Deodorizing rental after 7 ferrets

Question
Hi - We own a new townhouse that was leased by a family for two years - we knew they had a cat but we didn't know they had ferrets - SEVEN of them, running wild all over the house.  Needless to say when they moved, we had to replace all the carpeting (it was saturated with pee), we washed and scrubbed and painted all the walls, woodwork & ceilings, we coated all the flooring with KILL, and it still smells like a gerbil cage.  Is there something else we can do?  It is not rentable in the smelly condition it's in - our next step is to sue these tenants.   HELP!!!

Thanks

Answer
Hi Joan:

I'm so very sorry this happened to you!  You must be just sick over it!

The product that seems to be the most effect in removing ferret urine - that's what the smell is actually coming grom - is called "Nature's Miracle".  Ferrets do back up into corners when they use the bathroom; they will even have 'false corners' created by a piece of furniture sitting on the floor, etc..so it's not just a corner created by a wall; there could be hundreds of 'corners' in a room, unfortunately. Because Nature's Miracle is 'enzyme' based, it actually eliminates the source of the odor instead of masking the odor. Of course you would have to literally saturate the affected area with Nature's Miracle, then allow it to dry completely; then wash the area again.  Saturate a second time with Nature's Miracle and let it dry. Wash the area to remove residue and let it dry again. HOPEFULLY by now the odor is gone?  I cannot even imagine the mess seven free-roaming ferrets could leave in a room for that period of time.  As a ferret owner, I am thoroughly embarassed. Heck, for that matter, as a human being I'm embarassed!

Another thing I think I would do if I were in your shoes - hopefully you are in a good size city that would have some companies who do this type of service - there are folks who do crime scene clean ups, like when people commit suicide by taking a shotgun to their head in a room with shag carpet that can't be removed; must be cleaned, etc.  Sorry for the graphic detail, but you need to know what I'm talking about to get the right people. You might even want to get a referral from a police homicide detective actually.  Anyway, the company you would be looking for would be listed under "Janitorial Services" in the telephone book AND it would say something like "extreme situation clean-ups" or "crime scene specialists", hopefully you get the idea and there is someone in your area.

Yes, this IS going to cost money.  And YES, I absolutely think you should sue the tenants who would let seven ferrets run loose in your nice new townhouse, then move out and leave a mess like that for you to clean up. WHY should you have to shoulder the expense and inconvenience of this outrageous and completely uncalled-for disaster area these morons have left?  They certainly wouldn't have thought it was acceptable if it had looked that way the day THEY were moving in........then again, maybe they wouldn't even have noticed. <sigh>     

I just hope you won't judge all ferret owners from the ones you've met thus far!  Best of luck - and please find your local small claims court so you hopefully won't even have to pay an attorney - you've already had too much aggravation.   BTW: IF you do decide to hire the cleaning company, don't bother with the Nature's Miracle; it is expensive and will be a lot of work. The company you hire will know to use an enzyme cleaner, so no sense in paying twice :-)  

Best of luck, and again, on behalf of ferret parents everywhere who are reading this and feeling so very bad for what happened to you, I do sincerely apologize. We really are NOT all like that...not even close!  :-)  I hope you have the chance to cuddle and get to know a cute, smart, little ferret someday - they are so very very precious...even if ferret pee IS really stinky (so we clean up any accidents immediately)..FERRETS DO use litterboxes!  What you are describing is definitely NOT the ferrets' fault; it is poor care and neglect...I hope you will let them pay to clean it up the mess THEY made. I'm pretty sure the ASPCA or Humane Society would probably be interested in wherever they are currently living too. Ferrets so require a little bit of 'specialized' care for their own safety and for everyone's good health.  I suspect your home isn't the first one NOR the last one this will happen to...just a suggestion tho :-)

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers