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Hi, I am moving to Cookeville real soon.
But for your problem. Call the Servpro there in cookeville. Here in Panama City, we have done some great things with both carpet and area rugs. 913-528-9292 they are located at 1313 W. Broad St. Good Luck, Laurie
what should I say when they ask to borrow my new Dirt Devil to clean them? lol ...
loan them the steam cleaner filled with urine-and-feces-smelling residue from the spills you've cleaned and lock it in reverse so the whole mess spills when they turn it on! LOL it's so eeeeeeeeery your family stories resemble mine.....
imo the carpet padding is pretty much toast . sure u can use allllllllllll the carpet cleaner u want and u can hire a professional and all that but in the end its useless if the urine got into the carpet padding (the padding below the carpet). maybe....pull up the carpet, and reclean it again, then replace the carpet padding below, and then...use clorox on the concrete to kill the bacteria. other than those steps, the carpet area will always always smell like urine/crap.
same kind of think happened to me and we were lazy and didnt do a thing and just shampooed the carpet (big mistake). and after years and years, when we finally replaced the carpet (with hardwood floors) we noticed large colonies of black moldy bacteria "things" right in the exact location of were all the dog potty accidents happened and to think over all those years we walked right over that area with our bare feet then sat on the couch or bed etc. i bet that somehow someway, that doggy urine bacteria got into the couch and bed and just about everywhere? at least now if there was an accident we can quickly clean it up and then use anti-bacteria dissenfect
I read all the posts to this point, and then went back and read your original post again.
I just wanted to cry. And here is why.
I have had something similar happen. Not important exactly what. The reason I was so very upset, angry and hurt . . . is b/c I just don't expect people I have treated w/ kindness, charity and civility . . . to just walk away and not even offer so much as a "token gesture" towards recognizing the damage that has occurred. What makes this even sadder is that the "dirty deed," as it were, was perpetrated on you and your environment by your own mother!
Of course you are angry and hurt. Plus, now you are asking yourself (and us!) if having these feelings makes you a bad person.
You were gracious, accommodating, concerned, and sympathetic because of this poor doggie's illness. In addition, you acted as a caretaker to an aging, doubtless miserable, family pet. You did all this in an attempt to keep things running smoothly in your home while hosting two guests,albeit your mother and s/dad. You were probably astounded when, time after time, your efforts to rescue your carpet were ignored. You didn't want to make a huge issue out of it and cause an uproar b/c the hapless animal was not choosing to make your life miserable. However, by their inaction, your parents were allowing you to be caught in a truly untenable situation.
Yes, you welcomed the dog . . . but I am sure you never dreamed you would end up playing Piddle Patrol all day . . . w/ no assistance from the animal's owners!
So what to do. Your mother has not accepted responsibility for ruining your carpet. You feel you should not have to address this directly w/ her b/c she should just be a responsible and caring person and do what is RIGHT on her own. My question to you is: does she have a history of stepping up to do the right thing . . . or is she so wrapped up in herself . . . that she has not spent two moments analyzing the damage . . . and surely never will . . . unless you demand she address the issue?
So in the end . . . it isn't just the carpet damage that has you feeling angry and hurt . . . it is the fact that your own mother has not offered some solution to the distress she has caused. And I suspect that history has taught you . . . even if you oh-so-gently address the issue, she is not going to graciously write you out a check and proffer an apology . . . it is all going to be this big issue . . .cause after all, you SAID the dog could come . . .
You have to do something to take care of your carpet situation. Either clean or replace, as your budget allows, and consider sending the bill to your mom along w/ a note saying you knew she would want to make this right . . . and let the chips fall where they may. If it becomes a huge issue . . . just drop it and move on. But at least you will feel you represented yourself and made it clear that this was not acceptable behavior on your mom's part.
Someone told me a while back . . . we teach people how to treat us. If you don't let people know your boundaries, be prepared to be taken advantage of - and worse yet - disrespected.
I am so sorry your kindness has been repaid so shabbily.
Maybe its payback time for all the times you wee wee'd on your mom's pretty dresses when you were a baby!
Sorry, VAfury's humor was contagious.
I think you have a choice. Get over it, move on, and learn to keep DOGGIE diapers when they show up, or go with VPcats open communication suggestion.
P.S. We had a houseguest who's mutts pooped on our carpets and I ran him off with shotguns a blasting. Ok, a little exageration, but he did leave the next morning, but that's a whole nother story.
How about sending them an e-mail telling them that you couldn't get the smell out of your carpets and it has cost you $250 (or whatever it cost) to clean them and ask them to pay half. Even if they don't, it will get it off your chest and let them know that this was an expense that you incurred due to their visit. And they might surprise you and send a check for the full amount.
Even if you said it was okay to bring their dog, how were you to know that they would have no problem with it using your new carpet (and Turkish rug! eek!) as a personal outhouse? Would it be okay with you if your daughter peed in someone's house on their new carpet? No matter how sick she might be, I think you would be horrified and trying to rectify the situation. Your parents (mother & stepfather) should have been that horrified and apologetic and tried to clean it up themselves. Okay, so the best thing to do would have been to say something when they were trying to step over the treated spots, but you were trying to keep the peace. It isn't working since you're realizing how bad the damage is and smelling it still. You have every right to be angry and upset.
So what to do about it? It sounds like cleaning hasn't worked. Since your carpet was brand new (and especially since they are not financially hampered), I'd send them a bill for the entire amount for replacement. (Be sure to include the cost for a new pad. Don't even try to replace carpet without replacing the padding underneath if it is soiled.) If they complain about it, they can consider it an expensive lesson THEY have learned, to be more considerate in someone else's house next time.
I'm curious--who normally takes care of their dog? Who would normally take the dog outside? Do they have household staff that they feel so entitled to ignore their dog's messes? If they do, they should understand the concept that it costs a price to have that privilege.
And I would also tell them to get a new Turkish rug for you, they can ask your father where he got it from and how much it costs if they are unsure how to find one themselves. (Or, if you want to make it easier on them, find out from your father how much a replacement would cost and include it in the bill you send them.) If they don't like it, so what? What is the worst thing that could happen? You don't like having your home trashed. (And I want to be clear that it isn't the dog's behavior that I find offensive--it is the people's lack of concern that I find offensive.) They didn't want to get their Gucci shoes dirty, so now they can pay for it.
Or you can simmer in your anger over it. Not a pleasant option.
At least if you bring it up, you will feel better about having stood up for yourself. And I like the idea about including a note saying that you knew she would want to take care of the damages. lol
I read all the posts to this point, and then went back and read your original post again.
I just wanted to cry. And here is why.
I have had something similar happen. Not important exactly what. The reason I was so very upset, angry and hurt . . . is b/c I just don't expect people I have treated w/ kindness, charity and civility . . . to just walk away and not even offer so much as a "token gesture" towards recognizing the damage that has occurred. What makes this even sadder is that the "dirty deed," as it were, was perpetrated on you and your environment by your own mother!
Of course you are angry and hurt. Plus, now you are asking yourself (and us!) if having these feelings makes you a bad person.
You were gracious, accommodating, concerned, and sympathetic because of this poor doggie's illness. In addition, you acted as a caretaker to an aging, doubtless miserable, family pet. You did all this in an attempt to keep things running smoothly in your home while hosting two guests,albeit your mother and s/dad. You were probably astounded when, time after time, your efforts to rescue your carpet were ignored. You didn't want to make a huge issue out of it and cause an uproar b/c the hapless animal was not choosing to make your life miserable. However, by their inaction, your parents were allowing you to be caught in a truly untenable situation.
Yes, you welcomed the dog . . . but I am sure you never dreamed you would end up playing Piddle Patrol all day . . . w/ no assistance from the animal's owners!
So what to do. Your mother has not accepted responsibility for ruining your carpet. You feel you should not have to address this directly w/ her b/c she should just be a responsible and caring person and do what is RIGHT on her own. My question to you is: does she have a history of stepping up to do the right thing . . . or is she so wrapped up in herself . . . that she has not spent two moments analyzing the damage . . . and surely never will . . . unless you demand she address the issue?
So in the end . . . it isn't just the carpet damage that has you feeling angry and hurt . . . it is the fact that your own mother has not offered some solution to the distress she has caused. And I suspect that history has taught you . . . even if you oh-so-gently address the issue, she is not going to graciously write you out a check and proffer an apology . . . it is all going to be this big issue . . .cause after all, you SAID the dog could come . . .
You have to do something to take care of your carpet situation. Either clean or replace, as your budget allows, and consider sending the bill to your mom along w/ a note saying you knew she would want to make this right . . . and let the chips fall where they may. If it becomes a huge issue . . . just drop it and move on. But at least you will feel you represented yourself and made it clear that this was not acceptable behavior on your mom's part.
Someone told me a while back . . . we teach people how to treat us. If you don't let people know your boundaries, be prepared to be taken advantage of - and worse yet - disrespected.
I am so sorry your kindness has been repaid so shabbily.
You are very sweet for offering these kind words and thoughts. My mother ... definitely doesn't have a history of stepping up, or anything. She's difficult to read, very "out of it", spacey. Even today in my 30s I have no idea of what to think of her. (She was ... not a good mother, my sister and I both had to be pulled from her house). Her third career was actually as a counseling social worker, so I always go to her with personal issues and either she just shrugs her shoulders or if I push her, she comes out with a response that shows she isn't following anything at all, whatsoever.
My father (her ex of many decades) is just magnanimous, high-minded, has a philosophy of investing in his children and in education (he paid for my entire college education, which was $$; she wouldn't pay anything). So I think both my sister and I struggle with this contrast. My father actually gets angry if anyone tries to pick up the check - it's not the pecking order!; my mother coyly turns her head when the check arrives. And again, she has the hybrid Lexus SUV with the warming seats and all of the newest electronic devices.
But, all is good, except for my carpet, my new, beautiful carpet. And my crazy mother. But life is good otherwise!!
You all are so terrific. (I'm out of rep for the day and my daughter is begging to go to bed - I'm like "be a good girl and go watch some tv!" ).
I had sent a ridiculous email before my first post saying I might have to exchange a Christmas present for a new steam cleaner, etc. It was not the direct approach, but it was before I had read your posts, and it was still part of my "hinting" phase. She has replied, but I haven't opened it yet. I hadn't even considered that the padding might be ruined. [This potent smell really started today - maybe I'm missing some obvious source].
Good golly, leave it to me to move into a house in pristine condition and just ... blah ... in 4 months.
Anydaynow ... they have a lot of hardwood flooring in their house, but the dog just deteriorated extremely quickly! The poor thing - one of my last memories was when I was trying to let him in my back screen door, and he was on the wrong side of the screen trying to get in. It was all very sad. My stepfather was giving him those beautiful "face to face" talks in soft voice - you know, when the dog is lying down, and you're leaning down and talking, the way you only do in the last few days. I've been there.
Location: Lots of sun and palm trees with occasional hurricane :)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by littleword
imo the carpet padding is pretty much toast . sure u can use allllllllllll the carpet cleaner u want and u can hire a professional and all that but in the end its useless if the urine got into the carpet padding (the padding below the carpet). maybe....pull up the carpet, and reclean it again, then replace the carpet padding below, and then...use clorox on the concrete to kill the bacteria. other than those steps, the carpet area will always always smell like urine/crap.
same kind of think happened to me and we were lazy and didnt do a thing and just shampooed the carpet (big mistake). and after years and years, when we finally replaced the carpet (with hardwood floors) we noticed large colonies of black moldy bacteria "things" right in the exact location of were all the dog potty accidents happened and to think over all those years we walked right over that area with our bare feet then sat on the couch or bed etc. i bet that somehow someway, that doggy urine bacteria got into the couch and bed and just about everywhere? at least now if there was an accident we can quickly clean it up and then use anti-bacteria dissenfect
I was going to suggest just getting rid of the carpets. You can't have pets with carpets. They just don't go together.
But I guess the OP only had a "pet guest". Anyway, yeah, switch to hardwood or marble floors. Maybe porcelain. Not as flimsy and delicate as marble but marble looks AWESOME!
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. sure u can use allllllllllll the carpet cleaner u want and u can hire a professional and all that but in the end its useless if the urine got into the carpet padding (the padding below the carpet). maybe....pull up the carpet, and reclean it again, then replace the carpet padding below, and then...use clorox on the concrete to kill the bacteria. other than those steps, the carpet area will always always smell like urine/crap.
On being the good daughter . . .
