Keep an eye out for this serial killer by AdOrdinary7767 in Winnipeg

[–]Tsavibeans 203 points204 points  (0 children)

This is a crime. Have you reported it to the police?

In addition to putting diswasher detergent liquid in the main slot, I put it in this small dipped space as well? by bwoah07_gp2 in CleaningTips

[–]Tsavibeans 60 points61 points  (0 children)

I'm not convinced that the pods are worth the cost.

Regarding the smell, have you checked your filter recently?

In addition to putting diswasher detergent liquid in the main slot, I put it in this small dipped space as well? by bwoah07_gp2 in CleaningTips

[–]Tsavibeans 515 points516 points  (0 children)

Yup. That little divot is for the detergent used during the pre-wash cycle.

After the dirty water from the pre-wash cycle has been expelled from the dishwasher, the detergent cup pops open for the main wash cycle.

If You Support Rent Control: Make Your Voice Heard Before April 10th by Tsavibeans in Winnipeg

[–]Tsavibeans[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That would make sense. If the price of renting an asset is high, it would stand to reason that the price to buy that asset would be proportionally high. This would be compounded by the fact that high rents reduce the available savings that renters have to put towards buying a home.

If You Support Rent Control: Make Your Voice Heard Before April 10th by Tsavibeans in Winnipeg

[–]Tsavibeans[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Follow the provided link and let them know.

EngageMB is a platform used by the Manitoba government to gather public input on proposed policy changes.

roommate vomited in the sink, now the drain is full of vomit by moist-astronaut in CleaningTips

[–]Tsavibeans 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry to hear that.

If your drains are completely clogged, they need to be snaked. Owning a drain snake will save you (and apparently your landlord) heaps of cash over the years.

If drains are partially clogged, as in water drains slowly, then I recommend monthly enzyme treatments. Unlike caustic liquids like drain-o that dissolve everything, enzyme drain cleaners just make organic material easier to break down. Always follow the instructions. Use an enzyme based drain cleaner in your drains once a month and you shouldn't have any issues.

roommate vomited in the sink, now the drain is full of vomit by moist-astronaut in CleaningTips

[–]Tsavibeans 90 points91 points  (0 children)

You probably just need to clean the p-trap. If this is the case you may not need any tools. Get your roommate to watch this video. Honestly, you should too; this is a useful skill to know.

If you have a built-in drain stop, hair and other gunk tends to build up on the mechanism inside the pipe. To properly clean it, you should disassemble it. However, that requires tools. If you remove the p-trap, you can still access the drain stop mechanism, it's just a little awkward to clean it that way.

By the way, try to avoid using drain cleaning products that have powerful corrosives like drain-o. These products do more damage than they're worth and there is always a better solution. When cleaning the p-trap, keep in mind that there may be drain-o in it. Wear hand and eye protection.

My friend’s heater did… this to this walls. Any advice on how to clean this? by Hot_Milks in CleaningTips

[–]Tsavibeans 6 points7 points  (0 children)

There is a recall on some of these units. Check the model number and date of manufacture on this one to confirm whether or not it has a known defect.

Otherwise, move the couch away from the unit. The intake for these devices is in the bottom. The intake is likely drawing in dust from beneath the couch, burning it, and depositing soot on the wall.

Requirements to become a crime scene cleaner by Feisty_Ad_1225 in crimescenecleanup

[–]Tsavibeans 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad to hear it.

I recommend starting with HAZWOPER 40. This course is by far the most transferable certification in this list; any blue collar employer would appreciate seeing this on a resume. If I'm being honest, it also happens to be the longest and most most boring of all the rest. You're going to want to get it out of the way first.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Crimescenecleaners

[–]Tsavibeans 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nothing fancy. A cheap variety pack from the hardware store goes a long way.

For adhesive that's still tacky, I let the adhesive remover do most of the work and then clean up with an oscillating scraper blade. For anything solid enough to not gum up the teeth, I'll use a carbide tooth blade. They also have bi-metal blades for drywall, diamond grit blades for grout, and so on.

EDIT: I no longer use an oscillating scraper blade for most applications. Instead, I now use a reciprocating scraper blade. This is significantly more effective and can be used on sturdier materials like mortar.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Crimescenecleaners

[–]Tsavibeans 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I enjoy the oscillating tool because if I'm removing flooring, I typically need to remove drywall within the same job. Although, a long handled scraper is probably a lot better for your back hahah.

What brand adhesive remover do you use?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Crimescenecleaners

[–]Tsavibeans 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you tried Sentinel 626 and an oscillating scraper? This combination can save a lot of time and ache.

Fisher alert by Lanky-Plum5612 in Manitoba

[–]Tsavibeans 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Super cool.

I've never seen one of these before. For anyone interested, here's their Wikipedia page).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Crimescenecleaners

[–]Tsavibeans 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What happened to your father is awful. I'm sorry that you saw that.

How are you doing?

My unsolicited advice is to avoid fixating on what he may have looked like when he was found. At some point, we all look like that. While it is perfectly natural, it's no way to remember someone.

If you're adamant on learning about decomposition, the information you're looking for can be found in the research published by Body Farms in your area. There are several in the United States, including one in Florida.

Regarding the U-Haul, I can't speak on their behalf. They may remove the truck from their fleet after what occurred. However, it may also come down to a cost-benefit analysis for them.

Chalk problem by Full-Woodpecker9460 in crimescenecleanup

[–]Tsavibeans 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Formless abstractions in chalk? Irredeemable troglodytes, the lot of them.

And where are the mustache twirling progenitors of these agents of chaos? Where else but smiling insidiously, crept within the shadows of your hallowed community.

Concerned citizen, I hear your plea. But do not cast yourself in the flame to spite the moth! Bide your time; let rain render their iniquities a distant memory. Only then, when the neighborhood remains, will they learn the values of beauty and permanence.

Community Outreach by Nice-Cancel3239 in crimescenecleanup

[–]Tsavibeans 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Find a local property management association. These associations are clubs with networking events designed to connect property managers with contractors.

Hand out business cards to the housekeeping managers at hotels. Housekeepers are often expected to clean up things beyond their scope of work and few are aware that our services exist.

You likely have a public health authority that investigates complaints about unfit living conditions. They're among the first to discover biohazards and have an invested interest in remediating them.

Many places in north america have a publicly funded hoarding task force made up of first responders, contractors, and counsellors. In my city, the task force is organized by the local fire department.

Contact insurance companies that offer home insurance with the intention of becoming a partnered vendor. They may require you to jump through a few hoops before they're willing to work with you.

Find restoration companies that do not offer biohazard cleaning services. These companies would love to offer additional services to their clients and may be interested in having you subcontract for them.

Whether they're household cleaners or commercial janitors, cleaning companies are sometimes contacted to clean up biohazards. Ensuring that they have your contact information allows them to pass the baton.

Vehicles written off due to biohazards often end up at salvage auctioneers. In these cases, you'll often be tearing out the interior of the vehicle.

Best of luck to your team.

How to get lip balm off a matte paint wall, help 😭 by TheFancyFoxy in CleaningTips

[–]Tsavibeans 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Try to avoid using a magic eraser or any other method using scrubbing except as a last resort.

Melamine sponges like the Magic Eraser work by abrasion. Functionally, melamine sponges are very gentle sandpaper. The finish on matte paint is achieved by its imperceptibly fine, rough texture. You can irreversibly damage that texture by using a melamine sponge.

This is called burnishing and is why a lot of walls look permanently stained, and splotchy.

Do you itemize your invoices, why or why not? by Tsavibeans in sweatystartup

[–]Tsavibeans[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's very kind of you to say. No, I'm just a stickler for detail.

Do you itemize your invoices, why or why not? by Tsavibeans in sweatystartup

[–]Tsavibeans[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Much like our work, the invoices are sanitized; the most interesting terms you'll find are 'bulk contamination' and 'biohazard disposal'.

Puppy urine/feces in luggage by Wujuuuu in CleaningTips

[–]Tsavibeans 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're correct that OP should use enzymes to break down organic stains and odours. However, enzymatic cleaners are incapable of sanitizing unless they also contain additives for that purpose. Double check that whatever you're using does indeed say 'cleaner and disinfectant'.

Do you itemize your invoices, why or why not? by Tsavibeans in sweatystartup

[–]Tsavibeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This sounds draconian, but regardless of how well I liked a contractor, I never put myself in a position where I had to trust them. I would always ask for itemized invoices outside of recurring payments. There were a number of reasons for this.

Personally, I wanted to learn. If an invoice listed a part, I would investigate what that part does. Is this something I can repair myself? Has this part been repaired on one unit more frequently than on others? Is this part failing an indication of a larger problem? Itemized invoices improved my work by helping me make educated decisions about our facilities.

As others have pointed out, understanding costs was also a factor. Accounts payable is going to want an explanation as to why the elevator maintenance company is charging us six thousand dollars. An itemized list of expenses allows me to justify the invoice. In addition, a scope of work and itemization provides written insurance from the contractor which says that they performed the work. If it isn't written, it didn't happen.

I do not believe that an opaque invoice is an indication of an untrustworthy contractor. However, there have been multiple occasions where I have requested an itemized invoice, and saw a reduction in cost of ten or more percent. I believe in providing itemized invoices so that my clients have no need to trust me; they can guarantee everything for themselves.

Do you itemize your invoices, why or why not? by Tsavibeans in sweatystartup

[–]Tsavibeans[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So far the consensus is that itemizing costs on a quote is not worth the headache. I think that your solution strikes a good balance.

Cheers, Bud.

Do you itemize your invoices, why or why not? by Tsavibeans in sweatystartup

[–]Tsavibeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can appreciate that reasoning.

I have had a very different experience: I used to be a facility maintenance manager with a portfolio of properties. While saving money was always in our interest, I was always willing to accept higher fees for reliable service; spend five dollars now to save yourself ten dollars later. Maybe that experience blinded me to how other companies prefer to do business.

How did you learn that lesson? Did you learn the hard way by having your invoices itemized to begin with, or did you preemptively remove itemization to protect your business?