Does your new apartment have a yucky pet odor? You don't have to resign yourself to a year or more of suffering. Follow these tips as soon as possible to remove the lingering pet odor from the former residents.

Clean the Carpets

Even if the carpets look clean, they are probably holding onto pet dander and skin oils that contributing to your apartment's odor. Having the carpet professionally cleaned is your best option. Make sure you mention to the carpet cleaners that you're trying to remove pet odors, as some companies have special shampoos they will use for this purpose.

If you have a carpet shampooer or can borrow one from a friend, you can tackle this carper cleaning task yourself. Make sure you use a shampoo product made for homes with pets. These contain special enzymes that will break down the odoriferous particles. You may also want to go over your carpet a second time with vinegar and water after you initially wash it with shampoo. Vinegar is great at neutralizing odors naturally. Just add it to the shampoo compartment of your carpet shampooer, and get to work.

After you shampoo the carpet, you can give your efforts an odor-fighting boost by sprinkling some baking soda over it. The baking soda will absorb odors and moisture. Once it is dry, vacuum it up, and the odors will come up with it.

Wash the Walls and Baseboards

It's gross to think about, but sometimes pets "spray" their urine on walls. Washing your walls and baseboards will get rid of any lingering urine the past owners may have overlooked.

Prepare a bucket with warm water, a good squeeze of grease-cutting dish soap, and a cup of white vinegar. Wipe down the walls, starting at the top and working your way towards the bottom. Rinse out your cloth or sponge often, remember to make a new bucket of water after each room, so your odor-fighting ingredients keep working as well as possible. Don't skip the baseboards or door frames -- pets are especially fond or urinating in these areas.

After you're done washing your carpet and walls, open the doors and windows to encourage fast drying. Make sure you treat every room in the home in this manner. If you skip one room, your whole home may stay stinky. If the stench remains after following these steps, you may want to talk to your landlord. It's possible that messes and pets in other units or common areas are creating scents that are wafting into your place, and your landlord may need to talk to those residents about odor control.

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