Anybody ever clean up a crack house?

[bruces]

I started a clean up today ,inside and outside ,needles everywhere,pissy mattresses,sh1t on carpets and everywhere else,tons of broken glass ,garbage almost to the ceiling , completely filled my 8 foot truck box and my 5x10 6 times and just did the livingroom , I dont want to go back , I even double bagged my work clothes before throwing them out .If it wasnt hourly plus dump fees,I would of got a huge bin ,but I need the fresh air break at the dump anyway .The yard still has a fair bit of snow,but I can see huge piles of trash out there as well .I think I have another week on this one,and the lady has two more to do after this . Anybody else ever tackle a job like this?

[Hedgemaster]

Lawn care business tips

Dude. I'm going to throw a fit the first pile of dog poo I hit with my new mower, so no, I... (shiver) no. Uh-uh, ain't doin' it. Just say no to crackhouses! Good luck with it. Take your damned time and don't get stuck with anything.

[CHEESE2009]

Is there no other job available?

This might be a cleanup job, not lawn work - but you are risking your health big time. Forget about the needles, the bacteria in the air will kill you.



I had a lawn customer who had several beer bottles on the lawn - that really upset me so I left. We know these people are pigs, but the fact they don't care about what we come across disgusts me. My customer could have easily taken 5 minutes and cleared the property of glass and dog crap, but nope! Inconsiderate people don't deserve our time.

If I ran over a beer bottle, who knows what could have happened (really, what would have happened? I want to know lol)

The point: Don't put your health at risk for a client, ever! I would have exploded at them if I saw crap. "This is discussing, I can't believe you live like this - don't call me back"

[justin_time]

Originally Posted by bruces

I started a clean up today ,inside and outside ,needles everywhere,pissy mattresses,sh1t on carpets and everywhere else,tons of broken glass ,garbage almost to the ceiling , completely filled my 8 foot truck box and my 5x10 6 times and just did the livingroom , I dont want to go back , I even double bagged my work clothes before throwing them out .If it wasnt hourly plus dump fees,I would of got a huge bin ,but I need the fresh air break at the dump anyway .The yard still has a fair bit of snow,but I can see huge piles of trash out there as well .I think I have another week on this one,and the lady has two more to do after this .
Anybody else ever tackle a job like this?

Typical Sudbury lol, sorry you have to go through this ! Let me guess.. West End or Downtown. Hopefully you won't have to do anymore after this

[The Cleaning Doctor]

I have done several cleanouts and they are not as bad as they seem. The problem that you may run into is the bio hazard material. How are you disposing of this because in most places it is illegal to just take it to the dump?

As far as if it is worth it..... Hell yes it is if done properly. They either will pay big $$$ or do it themselves in my opinion.

Remember, you are working with bio hazard material. Get paid what it is worth. Hourly is fine if you are getting $50+ per man.

Does your insurance or workmans comp cover this type of work?

These are all things to consider as it is your health at risk here.

I did one house where we had to take up all the carpet and such and just trash everything. 24' trailer with 4.5' sidewalls heaping with trash and carpet. I had one helper and we had that house cleaned out and headed to the dump in 2 hours flat. If I remember correctly I charged like $200 for that one and it was nasty. Get paid for what others do not want to do.

[bruces]

I am getting $150.00 per hour , besides the filth dont feel too bad for me , and its in the Donavon .The needles and bio are handled seperately ,we have a city program that comes and picks up stuff like that and I have been sorting it as per their instructions .My insurance is fine with it [I checked ] and I am doing it alone ,I wont let anybody else get sick or hurt from this .

[Steve]

Maybe there is a niche market for this and it could open more doors! I'd take a lot of before and after pictures. It sounds like this could really be a great way to show off your service.

How did she find you? Was it just through a lawn care ad or were you marketing cleanups as well?

At any point were you thinking about not doing it or is it just messy work that you feel compensated for?

Will you do more if the work continues?

[bruces]

I have a clean-ups add running all the time ,and often do pre-renovation tear outs for homeowners , contractors and landlords,this disgusting job came up so I bid high and got it .She told me my only competitor on this was nearly double my price ,and that we will re-negotiate for the other buildings ,and in talking with her already she is fully on-board with adding another hundred per hour on the next properties .Every second spent in the suit [she purchased a special suit with an air system for the job ] has me asking why I am doing it,but the cash is good ,and its still too early to get into much else work wise.Over the last several years ,I have probably gutted around 100 apartments,houses,comercial buildings etc. ,but by far this is the worst filth I have hit .I even have done a few homes like you see on that tv show "hoarders " ,they are bad,but nothing like this .

[jklawncare]

Thats a good money maker if you really don't mind the mess. I'm sure bringing in plenty of money on that it dosnt seem like it's a quick job to do. The only thing i would be afraid of with that job is getting stuck with a needle by accident or inhaling something that could really harm you..i think i would wear a respirator if i had to do it just to be safe..

[The Cleaning Doctor]

Dude at that rate hire a helper but be sure to let them know what they are getting into. Pay him or her well, I would say in the $15 per hour range as this is disgusting work. You could go into the home first and remove all the bio hazard material before your workers enter. Leather gloves along with rubber ones are a must. Keep a bucket with 1 gallon bleach and 4 gallons of water handy and a hose to rinse with, when you remove the suit, dip your hands in this bucket unless you are bleach sensitive as it is strong but it will kill it all and then rinse your hands with the hose.

I have an idea on how you can make even more $$$ from this type of job. Give me a call 406-465-9334 and let's talk about it. How does another $300 sound after it is cleaned out? This is so easy your kids could do it. It will take less than 30 minutes and about $5 to $10 in product.

How about if I could help with the odor before you go in?

You can't let the possibility of something happening to your employees get in the way of growing. I am not saying don't worry about them or feel bad if something should happen, but if they are informed and trained in the first place and you feel that you have done all that you could do to protect them, then there is no reason not to hire helpers.

I heard a good saying one time, "It may be your problem, but it is not your fault!" If you have done everything that could be reasonably expected in the training of your employees then that saying applies.

Maybe you want to look into welding jackets or sleeves or even carrying straps to keep from getting stuck by something that you missed.

You have a huge opportunity here but keep it to yourself on the $$$ you are making. This is how an industry gets overrun, someone mentions that they are making x$$$ and now you are getting underbid by half and then it is not worth it anymore. The key making money is to find something that others are either not willing to do or can't do and have them pay you to do it.

It may be gross and disgusting but hey they made a TV show out of gross and disgusting jobs.