I’m buying a house, and the current owners have a cat. I’m very allergic to them, and I have asthma. Will I need to replace all of the carpets or will a professional cleaning work? How can you make your new house free of cat allergens?
Your first clue to potential problems in your new home may have come while visiting prior to buying it. If you noted problems then, you’ll probably have to do a lot to make the house livable.
Cat antigen is very “sticky” and attaches to everything in the room, including the walls. It is possible for evidence of cat antigen to be present for six months after the cat is out of the house.
Therefore, we ordinarily suggest a complete cleaning using a commercial preparation that contains 3 percent tannic acid. Commercial cleaning of the carpets may be adequate and thus replacement of carpets is not essential.
If there is any other reason to replace the carpets, I would opt for that choice. Good luck.