Finally, after discussion, debating and a fair share of whining, my husband agreed to get rid of a pair of atrocious carpets. The carpets were decades old and have been the recipients of many assaults of the human and pet kind. No amount of vacuuming and steam cleaning had lightened the dingy color, eliminated the odor, or dispelled the carpet ghosts. One fine morning the carpet guys showed up and removed the bane of my existence. That afternoon I was free of dingy, smelly, haunted carpets!