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I'm helping get a home situation resorted and calling a plumber to help look at someone's basement. But it's filthy down there. Not the worst I've ever seen by a long shot but clearly no ventilation, strange stains, loose cat litter, many old and rusty paint cans and I'd laugh if you told me it had ever even seen a feather duster.

It's a lot to take in and I've only been able to approach it piecemeal and haphazardly, which is terribly inefficient. Does anyone have a good guide or playbook for getting a nice deepclean in steps rather than general suggestions found by search engine?

It's all stone and I can find particular cleaning individually, but an outline to work with would be great.

James
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    Beyond "haul out the junk", what more do you want? You're the one who can see what's there (you haven't provided us with even a picture), so make a list of what needs to be done, prioritize it and start working. What more can we tell you? – FreeMan Sep 06 '23 at 18:53
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    Does the basement have a working drain? Paint cans can be difficult to get rid of, Usually not allowed in normal garbage pickup, some places have special locations/days. If it has a drain, once the loose stuff is removed, a pressure washer might do. – crip659 Sep 06 '23 at 18:56
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    @crip659 In most places, latex paint cans can be disposed in the regular garbage if they are dry. It's legal to just leave them outside opened to dry (the resulting fumes are the same as if you were painting). If the paint is good, you can take it to Habitat for Humanity or other charities. – Cheery Sep 06 '23 at 19:24
  • @Cheery From OP's description of the paint cans, still having labels on them is doubtful. OP will be lucky if in a place that does not care what is dumped. My place does have quite a few regulations. – crip659 Sep 06 '23 at 19:48
  • @crip659 I'm not talking about illegally dumping. It's legal to dispose of dried latex paint containers, and legal to let them dry outside. The OP can do a quick test of the paint by dissolving a small sample in water. Oil-based paint and thinners are another matter, but unless the owner is a contractor, a couple of gallons can be disposed at the local recycling center on household liquid days. – Cheery Sep 06 '23 at 19:54
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    Having done it recently to my father in laws property. Here you can dump dry paint and certain brands can be recycled. So we poured out the paint on trays with kitty litter, which dries it quickly. – Rohit Gupta Sep 06 '23 at 19:58

2 Answers2

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I specialize in repairing old houses, and it's common for basements to be full of junk. I also work by myself.

The most difficult part is convincing the owner to get rid of the junk. They all think it's just a matter of "organizing" the stuff, but in my book, they either commit to discarding stuff, or they need to find someone else to help (this is no judgement: I come from a family of hoarders and love them very much, but talking to a hoarder about their stuff is a no-no to me.)

The second most difficult thing is assessing the amount of work. It's not just a matter of hauling the junk, but that you'll find things that can't be disposed easily (ie solvent-based paint, dehumidifiers, etc.), stuff that should not be thrown away (ie good tools), etc. You will do the first 80% quickly, and the last 20% will take forever.

If you have more than 5 yards of garbage, the easiest is to rent a dumpster. These can go for $500-$1,000 depending on the region, size, weight, etc. I've done cleanup jobs where the dumpster fees alone were >$5,000. If you cannot rent a dumpster, you need a plan for disposal.

Once you have a plan, buy a Tyvek suit, a P-100 mask, a 30+ gal rubbermaid can, contractor bags (2 mil min), lots of gloves, and a case of bottled water.

During the cleanup itself, the trick is not to go the route of wanting to bag everything at once, carry everything out, etc. Instead, fill one bag and carry it out. Have a drink of water. Then go downstairs again. Repeat 100+ times.

As you find hazardous materials, put them to the side, and find out how they are disposed of in your locale.

Once all the junk is out, mist everything with water to remove the dust. Then it's time to do repairs, like removing mold (bleach with backpack sprayer), repointing foundations, repairing windows, etc. And the plumbing you mentioned.

Depending on the size of the job, this can take from 2 days to 2 weeks. It can be done, as long as you pace yourself and have the budget. The biggest I've done is 100 yards of garbage by myself. Took a week.

JACK
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Cheery
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    Much appreciated! This is exactly what I was hoping for and it'll really help keep things on track. – James Sep 06 '23 at 19:36
  • @JACK — you’re a better man than me! I’d be on the phone subbing this sort of thing to my hauling crew in a heartbeat. – Aloysius Defenestrate Sep 06 '23 at 20:01
  • @AloysiusDefenestrate I just edited it, sure wouldn't do the work.. lol not even in my younger years. – JACK Sep 06 '23 at 20:06
  • Oops, sorry — props to @Cheery! – Aloysius Defenestrate Sep 06 '23 at 20:08
  • @JACK I know you edited it out now, but I laughed heartily at the first 80% is quick, the last 80% takes forever. Typo or not that really captured how it's felt so far! – James Sep 06 '23 at 20:47
  • @James I know.... I cleared out my parents three level, four bedroom house that we all grew up in. the first 80% went fast, the second 80% took longer and the last 80% took forever... – JACK Sep 06 '23 at 20:53
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Remove junk to dumpster and/or hazardous waste disposal as appropriate.

Shop vacuum, ceiling to floor.

Hose - easier if there's a floor drain that works or a sump with pump that works - if not, alternate with wet vacuuming. Hopefully obviously, avoid electrical stuff.

Soap/scrub brush, more hosing. Pressure washer probably a bad idea, if tempting, due to aforementioned electrical stuff.

Let dry, or actively dry with fans. Think about a nice coat of white paint or whitewash.

Ecnerwal
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