{"id":1052,"date":"2011-02-27T19:52:18","date_gmt":"2011-02-28T00:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/childrenofhoarders.com\/wordpress\/"},"modified":"2011-03-28T12:44:17","modified_gmt":"2011-03-28T16:44:17","slug":"miscellaneous-cleaning-tips","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/legacy.childrenofhoarders.com\/?page_id=1052","title":{"rendered":"Misc. Cleaning Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong>“Never agree to sleep at the cleanup house.”<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/strong>“Watch for sharp knives everywhere. I think everyone needs a recent tetanus shot, before they go in. Don’t get discouraged when people take breaks that seem kind of long. It is sometimes necessary to take a break that seems to those of us that have planned this event to be too long.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/strong>“When I did the BIG clean-out, I hired several guys from the day-labor company. If you’ve got a budget that can afford that (not real expensive but you need a couple of hundred bucks), the extra hands come in handy. It’s was less expensive than hiring the disaster clean-up companies. I was the work supervisor, made the clean-up tasks list and provided the cleaning.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Find USDA recommended storage limits for refrigerated and frozen food<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u201cContact the township office or the water department of your city for information on getting water tested for a variety of impurities. Hardware stores sell home test kits for individual toxins such as lead. They usually come with a special clean bottle for the sample. You can sneak it into the bathroom as a sort of reverse drug test.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/strong>“We designated the least hoarded room for all of the soft items, clothing, blankets, etc. Once those were all in one huge (and I mean HUGE!) pile, it was easier to rid the rooms of other stuff. We only did a partial cleanout for now but only made good progress when we put all of the clothing in one room.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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<\/strong>“There are companies that pick up old appliances and others that pick up scrap metal so give them a call. See if Salvation Army (or other charitable group) will come by and pick up the donate-able stuff so you don’t have to haul it yourself. “<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/strong>“I’d add these to the list: extension cords (you may not be able to access most of the outlets, assuming the electricity is even still turned on), a camp toilet, light bulbs, a couple of portable work lights, batteries to test whether stuff works, a magnifying glass to look at jewelry (manufacturers names, etc.), a space heater (if it’s winter and there’s a chance the house might not be heated), a clipboard to take notes. For this particular cleanup, I’m also wondering if a shovel might be helpful, since the person says that animals might have gotten into the house<\/em>\u2014horrible as it sounds, there may be deceased squirrels, chipmunks, birds, or whatever, that he or she doesn’t want to pick up with just gloves on.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/strong>“Along the lines of the oven timer suggestion<\/em>\u2014 if you really worry about the overwhelming nature of a task and FINISHING on a deadline, I encourage everyone to list the goals and try to break them down into priorities and time- frames before you even go there. (This assumes you KNOW what you’re getting into; I know some folks haven’t seen the place in years.) It’s obvious stuff like clear the stairs FIRST if getting things out of the basement is a top priority. Obvious, yes, but when you walk in and survey the disaster all around it would be very easy to get distracted.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/strong>“I totally advise against working alone unless you absolutely have to. It breaks my heart to imagine anyone who really has no choice but to go it alone.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0“Never agree to sleep at the cleanup house.”\u00a0 “Watch for sharp knives everywhere. I think everyone needs a recent tetanus shot, before they go in. Don’t get discouraged when people take breaks that seem kind of long. It is sometimes necessary to take a break that seems to those of us that have planned this … <\/p>\n

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