TYPE OF INSTALLATION: Residential
DATE INSTALLED: –––––
METHOD: Stretch-In
CUSHION: Rubberized Hair Jute
DENSITY:
SUBFLOOR: Plywood
AREA INSTALLED: One Bedroom
USE & MAINTENANCE INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION
LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE:
ADULTS: 1 CHILDREN: 0 PETS: 1
TYPE OF PET(s): Cat(s)
TEMPERATURE 68.6°F - 20.3° C
RELATIVE HUMIDITY: 54%
VACUUM TYPE: Canister
FREQUENCY:
DO THEY SMOKE?
ENTRY MATS: Yes
CONDITION of TEXTILE: Bad
SOIL:
Heavily Soiled
HEATING TYPE: Central Force Air Gas
COOLING TYPE: None
CLEANING: Date and
Method Not Recorded
PROTECTANTS APPLIED: None
CONSUMER SPOTTING AGENTS: Bleach
OTHER TREATMENTS:
The bedroom has reportedly been heavily damaged by a cat.
This free standing house is located in a residential neighborhood in the northern section of the San Gabriel Valley. The condition of the house is good.
The claimant rented the bedroom in question to a college student. At the time of the
move-in, the renter introduced a pet cat that was reportedly in violation of the rental
agreement. The renter reported that the cat was not a problem. After two years the renter
moved out.
The claimant reported that during the whole rental period, she was denied access to the
room and did not know of the extent of damages that might have been done by the pet. Upon
examination after the renter moved out, the carpet was found damaged and a foul urine like
odor was present.
It was reported that the renter has acknowledged the urine damage to the carpet and has
offered to pay half of the replacement price of the carpet. It was reported that the
renter had used bleach to spot clean some of the urine problems.
The bedroom and carpet in question is located on the second floor of this home. The
carpet in this room is different from the carpet in the hallway. The smell of urine was
horrendous when entering the bedroom. Fleas were a problem while in this room.
The carpet along the northern edge of the room near the window is yellow along the
wall’s edge as seen in photograph number one. The carpet under the bed also was
yellow as seen in photograph number two. In addition to the yellowing as seen in
photograph number two a brown crusty material was found on the carpet. This brown material
is similar in appearance to feces. The carpet was pulled back and water rings were
observed on the jute backing. Black mildew like growth was discovered on the carpet’s
cushion as seen in photograph numbers three and four. The cushion was also pulled back.
Water marks and darkened areas were discovered on the subfloor as seen in photograph
numbers five and six.
Close examination of the yellow areas of the face yarn revealed a contrast in pile. The
yellow area does not have the bulk of the non-affected area as seen in photograph number
seven.
The claimant reports that the side board of the bed was damaged by the cat. Scratch marks
of this damage can be seen in photograph number eight The carpet in the area next to the
wall was not yellow as seen in photograph number nine.
The smell of urine was also noticed in the bath tub attached to the bathroom of this
bedroom.
An ammonium salts test was performed using a test kit from E. M Science. This test
involved using a small portable hot water-extraction machine and distilled water. Ammonium
salts are a by product of urine deposits. The water was tested prior to and after the
extraction was done. The results of this test revealed that there were no ammonium salts
prior to being used in the affected areas and afterwards the tests showed the presence of
ammoniated salts.
Numerous pH tests were taken using a pHep + Pen by Hannaź. This device is accurate to ±
0.1 and was calibrated with a laboratory testing solution immediately before these tests
were made. All tests were made using distilled water with a pH of 7.0. The test results
were as follows:
Yellow area before cleaning 8.1 8.4
8.1 8.3 8.2 Ave. 8.22
non-affected areas 7.3 6.4 6.5
6.4 6.5 Ave. 6.62
After Cleaning 5.9 6.0 6.1
5.9 5.8 Ave. 5.94
The question that I been asked to address is: did the affects of the urine go beyond the carpet?
The presence of urine can be confirmed by:
1. lower pHs than the surrounding carpet
2. the smell of urine
3. the presence of ammonium salts.
Urine Damage is excessive when
1. it goes through the carpet into the cushion and subfloor
2. bacteria and mildew starts growing
Wool dissolves completely in a five percent solution of sodium hypochlorite. It can
hold up to 95 percent of its weight in water when wet to the touch and retain up to 30
percent its weight in water dry to the touch.. The Wool Secretary recommends cleaning wool
at pHs between 5.0 to 8.5.
According to the FLOOR COVERING DICTIONARY Wool is defined as the flooring:
WOOL - The fibrous, usually crisped, growth on the skin of certain animals, especially the
sheep. The fibers of wool are made of Kevatin, a sclero-protein, and have rough, scaly
cuticles, which wool into one another when the fibers are spun into yarn. Wool for
carpeting is imported from foreign countries, in particular, New Zealand, Australia and
England, The use of wool in carpet goes back to over 2000 BC and is considered to be the
oldest and finest face fiber. The distinct parts of the wool fiber are the Epidermis
Cortex and Medula. The carpet fiber is known for its inherent flame retardance. It is the
least stain-resistant of carpet fibers. A chemical identification test for wool is that it
dissolves slowly in concentrated chlorine bleach. In wool carpeting, brittleness,
discoloration and deterioration can be caused by sunlight or high alkalinity.
Urine Stain is defined in the Flooring Covering Dictionary as “a complete mixture of
urea, uric acids, organic salts, pigments, etc. Smell becomes harder with age.
The likely reasons the pH reading started out high could be due to residues of the
bleach. After the extraction was done for the ammonium salts, old urine could have been
pulled from deep in the carpet. The likely reason that the face yarns in picture seven do
not have the same bulk and definition as the surrounded fibers is likely due to the
reported use of bleach to clean up the urine. Straight bleach would have completely
dissolved the fiber. The bleach used must have been diluted.
The ammonium salts test also confirm the reports of the renter and claimant. However, the
real issue again is did the problem go beyond the carpet. The pictures speak for
themselves. Helping confirm urine damage beyond the carpet is the presence of mildew
growth on the plywood subfloor and additional confirmations of urine odor.
Since the plywood is affected, replacing the carpet and cushion will not solve the
problem. Since plywood has mildew growing on it, it will be very difficult to fix the
subfloor problem. The most intensive damage is along the north wall as seen in photographs
five and six. Picture ten shows that the problem was not limited to just this area. The
evidence of this is the transfer of pigment from the cushion to the plywood.
The urine odor goes beyond the damage done to the carpet and is found in the cushion and subfloor. This conclusion is based on the pH and ammonium salts tests and the observations that can be seen in the photographs.
The inspector agrees with the renter and the claimant that the carpet should be
replaced. This consideration should also include the cushion as well.
Chemical fogging of both odor counteractants and disinfectants will be necessary to deal
with the odor and the source. Odor counteractants that are Hot Dry Fogged work best. There
are generally no guarantees on this type service. Repeats are sometimes necessary.
The subfloor problem is not going to be as easy to fix. One method that might be effective
would be to seal the subfloor with white-pigment shellac in combination with a compatible
antimicrobial. Since this plan only conceals the problem and does not eliminate it, it
might be best to replace the subfloor and any effected area beyond that. Since the urine
damage is present throughout the bedroom, the entire subfloor should be dealt with.