Houselopnik - Oppo advice

"McLarry" (McLarry) 03/28/2014 at 18:15 • Filed to: oppoadvice, houselopnik, catlopnik, allergylopnik

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Howdy folks...the missus and I are house-hunting. We've found one in the area we need to move to and in the proper price range, etc... There are a couple mild issues, though so I'm askin' for wisdom on my favorite corner on the interweb. Right now I'm considering one major problem....The current owners have a cat. I have nothing against them, but my immune system sure seems to, so if we're gonna seriously consider this house, I gotta seriously consider what needs to be done with it to clean it up. This doesn't seem insurmountable, but there are two big hurdles:

1) Most of the house is carpeted and the carpet is still in decent shape - prolly wouldn't bother with it if not for the cat, but in light of the situation I'm weighing the options between having Stanley Steamer or some similar outfit clean the crap out of it or replacing it altogether. Cleaning would certainly be cheaper, but...is it enough? Anybody out there have experience with this?

2) They've apparently been running their HVAC system without a filter for who knows how long...The house isn't that old, so max 10 yrs. I've heard some folks say get the vents cleaned anyway if you're allergic to the previous owners' pets so it's certainly on the agenda, but again: is it enough?

In appreciation for any wisdom you might offer, I present you with a very dedicated pit crew (or at least a picture of one):

Brian Silvestro > McLarry 03/28/2014 at 18:20

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I'd say having the carpets cleaned professionally is enough, those guys use industrial grade machines to get every hair out of the carpet. I don't know much about the vents but I'm sure cleaning them is enough.

Joe_Limon > Brian Silvestro 03/28/2014 at 18:22

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The hair comes out pretty easy, but if the cats have sprayed, that stench sticks.

McLarry > Brian Silvestro 03/28/2014 at 18:24

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Thanks for the advice. This is what I'm hoping for, as it's a lot easier on the wallet :P

Brian Silvestro > Joe_Limon 03/28/2014 at 18:24

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Shit I forgot about that. I mean, if the cleaning doesn't work then you can always take out the carpet later, if it's not too much of an issue.

Brian Silvestro > McLarry 03/28/2014 at 18:25

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And even if it doesn't work you can still take out the carpets later!

Lekker > McLarry 03/28/2014 at 18:29

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Eh. Don't sweat it a whole lot.

I am deathly allergic (as in, my eyes will water and I will get sniffles.. not really deadly) to cats and dogs, but mostly cats. After I bought my house I learned the previous owner had 2 cats. I learned this by accident while talking to one of the neighbors who apparently knew the owners. Either way, a good carpet clean with a good vacuum and a hipoalergenic filter and you won't ever have an issue with the carpet. The dust particles due to the non-existent filter are what will be fun to get rid of. For that I just recommend airing out the place well, and using cleaning wipes throughout the house.

I will admit, I own two dogs now. So you're probably thinking short-haired dogs that don't have as much.. whatever it's called.... nah I got two Huskies. So hair is literally everywhere. So me and my wife clean up as normal, but spent a few extra bucks on a really good vacuum and it hasn't become an issue. I've had the dogs for two years now, and I'm still allergic. I don't however live every day sneezing or with swollen eyes. With proper cleaning a little bit at a time you can get rid of what causes you allergies. For me that simply meant vacuum well and don't clean the inside of the vacuum ANYWHERE nearby. You'll notice if you or the misses does, I sure as fudge do.

Another cheap solution I personally took was to replace some carpet myself with wood laminate. I went to Costco and found a nice set, bought a few boxes for a good price and put them on myself with no tools other than a saw and a hammer. Oh and I'm a programmer, so experience is definitely not needed.

TL;DR : Clean it well, heck if you can afford it then replace it. You will be fine.

SPNKiX > McLarry 03/28/2014 at 18:31

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What you would be concerned about is what has passed all the way through the carpet. This may not actually be a problem- check with someone who has allergies like yours. My wife is allergic to pretty much all things and we have moved in and out of a lot of places in the last ten years without any issues with previous pet owners. That's partly because I pulled up carpet and redid the wood floors in one house that had had a big, dumb dog messing it up. Maybe your seller's cat is really not that dirty.

The vents are not a problem. I would get a quote for carpet replacement and then maybe use it to negotiate further. Of course, I am in CA so a few grand here and there means little in the entire selling price of a house so negotiating something like that may be less challenging.

McLarry > SPNKiX 03/28/2014 at 18:36

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Yeah the place seemed pretty clean...I could feel the allergy affects after a while, but not nearly as bad as at most cat owners' houses

McLarry > Brian Silvestro 03/28/2014 at 18:37

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Good point. I was thinking it would be super easy to do while the house is completely empty, but if we do it later we have to deal with furniture. Assuming a contractor is doing the installation, I'm guessing there would be some difference in price between doing a furnished room vs an empty one, but I have no idea what that would be...

Brian Silvestro > McLarry 03/28/2014 at 18:48

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That makes sense also. What you could do is go to one of the carpet cleaning companies and ask them about the situation, since I'm sure they're very well versed in matters such as this one.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > McLarry 03/28/2014 at 18:59

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This is, indeed, a picture one could call brutally awesome.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > McLarry 03/28/2014 at 19:01

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I love this photo

Auto Guy > McLarry 03/28/2014 at 19:20

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I share your cat allergy. A lot. Pro clean the carpets. Ducts are absolutely equally important. I've also had good luck with allergy shots, for what it's worth. I honestly believe the house and carpet are both salvageable, especially, as others have noted, a professional carpet cleaner has his way with an empty (no furniture) house.

Clown Shoe Pilot > McLarry 03/28/2014 at 20:17

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you should be able to get by with a deep clean on the carpets. I'd be WAY more worried about what's jamming up the coils/heat exchanger in the HVAC. If they were running without a filter, that thing is very possibly totally jacked up. Have a pro take a look and make sure any repairs come out of the seller's end of the deal.