jonnyny
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Joined: June 2008
Posts: 15
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Post by jonnyny on Jun 20, 2008 19:49:08 GMT -5
Found out Tuesday that I have a fire inspection (1st time in 15 years) next Saturday and I am firmly determined, due to extreme panic, that my extreme level 2 home be reduced to Level 1 or lower by next Saturday. I have had enough!!
I worked many hours in the evening this past week and see some results but not enough. I am designating my entire weekend and Monday also to desqualoring and will donate more days if necessary.
I desparately need help. There is only one friend that I trust enough to let see this help mess but she has allergies so with the two cats, that's out.
I checked Craigslist and sent a few emails, checked Kijiji and my local newspaper and couldn't find anything.
Anyone have any ideas? I'm willing to pay some to make this happen.
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jonnyny
New Member
Joined: June 2008
Posts: 15
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Post by jonnyny on Jun 20, 2008 20:47:54 GMT -5
I got one reply email from Craigslist. I emailed info regarding the condition and size of my home. Haven't had a return reply. Must have scared them off.
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slobovian
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 77
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Post by slobovian on Jun 20, 2008 22:03:18 GMT -5
Hi Jonnyny, I ended up hiring a company to come and take care of my squalorous apartment. Depending on the level of messiness and what kinds of issues there are you may be able to get a regular maid service that you can pay by the hour, or you might want to try calling the following: 1-800-got-junk - www.1800gotjunk.com/us_en/ - these guys will haul away anything you want. I think they charge by the cubic foot of stuff hauled away, not by the hour. KRI Crime Scene Cleanup - www.kricsc.com/I know this sounds extreme, but there are lots of things that maid services and junk haulers won't touch. It gets into Haz Mat issues (pet or human feces, black mold and other airborne pathogens) and sometimes they have to wear respirators. Crime scene clean up companies are used to handling "biohazards" like blood, so most of them also offer "gross filth" cleanup. I called these guys and they referred me to a local company. It cost me a lot of money, but now it's DONE. For a fire inspection, here are some things they will be looking for: 1) Fire alarms are working (change batteries if necessary) 2) Fire extinguishers are charged up and functional 3) Little or no "combustables" laying around - excess paper, trash, dirty clothes on the floor, etc. 4) No blocking of entries or exits. Ability to move from one room to another. Don't have anything stacked up that could fall over and block a pathway. 5) Electrical panel is accessible and doesn't have any flammables nearby. 6) Appliances like clothes dryers are properly vented. Pilots are working properly on appliances that have them. 7) If you have an individual furnace, they will check to see that everything is sealed up properly. 8) No electrical sockets that are overloaded with extension cords and such. Good luck! |
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Post by messysue on Jun 20, 2008 22:14:58 GMT -5
Prayers for you. Don't sort. Just box things up & clean.
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jonnyny
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Joined: June 2008
Posts: 15
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Post by jonnyny on Jun 20, 2008 22:29:03 GMT -5
slobovian- thank you for your reply. Hallelujah!! I don't need at this point to have items hauled away although I may later as I don't have a lot of trash items in my home- nothing the dumpster won't take care of and I don't have mold or gross type of filth. I have an abundance of dust everywhere and cigarette smoke grime in the bedroom primarily as that's pretty much where I smoke. No animal waste, no rotten food, no insects. This is an accumulation everyday dirt from not cleaning. It's basically a heavy duty regular cleaning job. And I'm willing to give "battle pay".  I really appreciate the list of things that the inspector will be looking for as I have only a vague idea. And I'm pretty good on the list except for extension cords and clearing a bit for access to the windows. I only have one door and my hallways are clear. It is just so very, very, messy and dirty!! And I'm concerned about my plastic storage boxes that are stacked in the corners of the rooms although they aren't blocking travel through the rooms. |
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jonnyny
New Member
Joined: June 2008
Posts: 15
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Post by jonnyny on Jun 20, 2008 22:32:39 GMT -5
messysue- that is great advice. It is just so very hard for me not to organize. I spent most of my adult life (more than 25 years) as a "cleanie".
I will have to do as you say though because without help cleaning I will never get this done.
I must buckle down and focus, focus, focus on the real issue which is passing the fire inspection not a sanitation inspection.
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Post by crazycatlady on Jun 21, 2008 13:49:30 GMT -5
Can you just hire a regular house cleaning service to help? They can have a team come through and get it straightened out in one day, if it is just dirty from lack of cleaning.
And consider paying someone to come in every 2 to 4 weeks to do a thorough clean up. I have someone coming in, and while it doesn't address my underlying clutter issue, at least my floors and toilets are always fairly clean! 
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Post by Script on Jun 21, 2008 17:00:56 GMT -5
This is an accumulation everyday dirt from not cleaning.
It's basically a heavy duty regular cleaning job. And I'm willing to give "battle pay". I was told YEARS AGO that after you pass a certain point of neglect, things don't get much worse. I have not tested this theory out personally  except in our Library area (which hadn't been cleaned or dusted in 25 years). I cleaned this room myself, and in all honesty, I am SURE that a cleaning service would not have complained. Clean dirt is soooooo different from mould, insect contamination, animal mess, rotting food, diapers, and so on. I say GO FOR IT! Hire someone and be done! |
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jonnyny
New Member
Joined: June 2008
Posts: 15
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Post by jonnyny on Jun 22, 2008 9:21:24 GMT -5
Yesterday morning, Saturday I went back to Craigslist since the single responder to the four classifieds offering cleaning help was apparently scared off by the condition of my home.
Since I'm near NJ I decided to search the Craigslist for cleaning help in Northern NJ. This time I detailed the condition in my response. I sent 12 emails and I got four responses.
One was too costly, one too 'flaky', and one responded too late in the evening after I had set up some help. That leaves one left. She lives an hour away and is just starting in the cleaning business. Additionally she is unemployed. So she probably needs money.
She is coming Monday at 10 am and is willing to work as many hours as it takes for $15 per hour. I am going to pay her an hour extra for her travel time and give her some extra to help cover her gasoline.
In the mid afternoon I received an email from the original responder who has been in the cleaning biz for about 16 years, that I thought had been scared away (she was off cleaning somewhere). In her email she wrote: "I am aware of the situation you are in and am still willing to help you."
This was a deal clincher for me. She didn't say that she was still willing to clean my apartment, she said that she was "willing to help me"! Wow!! what a great demonstration of understanding. Not only that but I believe she would helped even if I had rotting food, bugs, etc.
She is coming today at 3:30pm and is willing to stay until midnight and them come back Monday.
I am expecting that I will have a fairly unsqualored home by Monday evening.
The point of this email is not to give up. I was sad yesterday morning and ready to give up but I chose to believe that there was a way out and was willing at that point to keep trying to find help.
The second point is that there are people who will help and not judge. Both responders knew without seeing the mess that I live in. One from having cleaned lots of homes and the other from personal experience. Neither was judgmental and both understood how and why many of us end up and live the way that we do.
Now I must get back to my mission.
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Post by roseoftexas on Jun 22, 2008 11:00:57 GMT -5
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jonnyny
New Member
Joined: June 2008
Posts: 15
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Post by jonnyny on Jun 22, 2008 11:20:17 GMT -5
Rose- you have no idea how much I appreciate your support. I am still having high anxiety. I hope that once I have some help here that I will calm down.
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Post by iguanamamma on Jun 22, 2008 12:34:31 GMT -5
Hang in there! We are all rooting for you. If you are really tense try something with lavender oil. It really does work and smells good too. You'll make it just fine.
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jun 23, 2008 8:46:47 GMT -5
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Sending positive thoughts your way!
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Post by pursuitofhappiness on Jun 23, 2008 10:11:39 GMT -5
I hope your cleaning day is going well. Best wishes for getting everything done in time.
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Post by crazycatlady on Jun 23, 2008 13:01:17 GMT -5
Jonny, when I first hired my cleaning lady, I was SO nervous, too! My house had been mostly desqualored by the time I had her in (why oh why did I wait?!?), but I was still very nervous. She came initially so I could show her around, and she could call back with a quote. I was on pins and needles waiting for her call back! What if she didn't call? I didn't want to have to try to find someone else! What if it was just too messy for her? What if she DID call, and what if she DID start cleaning?
I felt that if she could clean my house really quickly, it would mean I am just unable to do something that others can easily do. I was just thinking crazy thoughts! But then she called, and she came, and now she comes every two weeks. She is due again tomorrow morning! She is just such a lovely helpful woman, and she makes my life easier.
I'm proud of you for continuing to look for the help you need! Yay, Jonny!
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