doctor personally. The smell is enough to make you gag when it's your own family and you do it every few months, let alone someone elses after years.

Buy expensive underlay because it won't need to be replaced, even when you replace the carpet. Good stuff will last for years.

poppy_f1

when we moved in here the previous owners were horsey mad, even though they didnt have horses in or around the house, the smell lingered, we found out before they handed the keys over they paid some of the local boys to clean all the carpets for us moving in, the smell was still here although not as bad as it would have been

luckily my mum had one of those vax hoovers/cleaners and we had a week before we moved out of our old place so every day for a week she came here and cleaned the house inc the carpets so when we did move in the smell wasnt there

the carpets were liveable until we could afford to replace them, which was a few months later as since we needed to completely redecorate the living room (they had cork tiles on the wals to display rosettes) and redo the bathroom the carpets came last

Bexm

Hello!

I'd say give the rug doctor a go before forking out on a new carpet.. We've just moved into a new house and were convinced our carpets were grey!

We decided to get the rug doctor in and it was absolutely brilliant! Our Carpets are actually cream.. It did smell a bit like wet dog for a while whilst its properly drying but it really worked for us, and now the carpet feels almost new... except for he odd stain that just wouldn't budge!

Bex

djm1972

What seems to have happened is that the vendor in trying to clean the house on exist tried to clean one very big stain with some extremely potent chemical that is mixing with the existing "homely" smell.

I've already decided not to keep the carpet, as where they have made this repair I actually cut away the carpet, only to find that this chemical has penetrated the underlay and also the concrete floor below!

I've tried scrubbing with various cleaners, but after the cleaner has evaporated you can still smell whatever it is they've used! It must be that stuff that came out of the Alien in that film....! :eek:

Luckily, I can move into other rooms, so tomorrow I'm going to rip the whole thing up - carpet, underlay and paper.

Would painting the affected area seal it in, or make matters worse!!??

BTman

........................

Zammo

Eat a couple £2.99 microwave jalfrezi's from Somerfield, wait 24 hours then take a dump in the corner of the living room. Leave to settle for a couple of day's and voilà, I can guarantee their smell will be replaced with your own.

:money:

Melissa177

Ewwwww!!!!

aaroncaz

morrisons are hiring out carpet cleaners, £16.99 for day, slightly more with cleaning solution.