Grunge Garage

[Kevin54]

Rubberrodder,
It's all good news in my book.

Kevin,
All I have left in the living room and entry is the roller and file cabinet and a couple misc. tools. Don't have space in the garage yet. Really need to finish cleaning it OUT before adding the last items.

Just finished sorting all the wife's clothes into piles and folding the shorts, pants and shirts. SWMBO will not be happy..........but I got bigger problems than that. She wants to come home early and work from home. What that means is that she can tether her netbook to her phone and we can go out and hit a bunch of rummage and garage sales.
I am going to try to divert her to another activity, but she is pretty set on going. I am going to be Mr. downer, spoiling her fun...

Just finished blowing the leaves off the street and sidewalks. I am finding it satisfying to have a routine cleanup item like that. It keeps things in the cleaned up status quo. NICE!

Well this is the 18th and no update yet. Either Bill got thrashed for messin' with someones clothes or he's been poundin' the pavement going to and from garage sales.

Bill....I hope you didn't let us down and backslide

 

[Nighttrain]

I was thinking the same thing. Come-on Bill check in with us, we will take it easy on you if you slipped backwards a bit.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Hopefully, Bill did not get buried in an avalanche!

I don't know about you guys, but I feel that any 'attaboys' awarded to Bill for any new 'acquisitions' would be counter productive to his life-changing effort. You don't praise an alcoholic when he says he only had one drink today! I feel badly for Bill and his wife seeing what they're up against, and don't want to give Bill strokes for back-sliding. Just my $0.02.

 

[Kevin54]

Hopefully, Bill did not get buried in an avalanche!

I don't know about you guys, but I feel that any 'attaboys' awarded to Bill for any new 'acquisitions' would be counter productive to his life-changing effort. You don't praise an alcoholic when he says he only had one drink today! I feel badly for Bill and his wife seeing what they're up against, and don't want to give Bill strokes for back-sliding. Just my $0.02.

Exactly

 

[bczygan]

All,
No progress this weekend and some backsliding as you have all suspected. Full report and photos after I make some progress today...

Bill

 

[Kevin54]

and some backsliding as you have all suspected

 

[bczygan]

Kevin,
Tooooooo Funny!!!

 

[bczygan]

Quick note,
I am having to go downstairs and get at least a paper dust mask. The dust. rat and mouse poop in the "Office" and spare bedroom is such that, as I move things it gives me uncontrollable sneezing. This is just miserable.....and a new wakeup call. I need to just get rid of some more stuff. Raining today, so this is the best place to get quantities of ruined items to trash out. I can't believe we have been living in such close proximity to rats... This cannot stand ever again.

 

[mdbeck1]

Quick note,
I am having to go downstairs and get at least a paper dust mask. The dust. rat and mouse poop in the "Office" and spare bedroom is such that, as I move things it gives me uncontrollable sneezing. This is just miserable.....and a new wakeup call. I need to just get rid of some more stuff. Raining today, so this is the best place to get quantities of ruined items to trash out. I can't believe we have been living in such close proximity to rats... This cannot stand ever again.

Good answer.

 

[rubberrodder]

Thats the "hard-***" attitude we want to hear from ya! Good on ya bill! KICK THAT PILES ***!

 

[markviii]

Bill,
I'm glad you're using some sort of mask, though I think it needs to be the one with replaceable filters, as per my earlier suggestion. That dust is nothing to mess with! In some apartments I've had to clean out in the past, I "misted" the pile of stuff with a spray bottle of water. This tended to keep the dust down and wouldn't really ruin anything (except the stuff that was going to be thrown away anyway!). Good luck with the forward progress. We're all pulling for you.

Chris

 

[Kevin54]

One rat in my house, I might stay in the house IF I could get it and kill it. More than one....Ima gonna burn the place down A mouse is bad enough, but when those rodents get large. Huh-uh, no sir, no way!!!!!

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Bill,
I'm glad you're using some sort of mask, though I think it needs to be the one with replaceable filters, as per my earlier suggestion. That dust is nothing to mess with! In some apartments I've had to clean out in the past, I "misted" the pile of stuff with a spray bottle of water. This tended to keep the dust down and wouldn't really ruin anything (except the stuff that was going to be thrown away anyway!). Good luck with the forward progress. We're all pulling for you.

Chris

+1 on what Chris stated; airborne toxins are nothing to mess with. I would go further still by sealing the vents, and isolating doorways of the contaminated rooms with zippered visqueen barriers. Bleach solution in a spray bottle, disposable vacuum filters, HEPA filtered air cleaners in the rest of the house, and anything else you can think of to combat this serious health situation. Please research 'toxic house' and 'hoarding health issues'.

 

[markviii]

Ditto to all of Omphaloskeptic's additions to my suggestions. Your health is the most important right now. Without it, you won't be able to continue the awesome clean-up project you've taken on.

Your conclusion of "This cannot stand ever again" is a great motivator! Keep on keeping' on...

Today, our son Cameron helped me clean out recyclables and throw-away stuff that's just been sitting waiting to be cleared away in three of our apartment storage areas. This eliminated some fire hazards, especially in rooms with water heaters and furnaces. Never store combustibles in these rooms, if possible. We have the pest control company (for roaches and ants) coming through 4 of our buildings on Thursday. I told the new tenants to throw out all their cardboard moving boxes (great place for roach eggs to lie dormant until the first cold snap - gets them motivated to actually unpack those boxes!) and for continuing tenants to clear out stuff under their kitchen and bathroom sink cabinets to allow the spraying to be more effective. This solves most problems for the rest of the year.

Chris

 

[bczygan]

Not a big update yet as I'm in the middle of cleaning out the spare bedroom. Lots of trash in there and trash day is tomorrow. Two dumpsters full on the curb and filling a third. Photos later.
One thing about backsliding is it costs a lot of time. First it took almost all of Fri. and Sat. to hit garage and rummage sales with the wife. Then it took all of Sun. and part of Mon. to bring stuff into the house and find places for it. Now it is ten times harder to get around in the house and deal with everything. So all that time, when I could have been making progress has been lost, and future work is harder to do. And more things are here to get rid of. And over a hundred dollars is out of our pockets. It's a lose, lose, lose situation. I asked her if she had fun over the weekend, and she said YES! I've got to find better ways to entertain her. At this point, the fun and rush of good deals is overshadowed by the difficulties added to my life. Not fun anymore.

 

[BigWil]

No attaboy from me Bill.

Don't sweat that you bought more stuff. Just carry on, don't worry about it, don't lose sleep over it. Keep cleaning up, you will get there eventually. Concentrate on that one bedroom, and if you can, don't tell or show your wife until it's done. When she gets mad, ask her to name one item from the room that she will miss...I'll buy the first round when we meet up if she can actually name something. Seeing that room empty and usable for its original function may get her onboard.

I heard something interesting the other day on a talk show on self control: if you are on a diet and eat something you shouldn't have, shrugging it off as a mistake instead of beating yourself up over is actually better. By beating yourself up over it, you will focus on the mistake instead of the amount of good. Simply move on, keep working, and enjoy that house.

 

[rickairmedic]

Ok Bill what did you 2 enjoy doing when you first got together ( other than shopping ) . I would say it sounds like you need to go back and think of things you did before rumage/garage sales became the thing to while away a weekend with . I dont know whats available to do up there . Here we have a Zoo right in town then theres an aquarium about an hour or so up the road , movies , camping ( in acceptable months ) . We need to find something for the 2 of you to do on the weekend that doesnt involve bringing more junk home to deal with . I honestly think you need to spend a few nights watching some of the hoarder shows on TV ( with her ) .


Rick

 

[rubberrodder]

Bill,
Just keep remembering,"PROGRESS,not PERFECTION!". You are going to have to be firm on not going to yard,rummage,re-store sales etc. Get back to that "hard-***" attitude of "This cannot stand ever again". As I said before,she feels threatened and is going to sabotage your efforts. BUT, only if YOU let her. We all care about you,brother,and we are all pulling for you. If we didnt care, you wouldnt have 19 pages on your thread!

 

[bczygan]

Ok Bill what did you 2 enjoy doing when you first got together ( other than shopping ) . I would say it sounds like you need to go back and think of things you did before rumage/garage sales became the thing to while away a weekend with . I dont know whats available to do up there . Here we have a Zoo right in town then theres an aquarium about an hour or so up the road , movies , camping ( in acceptable months ) . We need to find something for the 2 of you to do on the weekend that doesnt involve bringing more junk home to deal with . I honestly think you need to spend a few nights watching some of the hoarder shows on TV ( with her ) .


Rick

Ummmm..............It's a 3 letter word starting with s and ending with x.

I'll get right to work on that!!!

 

[Bull]

Ummmm..............It's a 3 letter word starting with s and ending with x.

I'll get right to work on that!!!

Sox fans, eh? You guys from Boston originally?

 

[rickairmedic]

Ummmm..............It's a 3 letter word starting with s and ending with x.

I'll get right to work on that!!!

Ok what did the 2 of you do " outside in public " besides shoping . I already knew about the S&X stuff .Although I suppose you could try it at garage /rumage sales and see how it goes over .


Rick

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Bczygan, this weekend you've earned yet another 'virtual dope slap'! You seem to have a masochistic streak which enjoys taking two steps back with every step forward. Do you really enjoy the "lose, lose, lose situation"?

 

[tinbender 66]

Bczygan, this weekend you've earned yet another 'virtual dope slap'! You seem to have a masochistic streak which enjoys taking two steps back with every step forward. Do you really enjoy the "lose, lose, lose situation"?

I was thinkin' kinda the same thing. Put that foot down. Time for tough love.

 

[Kevin54]

Bill, just out of curiosity, have you ever thought ahead what would happen if a major medical crisis would crop up and the amount of cost that comes with it? The reason I ask is that although my wife and I aren't rich by any means, we live comfortably. We have 401K's and I'm still working, or was, as I'm off on medical right at the moment. My wife was diagnosed with cancer. I haven't had a paycheck in almost two months due to still fighting with my Short Term insurance company. The amount of copays, doctor bills that insurance doesn't cover, etc. amount to thousands. I just couldn't imagine going out and ******* money away on items.

Then you make the comment:

Then it took all of Sun. and part of Mon. to bring stuff into the house and find places for it.

If you don't have a place for it, then why the hell buy it? Just a reality check Bill, but everyone here is kind of dancing around to try to help you out, but it seems that although you appear to be trying to help yourself out, you backslide and it's like "oh well".

You started this thread and many, many, many, members are behind you 100%. If we lived in Detroit, we'd all be over helping you out.

One thing to put in your mind, and to remember, 50% of that house is yours. 50% of the possessions are yours. 50% of the rooms are yours. If you don't want to live like that, PULL UP YOUR BIG BOY PANTS and tell your wife in a sincere voice that you are no longer going to live like that. Firmly tell her that you love her, you will not leave her, but you want your space and you want that space clean with no rat **** in it. I don't think she'll threaten to leave you by the way you talk about how you two get along. But one wanting and the other enabling just won't get it.

You know that in the past remarks you make mention of her wanting to go to garage sales and rummage sales and you were going to try and steer her in a different direction. I'm taking it she wears the pants in the family? Stand firm ground. One other thing I would like to ask...when was the last time that you had friends over for a meal, play cards, watch a football game, or just had a few beers? I would imagine before all of this started (hoarding) that there were a few more friends around than there is now. Correct? I would think that in the past, other than *** as an activity, there were friends in there somewhere. Get back to those days.

If you are really serious about all of this, and I told want to sound rude with this remark as we are all behind you and care, but if you are really serious and not jerking us around just for internet attention, meaning that you now have friends for daily interaction to compensate for no one to talk to in Detroit, if you are serious, you need to make a phone call. Use some of that money that you spend on things you don't need, to talk to a hoarding specialist.

I'm not going to say anymore and have probably already stuck my foot in my mouth. Bill if I said anything that sounds derogitory, my apologies. I don't mean to come across that way, but internet conversation does not let you convey feeling or expressions to alter that. And again, GOOD LUCK and we are behind you.

 

[98TJ]

If you don't have a place for it, then why the hell buy it? Just a reality check Bill, but everyone here is kind of dancing around to try to help you out, but it seems that although you appear to be trying to help yourself out, you backslide and it's like "oh well".

Exactly. The problem is that he "finds" a "place" for it.

You started this thread and many, many, many, members are behind you 100%. If we lived in Detroit, we'd all be over helping you out.

I've offered to send him funds via Paypal to get a roll-off. At this point I think he'd use it to buy more stuff.

Bill if I said anything that sounds derogatory, my apologies.

Some things just need to be said, though. Bill knows he has our support and, as a whole, we enjoy seeing progress. But we also, as a whole, give a collective facepalm when he slips up. Bill started this thread to get feedback/motivation/encouragement and sometimes negative feedback and responses are warranted and need to be aired. If we only gave positive responses and didn't speak up when Bill slips up, we're not helping him.

And again, GOOD LUCK and we are behind you.

...and that's the trick.

Bill, we want to see you clean up and have a nicer, healthier, living space. Something that's actually useful and uncluttered. Several of us KNOW that what we're seeing is only the tip of the iceberg and are fully aware of the big picture. That's why we'd like to see real, actual progress and get frustrated when you and your wife "backslide".

I fully commend Bill for wanting to make a change, but he HAS to stick with it if he wants to succeed. He really needs to start selling off excess stuff - or just toss it. I'd put trash in the worst of the pop-ups and take the whole she-bang to the dump. Take stuff to the scrapyard. If I'm not using it, I'd get it gone.

Personally, I know that a cluttered area puts me under a great deal of stress. Knowing that my clutter had gotten to the point that it had created legitimate health concerns would not only be a huge kick in the *** mentally, but it would also hurt the pride in a major way. That would be more motivation to get things cleaned up.

Bill, a huge hats off for what your doing, but PLEASE stick with it. You know that it needs to be done for health reasons, but you'll also be mentally healthier with a clean, uncluttered living space.

Shoot, as a guy, just having a clean, organized garage where you can go to work on a project will be a huge stress relief.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Amen!

 

[bczygan]

Not easy to face it. Just removed 15 Rubbermaid bins of clothing from the spare bedroom and 3 from the master bedroom. Rat poop and pee all over them. They're in the yard for the rain to wash them off. Some were open and clothes ruined. Remember we have no water. May try to get a hookup from a neighbor for final cleanup. Now in the bowels of the beast.

 

[rickairmedic]

Bill I didnt realise you still didnt have water . Soooooooo I ask what would it take to get water again . I am guessing this is from frozen pipes in the basement and if so . Even if you dont know how to solder there are sharkbite fittings today and pex pipe that pretty much any homeowner can use " even the ones with NO mechanical I think that would be my next step in this process . Rather than spending the weekend out rumage/yardsaleing. I think a trip to the basement for an assesment and a trip to homey desperate or lowes is in order . Restoring water to the house should be a priority if for no other reason than to be able to clean things as you drag them out .


Rick

 

[thisoldcrackhouse]

Bill-

If after your assessment you find that all that is needed are some bad sections of copper pipe cut out and new sections spliced in I'd be willing to come over and do that work for you, free of charge. I live about 15-20 minutes out of Detroit, drop me a PM with what you need done.

Just looking to get some good Karma in my life,

Doug

 

[bczygan]

Boy, there are a lot of very sweet guys on GJ!
I am getting water by bucket from a neighbor, and working in the basement will have to wait til I clean THAT out! It was flooded to about 2 1/2 feet and frozen since there was no heat (Still isn't) for the winter.
Water included backed up sanitary plumbing so the basement is a real horror (It will need power washing). This froze pipes in numerous places in the basement and walls. Will have to have better access first and better paths through the house and yard. I've got the PEX tool (Found it in the garage). I'll get there...

 

[Bronson]

Damn.

 

[98TJ]

Some times I'm when I read this thread.

Other times I'm

 

[Bull]

After some of these recent posts, I am more inclined than ever that the only way to tackle this is with real, and really huge dumpsters, and straight days spent hauling **** into them. Then the empty rooms can be thoroughly disinfected, cleaned, painted, and filled with an appropriate and normal amount of stuff for actual use and decoration.

You are in a bit of a prison, it sounds like, and you don't sound like you want to be locked up like that anymore.

Why be trapped in your own home, surrounded by filthy detritus, without heat, without water? That is like a Defcon 1 situation.

 

[rwhite692]

Bill, how can you say that fixing the issue with no running water "will have to wait"? And, No Heat?

You need to make getting your heat and water systems operational, as your first priority.

This should be slightly more important to you, than attending more rummage sales.

I'm not trying to be a hard-***, but, for Chrissakes, you are an able-bodied man.

Fix this stuff, or sell something and hire some help.

Cold weather is coming!!!

 

[lwlobo]

I understand why you've been slow to let out how bad it is. It's easy for internetters to say fixing your piping should be your first priority, but I'm guessing you can't even get into the basement right now, or close to some of the other places you'll need to to work on piping.

Realizing access is an issue, and that you probably can't let anyone in to help yet, I suggest you adjust priorities and try to accelerate a bit.

I'd suggest making getting the water running and getting the heat turned on your next major goals. Make a list of areas that need to be cleared to accomplish this. Renting a dumpster may cause confict, but you should consider it anyway, with getting these issues fixed as the main reason. It's going to be cold in Detroit soon, and you guys are going to be miserable and spending a fortune on electricity again if you don't get the heat on.

Again, I'd encourage getting some help with the hoarding issues. If the root cause isn't fixed, clearing the symptoms (stuff) won't be successful in the long term.

Don't give up, we're rooting for you!
lwlobo

 

[bczygan]

OK,
Fell asleep for a couple of hours. Trash trucks came and I have 3 more empty dumpsters again. I've got 8 more bins ready to take out at the top of the stairs. Your posts are a good mirror you are all holding up for me to see how deluded we are. I'm going to just push push push right now to make some more room. Can't do anything without room. And don't fill it up again. I can't believe how packed to the rafters every room is. In my mind's eye I imagine each room with just the appropriate furniture and decorative items. That means 95% of what's here must go. And 80% is usable stuff. But I can't visualize exactly where those items would go. So they must be disposed of.
While the wife watches X Factor I'll take down some more bins and put them out.

 

[Nighttrain]

Bill how about cutting your cable by accident, that may get your wifes attention. It really has become clear to us on GJ that you both need serious help. Somehow your wife has to get help also. Does her work at Ford have a hotline for family issues? Usually they help with no affect on the persons job. You guys are on a sinking ship, time to ask for a life ring buddy, there is no shame at all in asking for help like that.

I am proud of what your doing, keep pushing.

 

[mtn]

Not easy to face it. Just removed 15 Rubbermaid bins of clothing from the spare bedroom and 3 from the master bedroom. Rat poop and pee all over them. They're in the yard for the rain to wash them off. Some were open and clothes ruined. Remember we have no water. May try to get a hookup from a neighbor for final cleanup. Now in the bowels of the beast.

They should be in the trashcan or the goodwill pile.

 

[bczygan]

They should be in the trashcan or the goodwill pile.

I can see that. We haven't used anything in that room for 5 years at least. It should all go. Til I get a chance to go through it and transport, it is relatively safe out there by the side gate. If someone steals them, all the better. Tomorrow during daylight I'll do it. Tonight I took out 7 more and will sort some stuff inside and put in the trash. 1/4 of the volumn of the room has been removed.

 

[MadMechMaster]

I can't stop reading your thread. Please keep it up. I was on the fence about agreeing with the dumpster suggesters, since i can respect the desire to not waste anything and go item by item. This seems to be what the therapists recommend on that show Hoarders.

BUT, everything in that basement must be trash. Get it out. It would be work, but wouldn't require much sorting. A dumpster would make this quicker.

Make water and heat a priority. I hope that you have radiant system, central air may circulate particles.

Plus, you will gain some space for sorting with the open basement. And your wife probably would not be disrupted yet.