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Post by charlotteohara on Mar 24, 2015 2:42:53 GMT -5
reb: thanks for the roach solution suggestions! I have some of the professional bait gel in a tube and I've been putting it out but I know it takes a while to work. I'm using the boric acid too, and seeing results, but I want them gone NOW of course! dayeanu; thanks for asking about me! I'm here with an update. We are STILL not finished but at least we're making progress. The CPS worker has STILL not called us either! I really don't understand that but heck, I'm fine with it. If she wanted to come tomorrow we'd still be in trouble. I am annoyed because I know if we pushed as hard now as we did when we started, we'd be finished within a day. We took most of yesterday off, which we really could not afford to do, but kind of HAD to do, to spend time with an elderly family member who is really only in the state maybe twice a year and very dear to us. It was my oldest son's birthday and everyone wanted to get together so we sacrificed a day of cleaning. The rooms that are left are between 70 and 90% finished. The kitchen, well, let's just say the source of funky smells has been revealed and eliminated. Blech. I got all the ceiling cobwebs and we painted over areas on the walls and doors that just wouldn't come clean. Thought I'd share a funny with y'all.. I forgot that our couch has wheels/casters, but now that I cleaned entirely behind it, I keep finding out, because it rolls away when we sit down! There's nothing to keep it in place anymore and it rolls on the faux wood flooring. Pretty hilarious (and sad)! All that is left in the living room is to deal with the very dirty rug, and sort through some small piles of things that we're keeping but I don't know what to do with. I will try and not spend too long on those things, but I get stumped with stuff like an air mattress pump (electric), a sink faucet we're planning on installing in the place we're moving to in a few months, misc. small tools (don't have a toolbox), contact paper also for after the move... I suppose I can just throw all of it into a box and stash it in the closet if I can't figure it out. I have a mental block with sorting/organization. I was probably a kid who was not good at matching games or sorting activities!
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Post by lucie on Mar 24, 2015 3:28:19 GMT -5
Good for you to take time to celebrate your son's birthday. You did so much, you all need some time off. Now that you are near the end of your work, please take more breaks, otherwise you will burn out. From what you wrote, I guess you would pass the inspection now, so you can slow down a little. I would put things you have ready for you new hem into boxes - you can not deal with them now.
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Post by charlotteohara on Mar 24, 2015 4:33:00 GMT -5
thanks lucie! We still need to work on the kitchen for it to be considered safe and sanitary Right now it has dirty counter tops (the grossness that is left behind after all the dishes and empty wrappers are removed when there's a roach infestation, it's gross!).. and the floor had wet miscellaneous stuck to it right up against the base of the cabinets that needs mopping and bleach... and of course we have to clean up all the boric acid trails! Oh and now that we've unearthed moist things in the kitchen, the gnats have come! And the living room rug is kind of one giant layer of black dog hair. I thought about throwing it out but I want to see how it comes out after a couple passes with the vacuum. I have a very good vacuum and the rug is REALLY large and was nice and for financial reasons, hard to replace, so I am going to try my best to save it. So, still nothing we'd want anyone to see, least of all the CPS worker, but nothing we couldn't clear up in a day of working hard. I have to tell you all how amazed I am with myself though: I managed to make my son a birthday cake with NO money and NO oven! We were using a large toaster oven but it quit a week ago.. I found a cookie mix box (gingerbread) and modified it for a cake, then looked online and learned how to use my electric skillet to bake! Had a can of cream cheese frosting and a bag of pecans, so I iced it with that and added butter-toasted (in the skillet) pecans on top. No one ever accused me of not being resourceful! I am SO ready to be finished with this so I can get back to money-making work (I am self employed so all this past week-plus of cleaning I've just been making zero)! Oh and one more good/bad to report: our AC is acting up (central unit).. we're where it's warming up already so this is bad, but the GOOD is, just a couple more days and we can call the landlord to have him fix it, vs what we 'normally' do which is just suffer or have to spend money on window unit ACs instead because it's usually too messy to call him to have him fix anything! Last broken thing was the water heater and thankfully my spouse and son fixed it by reading up on the possible problems then watching YouTube videos on how to DIY the repair, because there was no way the landlord could be called! It was an under $25 fix and we were lucky that it was do-able but I'm so tired of living like that, where stuff just stays broken because we can't call the landlord due to the mess!
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Post by cyn on Mar 24, 2015 7:19:25 GMT -5
You're doing great! Thanks for the progress report - it's inspiring me to get up and get moving, . Your couch story is funny - like my funny bed story: I had one end propped up with books. Duh, the wheel was there, just mixed in with so much other debris that I couldn't find it. Yay for digging out, and having things work properly. And that birthday cake sounds yummy!
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Post by clutterbuggles on Mar 24, 2015 7:36:04 GMT -5
I have suggestions for pet hair if the vacuum isn't enough. The pet brushing mitts with the rubber bristles or ribbing on the palm are good for carpet and upholstery - alternatives are rubber bristled brushes (think FlyLady Rubba Scrubba) OR in a pinch - dishwashing gloves.
We had an Alsatian that left thick carpets of hair everywhere. My trick was to get a spray bottle with some water (I usually added some febreeze or essential oil to the bottle to avoid wet dog smell) and lightly mist the carpet before running your rubber implement of choice over the carpet. The water helps to increase the stickiness between the hair and rubber AND keeps the hair, dander, dust from getting in the air too much. The hair just rolls up into little logs. I found this method a LOT faster than trying to vaccuum.
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Post by wit on Mar 24, 2015 7:52:40 GMT -5
Yay charlotteohara! Keep going! It will feel so good to have those floors and counters clean! For those piles of little keepers, put like with like in small boxes. You may be able to get some shoe boxes from a thrift store or a shoe store. If you need something bigger, then maybe ask at an office for printer paper boxes. Label them! One for tools, one for "new house decor", but separate them out so you don't have to sort later, and you can see most everything in it at a glance. Then it's a storage method, not a box-and-sort-someday method. Roaches like cardboard, and it can get wet, so ideally you would use plastic, but that generally costs more. Where's the air mattress? Keep the pump in the same room, in a closet if there is one, or in the box if the mattress is boxed up. A suggestion for maintenance: put a trash basket in every room, and make a habit of emptying them weekly (or more often if they fill up fast). Don't just empty when they're full, go around the entire house on your schedule and empty all of them into a bag and put the bag out for the trash pickup. And speaking of, I need to do that right now before the truck gets here! Good luck, you can finish!!!
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Post by TML on Mar 24, 2015 8:03:14 GMT -5
Yay!!! You are doing fantastic!!!
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Post by reb on Mar 24, 2015 9:08:11 GMT -5
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Post by ohblondie on Mar 24, 2015 11:28:26 GMT -5
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Post by lostchild on Mar 25, 2015 3:54:29 GMT -5
charlotteohara terrific job you are doing. On shelves if you drench in bleach it will keep eggs from hatching new roaches. Take everything out and pour bleach and let it soak then wipe the walls of cabinets down. That should help in kitchen. Also seal everything...even unopened food can get roach eggs in it.
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Post by dayeanu on Mar 25, 2015 8:45:00 GMT -5
Cheering you on!
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Post by charlotteohara on Mar 25, 2015 10:07:02 GMT -5
Thanks again everyone.. still some progress happening daily, needs to be MORE but another crisis has come.. my 17 year old son lost a friend. A close friend, just turned 18, who passed away yesterday and he is devastated. Long story, he doesn't currently live with me (lives in another town for school reasons, with a close friend of the family who was also close to this boy) but I've been on the phone and/or Facebook with him for hours, and I'm just heartbroken, for the family of this young man and because my son at this tender age has suffered such a loss. Still no word from the CPS worker and so the show must go on in case or for when she does show up.. but this temporarily derailed me!
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Post by reb on Mar 25, 2015 10:49:45 GMT -5
charlotteoharaI dunno if you have a "maintenance mode" but when disaster strikes I figure I've done well if I can just basically hold it together. And that is very sad for your son, the boy's family/friends, and you. Perhaps you can call CPS, explain the circumstances and get a few days' relief?
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Post by ohblondie on Mar 25, 2015 11:21:35 GMT -5
charlotteohara...prayers for your son and the family of his friend. My son's best friend was killed in a car accident just days before they started their senior year in HS. THey were 17 and 18 as well. My son had been invited to go with him but was unable to because of football practice. It took a long time for people to heal from that - and I think in some ways my son will never be the same. You are doing all of the right things. You are talking to him and opening the lines of communcation. He will need someone to just listen to him and it sounds like you are being the awesome mom that you are and doing just that. prayers for you too!
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Post by bobolink on Mar 25, 2015 12:08:55 GMT -5
charlotteoharaPerhaps you can call CPS, explain the circumstances and get a few days' relief? I was wondering about this too - maybe you can call the worker to set up an appointment for the inspection. That way you know how much time you still have and might take some of the pressure off. Also a note of reassurance - a home would have to be really bad for a child to be apprehended without warning. And I mean REALLY bad. Typically CPS/CFS workers are overworked and under-resourced so that they often have no place to put children who really need to be protected. So if workers find a few things that are sub-standard, they are inclined to work with the family and give time to clear remaining issues. Of course, you would be happier if everything was ready for inspection, but it sounds like you are getting very close to good enough.
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