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Post by def6 on Aug 15, 2010 19:21:15 GMT -5
Thank you Lion! This is a very important post that should be plastered at the very top of our site here. I vote for a permanent placement for this.
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Post by Di on Aug 22, 2010 6:25:21 GMT -5
I'm here in the middle of a crisis clean about 30 hours to get 2 rooms a hall and a bathroom spotless. I'm stressing to the point where I can't sleep and I'm too exhausted to work. I think it can be done but at this point I'm not sure at all.
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hopehope
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815 
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Post by hopehope on Aug 22, 2010 20:50:15 GMT -5
supportive shoutout-- di.
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Post by dairy2mama on Jan 7, 2011 23:20:51 GMT -5
I had a social worker come a few years ago. My huge problem is papers. She was amazed that there was not an odor of the dog and cats that we had nor of food and garbage. That is what got us off.
-I also had a crock pot cooking of soup or stew or anything good smelling so she knew we ate well and had nutritious meals.
-Also get rid of all beer cans and liquor bottles even if you only drank one beer that day. They do not like to see liquor and beer of any kind.
-We usually feed the dog and cats outside, but made sure their bowls were clean with clean water in them.
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Post by SetMeFree on Jul 15, 2011 16:32:36 GMT -5
Bumping this one up, too. Another great thread that should be made permanent.
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Post by Sunshine on May 2, 2012 17:21:08 GMT -5
Just bumping this as a great resource  |
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Post by Di on May 2, 2012 19:05:54 GMT -5
Crisis Cleaning QUEEN here: I had to be motivated to clean, either by an inspection or an upcoming visit. In fact I basically de-hoarded using that method.
Use the inspection/visit to your advantage.
1. Stash and dash however you have to BUT toss too. Keep a large garbage bag with you at all times... and "when in doubt, toss it out"
2. Make homes for as many things as possible.
3. WASH as many dishes as possible even if you do have to hide the rest -- put the ones you do wash away
4. Laundry... same as dishes
5. If you have to put some things in boxes in the living room -- preferably by your favorite chair, put a piece of glass or a piece of wood over them and put a clean sheet or tablecloth over it and put a lamp or something pretty on it.
6. After the inspection/visit while you are still high on adrenalin, go through JUST those boxes and put things away or toss them out.
7. Schedule ANOTHER visit or a workman, in the next couple of weeks. This will keep you going for another scheduled section of time.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Each time you crisis clean you are still cleaning, and you are making homes for more and more of your things. There is a HUGE difference between putting things away, and cleaning a hoard. It can still look almost as bad but the cleaning time gets shorter and shorter each time. Knowing WHAT to do with your stuff is 90% of the battle.
Now after several years of crisis cleaning, try to do some maintenance so that it shows and it is apparent to you that "it's really not so bad."
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Post by lostchild on Oct 29, 2014 0:43:08 GMT -5
Get contractors bags and toss all obvious trash,tissues,take out cartons,old cans, newspapers and magazines,broken toys,junk mail,old rusty cans, and anything else! Gather all the dirty dishes in the house and start them soaking.
After you get all trash out take all the dishes,gather them up and start washing them. While they soak clean all the counters off of all things that don't belong. Put them in the room they belong. After you get dishes where you can wash them do so and dry and put them on counters that you've cleaned to dry. When all dishes are done put them away!
Go to refrigerator and throw away all the spoiled food. Take all the containers empty them,take all spoiled food to trash immediately. Take the containers and soak them with bleach water. Empty everything and scrub the refrigerator inside and out.
If there is anything else that can go back put it back. No expired foods period. Clean the outside of fridge.
Clean the seal in the grooves. Clean the freezer again tossing all expired foods. Clean inside and out.
When done spray oven down with cleaner.
While oven soaks put kitchen in full order. All that should be left is oven to do. Do it last...no one looks inside oven.
Go to bathroom and dispose of all visible trash. Clear all surfaces of everything and clean it all. You will likely have to soak some surfaces down in cleaner and soak them. While that's happening... Take the towels,rugs, face clothes and put in pile. That is first wash load...add all the dirty dish towels and sponges from kitchen.. Take all dirty towels and wash them. Make a second pile with all dirty clothes in bathroom. Make a second third fourth of all clothes and start laundry. If you have to do it separately set up the loads prepared to take to laundry. Strip all beds and make those into wash loads. Go do all laundry. Find it from everywhere. When you are sorting throw away anything you aren't going to use. Don't wash and save for charity or sister or when you lose weight. Only wash what you'll use. When you finish fold and put it away immediately. You should have empty drawers because all clothes were out.
Make beds first so you will have a place to put the laundry. After laundry is put away and beds are made throw away all of your trash in bedrooms and living rooms. Make sure you have as many clear surfaces as possible. Put everything in living room away and clean all the floors...you should have no goat trails. Make sure drawers can close. If its broken or expired toss it. Do not keep projects...if you haven't fixed by now you aren't going to. Toss everything that is of no use to you.
Don't worry about donations worry about cleaning. Clear sofas and chairs of all junk! A lot should have already went out. Toss everything that is unnecessary and be ruthless. You can be evicted for dirt because it is detrimental to the property.
Cover stained furniture with clean sheets and spray with free breeze. This should get you started in crisis!
You should have big pile of papers by now. Sort them after you clean. Put them in a big container and sort later. Do not put in paper bags. You'll accidentally toss them.
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Oct 29, 2014 6:47:58 GMT -5
Get contractors bags and toss all obvious trash,tissues,take out cartons,old cans, newspapers and magazines,broken toys,junk mail,old rusty cans, and anything else! Gather all the dirty dishes in the house and start them soaking. After you get all trash out take all the dishes,gather them up and start washing them. While they soak clean all the counters off of all things that don't belong. Put them in the room they belong. After you get dishes where you can wash them do so and dry and put them on counters that you've cleaned to dry. When all dishes are done put them away! Go to refrigerator and throw away all the spoiled food. Take all the containers empty them,take all spoiled food to trash immediately. Take the containers and soak them with bleach water. Empty everything and scrub the refrigerator inside and out. If there is anything else that can go back put it back. No expired foods period. Clean the outside of fridge. Clean the seal in the grooves. Clean the freezer again tossing all expired foods. Clean inside and out. When done spray oven down with cleaner. While oven soaks put kitchen in full order. All that should be left is oven to do. Do it last...no one looks inside oven. Go to bathroom and dispose of all visible trash. Clear all surfaces of everything and clean it all. You will likely have to soak some surfaces down in cleaner and soak them. While that's happening... Take the towels,rugs, face clothes and put in pile. That is first wash load...add all the dirty dish towels and sponges from kitchen.. Take all dirty towels and wash them. Make a second pile with all dirty clothes in bathroom. Make a second third fourth of all clothes and start laundry. If you have to do it separately set up the loads prepared to take to laundry. Strip all beds and make those into wash loads. Go do all laundry. Find it from everywhere. When you are sorting throw away anything you aren't going to use. Don't wash and save for charity or sister or when you lose weight. Only wash what you'll use. When you finish fold and put it away immediately. You should have empty drawers because all clothes were out. Make beds first so you will have a place to put the laundry. After laundry is put away and beds are made throw away all of your trash in bedrooms and living rooms. Make sure you have as many clear surfaces as possible. Put everything in living room away and clean all the floors...you should have no goat trails. Make sure drawers can close. If its broken or expired toss it. Do not keep projects...if you haven't fixed by now you aren't going to. Toss everything that is of no use to you. Don't worry about donations worry about cleaning. Clear sofas and chairs of all junk! A lot should have already went out. Toss everything that is unnecessary and be ruthless. You can be evicted for dirt because it is detrimental to the property. Cover stained furniture with clean sheets and spray with free breeze. This should get you started in crisis! You should have big pile of papers by now. Sort them after you clean. Put them in a big container and sort later. Do not put in paper bags. You'll accidentally toss them. This would make sense if you were at only level one squalor to begin with, -- or a description of goals to works towards during a full-out clean-up that lasts several months. These would also be immediate goals if you had a lot of time and help, and you needed to get the house ready for CPS inspection. But for someone like me who was in deep (Level 3+) squalor, who was facing a landlord inspection in three days ... You wrote "Put kitchen in full order". "Do all laundry". "Clean the oven". "Make the beds." "Put everything in living room away". If I had read those suggestions when I was in crisis, I would have cried and given up, and wanted to die. I couldn't even find the sink or the bed when I was in crisis. I couldn't put things away because I had no idea where they should go! "Clean the seal in the door of the fridge" Really? Not when you're in a hurry. Cleaning corners and edges is the LAST thing you do. Clearing our big surfaces is the FIRST thing you do. Fine point cleaning can come much later. The phrase "crisis cleaning" refers to EMERGENCY cleaning.For me, I needed a thread for crisis cleaning is when I had only a few days. That would include things like "hide the dirty dishes and discard the worst ones". "Put the laundry in neat piles and throw out anything stained -- but don't sort the laundry at this time." "Throw a bedspread or a clean blanket over the bed but don't worry if the sheets underneath are clean or not -- there will be time for that later." "Get the ickiest smelliest stuff out of the fridge and shut the door". I do completely agree with your idea of clearing major surfaces like floors and couches. And I completely agree with "If it's broken or expired toss it. Do not keep projects...if you haven't fixed by now you aren't going to. Toss everything that is of no use to you." |
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Post by lostchild on Oct 29, 2014 9:12:10 GMT -5
Let me let you know that I based this on CPS clean up. These things are what they looked for. I have been at third and used this and it worked. I advised seals because many times the door won't close after many people clean their fridges due to being misshapenness from being overstuffed.
For third I would advise clean all animal waste first. Toss all trash visible everywhere. That would still cover a lot of bad areas. This is just a suggestion no one has to follow it if it doesn't suit them. I am sure there are better ideas.
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Post by desireelafleur on Oct 29, 2014 10:32:43 GMT -5
Let me let you know that I based this on CPS clean up. These things are what they looked for. I have been at third and used this and it worked. I advised seals because many times the door won't close after many people clean their fridges due to being misshapenness from being overstuffed. For third I would advise clean all animal waste first. Toss all trash visible everywhere. That would still cover a lot of bad areas. This is just a suggestion no one has to follow it if it doesn't suit them. I am sure there are better ideas. The thing with the animal waste is that you need to be able to reach it first. I tell you, at least in the basement, the cat will get to the most inaccessible area to do his business.  |
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Post by lostchild on Oct 29, 2014 10:42:36 GMT -5
If you toss as much trash as possible to maximum then you should eventually be able to get to waste!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Oct 29, 2014 11:17:35 GMT -5
Let me let you know that I based this on CPS clean up. These things are what they looked for. I have been at third and used this and it worked. I advised seals because many times the door won't close after many people clean their fridges due to being misshapenness from being overstuffed. For third I would advise clean all animal waste first. Toss all trash visible everywhere. That would still cover a lot of bad areas. This is just a suggestion no one has to follow it if it doesn't suit them. I am sure there are better ideas. .............. .............. Thanks for clarifying, lostchild. It does indeed need to be very clean for CPS. However, a friend of mine just passed a CPS inspection by having the home look "lived-in" but decently clean. Perhaps it varies by state/province. I've been told that things are different depending on the reason for inspection -- one set of CPS inspection guidelines might be relevant if you were reported for uncleanliness; and another set of CPS guidelines might apply if you've never been reported but are getting inspected as part of an application to be a foster parent; but then again such differences might vary according to jurisdiction and circumstances. RE: the checklist quoted inside the next-to-the-last post on page one of this thread: That was for CPS -- from a year somewhere in the mid-2000s -- for a specific state, and I'm not sure which reason the inspection was occurring. I am glad that you posted. Because this was real experience that you know about, and not just theory. That is very helpful. |
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Post by lostchild on Oct 29, 2014 11:58:17 GMT -5
My experience is I have been inspected by CPS over thirty times. I had 10 inspections when I went for guardianship of my now currently 21 year old.This was done when he was four.
They came to my house every thirty days because my case was contested by social worker because worker stated that with me being a black single parent they didn't feel I should have a white disabled child.
The worker was over ruled by judge. He even stated he felt that it was prejudiced against me...
After I got custody the mother and her friends trying to get her son back called CPS ...I had in 90 days 45 visits to my house and it was inspected every time. CPS even had me write a letter explaining it was a harassment situation because I had so many calls!
I am currently going for a foster care position of a relative's child ...won't go into all details, its really sad...I cleaned my house above standards.
I have only pile in house papers on my desk. The worker was shocked. I have no background of child abuse. And I still am having problems so my advice is to exceed the standards. What I've stated are standards that ate currently enforced by CPS in California.
I keep a minimum of two weeks groceries on hand. My car is well maintained. My yard is clear but I am again cleaning more stuff because I choose too but it met standards too. This is guideline what I suggested.
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Post by creativechaos on Apr 12, 2017 13:11:23 GMT -5
CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity , thanks! I'm bumping this thread because my inspection is in 10 days and i need to refer to the lists on this thread. Thank you for starting it, lioness, and thanks to all contributors of wisdom, practical know-how, and experience. It might help others who need to "crisis clean" - even if it's for a different reason, like meeting future inlaws for the first time at your home.
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