Wait until after this weekend, then ask the landlord what kind of credit you should get for the 3 days you were out of the apartment. If he says “none” then contact someone with some authority (tenant’s rights association, etc.) and ask, or just suck it up if you think the landlord is open to replacing the carpets if the cleaning doesn’t work. Last thing you want to do is antagonize him before your stinky carpet problem is solved.
It’s true, he’s been awesome through the whole thing, and he’s said that he’d be up for taking other measures if the problem doesn’t get better. So I’d hate to be on bad terms with him when he gets a check at the end of the month that’s a couple days short. Plus he said the carpets would be dry and habitable at the end of the day, so we’re allowed to come back the same day we left (no required nights away).
I’d consider moving out if the landlord weren’t being such a great guy about this, and if the apartment weren’t in such a prime location, and if it didn’t take me 6 rejections to get a place, and if I didn’t have a cat, and if school hadn’t started yet. The rental market in Santa Cruz is absurd.
Sounds like your best plan is to continue working with the guy to find an acceptable solution then. Hopefully the cleaning over the weekend went well and the smell stays gone. Good luck!
HOLY CARP! When I walked back into the apartment, it smelled so awful. Even with the windows open all weekend. Upon further investigation, although it did look like someone had been in the apartment, there was no evidence of cleaning – no streak marks from a vacuum or steamer, the single piece of furniture we could not fit into the kitchen had not moved, the lines left by the box spring (which was resting directly on the floor) were still clearly visible in the carpet.
I was pretty upset. I called the landlord and asked him what’s up: did anyone come clean, or didn’t they?
Turns out the enzymatic cleaner is a spray, so they only had to spray around the “affected area” at a rate of “one gallon per area.” I sure hope they didn’t use one gallon on my entire apartment.
I know it takes a couple of days for the smell to get eaten up, but my fear is that I’ve gotten so used to the smell that I won’t notice whether or not it’s still there. I left for a couple hours, and when I came back it wasn’t that bad. But when I sat on the carpet in the middle of the living room – HOLY MOLY get me a shower to wash that stuff off, stat.
The enzymes will make a smell of their own while they’re doing their job… Give it a few days.
Everything in Santa Cruz is absurd. Prices, people, rules about doing stuff (especially skateboarding).
I’m saying go the ‘stupid internet meme’ road, and kill the carpet with fire.
While its still in the apartment.
I’m hoping fire moved out after…checks…14 years.
It was me!