While pets are like their children to some people, others are highly allergic and can't stand being around them. When it comes to selling your home, your pets odor, dander and hair, not to mention any damage they've done to the home, should be considered problems you need to fix.
While you might not notice a pet smell in your home, chances are someone who doesn't own pets will notice one, no matter how clean you keep your floors, or how often you change the litter box. So what's a pet owner to do? Well, if a speedy and generous offer on your home is your goal, you might have to invest a bit of time and money cleaning up after your pets.
If you have carpets, these will probably need washing at least, and possibly replacing, depending on their age and your pets bathroom habits. Remember that carpets will hold whatever odors are in the air of your home, and they don't need to have been actually peed on to smell funky. So clean or replace all the carpets, not just those mostly trafficked by said pet.
If you have wood floors, they won't smell so much, but your pets may have scratched them up. It may well be worth having them sanded—or renting a sander and doing it yourself—since restored wood floors are quite popular right now. A fresh coat of stain and those floors will be sparkling.
If your floors are linoleum or vinyl, you may be able to get away with washing them thoroughly to get out any pets smell. But don't judge for yourself. After you've done all the cleaning, have a friend, preferable one who doesn't have pets at home, come in and do a sniff test. Since smells are something we quickly get used to, have them sniff around different rooms as soon as they come into the house. This should tell you if there's any residual odor.
The main thing with getting out pet smells is to not have them come back right away. This is why it might be best for your pets to visit a kennel while your home is up for sale, or at least to be staying with a dog-babysitter on days you know your home will be shown. By getting them out of the house and then cleaning up after them, you make sure that any allergens and odors alike are minimized.
Another important step to minimizing these is to have ventilation or central heating ducts cleaned. These can be full of dust and animal dander. Don't forget to change the filter.
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