Help! How do I clean extreme filth? (animal waste, etc)?

Question

My bestfriend's cousin has been going through some health problems lately, and has been suffering serious depression. She has let her home go to the extreme extent, and I know it bothers her. She has tried to clean and organize many times, and it somehow piles up on her again.

She takes in stray cats, and has an indoor dog. The cats have made such a mess of her home. Some use the litter box and other go ALL over the floor, on the couch, kitchen counter, even the stove! :*( She loves the cats and will not get rid of them.

Her floor is so soiled, the beige carpet is now med-dark brown with filth. The cats walk on this, get it on there paws and walk all over the counters and leave nasty paw prints, everywhere. Her dog gets into the trash and spreads it all over. Her cats urinate and poo all over her place, on bags and boxes. She is in a rut, and can't seem to keep everything clean.

Any advice, how to you clean this extreme filth?

Thanks for all the answers....

She does know it's not normal to live this way, and has been working hard to get it clean, the cats track the stuff over the newly cleaned surfaces!

We are planning to spend a weekend to help her get it completely clean, and I was just looking for tips and advice on the cleanup.

I will not call anyone on her, she is a very good woman, and she loves and takes very good care of the cats she cares for. It has just gotten out of hand while she was sick for awhile, and she is trying to get things back to "normal" again..

Once more, thanks for your answers and any advice is appreciated!

Answer 1

For your own safety, I would recommend hiring a professional cleaning service to take care of the house.

Your best friend's cousin might benefit from reading this website: http://www.squalorsurvivors.com/overcoming/index.shtml They have lots of stories of people whose homes have been in a similar state, who have overcome it and cleaned it all up and lived to see another day.

Answer 2

Without her knowing it(DON'T TELL HER CALL THE HUMANE SOCIETY)!!!!!!! This is inhumane not only to her but to the animals! Next call the local mental provider, there are communities ones that will treat someone for free or on a sliding scale. Your cousin needs help. Confine the animals if the Humane society hasn't come yet. Next to clean the house. Take nearly everything out of the house. Sorry the carpet can't be fixed. Rip it up. Get a big screwdriver and start at one end of the room, pull it loose from the floor and roll it up and pitch it out. Mix up a big bucket of bleach and water. Get a shovel with a flat bottom not a pointed end--square or rectangle on the bottom of the shovel. Use the shovel to scrape the **** off the floor, throw the **** in a trash bag. Use the bleach water on everything. Pour it over the floor and keep scarping the floor until it is all gone. Then sort threw the junk that was in the house. Throw away whatever is ruined and start a fresh. This needs to be done for your cousins health and the animals! Do what is right! Don't listen to any sob stories from your cousin! Your cousin is not thinking right! You know that so you have to take charge! Best wishes for you and your cousin! If you have to call the police! Later your cousin will thank you!

Answer 3

It's a sad situation that you see your friend in, this is for sure. While she seems to love her animals so much, try to make her understand that taking on to many animals can be a health hazard for her and everyone involved, Also cats breed so fast, before she knows it she'll be swamped with cats. When someone at the animal shelter would give them a good home. Try to tell her this. Try to make her understand that she can not save every animal.Now the clean up, will take some hard work and use a lot of bleach to. See if she will put the cats outside and then just feed them. Cats can make it when they are put outside. I had a house cat and I gave him to my aunt because he was playing in his litter box all the time. He lives outside with all her cats and he is happy as ever. I go see him every time I go to the Country. your a good Friend for caring so much,

Answer 4

Ok not sure how to handle this but i am a cleaner aka home assistant by trade....the best way to clean up vomit, urine and anything like that including anything soiled is to pour either sand or kitty litter on top for it to be soaked up then sweep up wrap in newspaper and into a bag, ready to be put into the rubbish. Then grab a diluted bleach solution and gently damp the area obviously in your case this can take some time but it is the best way, then grab old rags or paper towel and soak up any excess liquid from the dabbing with solution. once this is done you should be ready to hire a professional or hire the machine yourself for carpet cleaning and steam clean the carpets. As for lino floors or the like ..do up a diluted bleach solution or a really good antibacterial solution and mop the floors and remember if using an antibacterial solution always read the labels and remember to leave it on the floor for 10 mins minimum in order for it to work before drying off again. All furniture you can use a fabric cleaner or a weak bleach solution, spray on, dab gently and dry off with rags then if you like get a professional or the correct machine to sanitise the furniture. The kitchen in particular needs to be sanitised all over with the correct solution always follow the label in order for it to work the right way, they always work best if used the right way and bleach if not diluted carefully will stain in a major way. Grab a duster and before you do anything else dust from top down then go to work on the rest otherwise you need to backtrack and i think you have enough to do. Bleach is a good germ killer but be careful with it. If it is not possible to keep the animals out after that, then put a kitty litter box in every room and you can get a spray that is natural (or check the web for solution there) and spray it in certain areas, a bit like the stuff you can get to keep animals out of gardens with their toileting. Curtains should be vacuumed and then washed and hung to dry so the sun can kill the bacteria. Other than that i am not sure what else i can do to help except to say please what ever you do..wear gloves so not only for protection from the filth but also from the damages the chemicals can do to your body in general that is very important. If there is anything else them feel free to instant message me on yahoo under teddy_tine i hope i was of help to you and i wish you all the luck in the world.....believe me i have seen places like this myself and i do understand............

Answer 5

There are companies that will actually take care of this for you. It is not cheap, but they are able to sanitize a hime and make it suitable again. If you have to take care of the problem yourself, I suggest putting all the animals in one place so the filth can't be tracked all over again. It sounds like the cousin needs more help than you might be able to provide, though.

Answer 6

I agree with Sunshine. After it is cleaned up, maybe you can get this person involved in some,outside her house, people oriented things to do. I think some human contact might get her back on track. Depressed people are usually very lonely. Good for you for worrying about this situation!

Answer 7

Wow, that is tough! Do you think that cleaning it will have a lasting effect? I would be concerned that she would allow it to deteriorate again, as it is not a problem that will be solved by cleaning alone. I'd hate to see you invest such a monumental effort in an excercise in futility. Get her professional help first, then clean house.

Answer 8

Your cousin cannot fix this problem by herself.Sounds like bipolar problems,You might save the carpet by steam cleaning it.You need to clean up that place,put all but one cat outside.Clorox works great??

Answer 9

Call Social Services, if they see the state of the house they will probably take the animals off her.

Answer 10

The health department would condemn that place.
I really do not know what to say,other than lots of hot water,bleach,and many,many man hours of scrubbing and pulling up carpeting.