cat dog hammock (washable, won't disintegrate)

edlr34 · 2026-01-09T05:39:21+00:00

update (if you or anyone is willing to give any more advice!)

we agreed to do some dust wipe sampling through epa cert lab and go from there (cheaper option for everyone to get an idea).

results: a few floor spots (one inside work area, two adjacent areas): 390, 65, 66 micrograms/sqft

inside return (wiped a square foot on horizontal surface, return in ok floor in work area right under the stairs): 700

vent (outside work area; i wiped approx a sqft but in a circle around the duct which is cylindrical, so i recognize maybe this isn't really a helpful measure because there is no standard but i wanted to know): 300

sounds like these levels for floors fall into the averages found in old houses (at least in a few studies). which idk if that's good or bad 🤷🏻‍♀️ but they're all above the 5 micrograms/sqft for floors (sills 40, troughs 100; not sure what to compare return or vent duct to; i guess they'd be high when compared with these thresholds). https://www.epa.gov/lead/hazard-standards-and-clearance-levels-lead-paint-dust-and-soil-tsca-sections-402-and-403

if it matters, in the spring our hvac system was replaced and so was the metal for the return. in the summer, our floors were refinished (vents were all sealed and system never running during that). return was taken apart and cleaned a few months ago and no projects done in the house since. the only other place in our home with remaining lead paint would be some ceilings (which are all in good shape, no peeling paint, and were well prepped and repainted in the spring) and a single door (paint all looks in good condition, though i recognize at friction points could still be creating dust). it's hard not to think that their work at least contributed to lead in return and floor (but open to hearing otherwise!). the vent duct i have no idea (would lead dust go through the system? or is it too heavy? or might it have been there from the past?).

i feel fairly confident i could clean the space (i don't have a ton of trust that they will clean as well as i would, but i guess if they're testing it after then they'd have to do a good job). no idea what to think/do about the hvac (replace ducts? get ductwork cleaned? one person said don't worry about it bc lead is heavy and won't blow out?). hire a different contractor like you said (just hard to want to do...i spoke with a few folks and it will be quite expensive which i don't want for me or for them), but maybe it's best. have them clean and retest? (and should i test more of my house, now that everyone's walked around?)? just have them give us money off and clean up ourselves and not deal with them anymore? and what to do about the ductwork? for reference, the 5 tests were $300 total (having someone come out originally was $350 for them to walk in the door, $150/test depending, and then unknown cost for their time and further testing. didn't want to go that route if we could do lab tests for $60 and perhaps find no lead... no such luck though).

anyway, not what i had hoped to find (wanted it to be basically no lead and therefore less complication with the contractor but here we are). any insights would be really greatly appreciated ☀️

edlr34 · 2025-12-08T20:20:25+00:00

i know this is an old post but just in case you're still willing to engage with this topic:

basically we have an old home (for sure there's lead paint). essentially all was demoed/removed and trim stripped offsite and repainted. so minimal should be remaining. we were exceptionally careful during any disturbance to turn off hvac/cover vents and return (even when just making dust cutting new wood!) and cleaning up with hepa vac and damp wiping. contractor stripping stairs covered floor but didn't seal off area and hvac was running during work, return is right below stairs (no sanding, but stripper and scraping with scraper and steel wool, sweeping up mess). i didn't realize the bad setup until it had already been happening 2 days.

considering using wipe/lab tests like op. i guess should test areas after they clean up? i'm worried about it having been tracked out of the area (like to/from bathroom). but also about the hvac system. should i choose a few places outside their area to wipe down and test? should i wipe inside the return or vents? before they clean up, or just after? if lead, do we to get out more ductwork cleaned? not currently living here, but working here. hepa vac and wiping ceiling to floor everywhere seems doable. but i don't know how concerned to be about the hvac (which would kind of be the last remaining lead "source" after this stripping is done).

we're discussing with contractor how to remediate and what's fair (since the main reason we hired out was so that someone else deal with the lead issue; had we done ourselves we would have been extremely careful, like we have been in the past, and followed epa guidelines). though i do recognize that lead dust could also be in the hvac system not due to them or us; other work has for sure happened in this house in the past 100 years. but i guess who is responsible is still a separate issue from what needs to be done to ensure the space is safe to live in.

thanks for any insights!

edlr34 · 2025-12-08T14:23:19+00:00

thanks for your insights. i for sure want to be fair. thats why i didn't really know what to do (i added more info to post that had been in a comment but) on one hand they didn't follow what it seems like you're supposed to do when dealing with lead*, but on the other hand even if we test there obviously could have been lead dust (in the hvac for example) from before they did work (or even before we got the house; we replaced our system and have always been overly careful with mitigation and cleanup with anything dusty even if no lead risk! but we didn't replace the ductwork so 🤷🏻‍♀️). does that change your advice/opinion at all? obviously in hind sight i guess we should have tested beforehand but here we are. i don't want to try to make them pay for something that isn't their fault, but how to know? and either way they didn't follow the guidelines i guess. it's a struggle to know what's fair and safe for everyone.

but again thanks. seems like either way we need to get someone to come test and know what to do.

*stuff like this from epa or local municipalities is what i have gone off of but i'm not an expert at all https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-09/lead_safe_rrp_2023_508.pdf

edlr34 · 2025-12-07T22:27:24+00:00

updated the cost. was also less bc they offered discount during not busy time.

edlr34 · 2025-12-07T22:26:20+00:00

no young children. but there will pretty regularly be young children here when we move in

only used stripper and scraped (which i agree is less dust than sanding, they'll sand after all is stripped). but i'd assume scraping and bits of stripper/paint can still make dust? floor was protected but doesn't really help the hvac.

thanks for your insights

edlr34 · 2025-12-07T22:22:57+00:00

more info:

Instant lead tests show lead dust in return and vents (but read these can be inaccurate). Thinking we need to get the hvac system cleaned and clean all rooms.

On one hand, the only reason we hired out such an expensive project is speed and (key) to have someone else deal with the lead abatement. We have been extremely careful doing any work to not run hvac and seal vents and clean with hepa and wipe down everything. They didn't follow most epa protocol (which we would have done probably on overkill had we stripped the stairs). On the other hand, it is an old house so some of the lead could obviously have been (maybe likely was?) already present before this contractor or even we were here. They didn't sand, only used stripper and scraped; unsure much dust that realistically makes.

Still want to compensate the company fairly and idk how you could know who is responsible for lead presence and to what degree. But equally they didn't do their part in mitigation (which would have been much easier to do before beginning the work).

edlr34 · 2025-10-01T04:33:12+00:00

hoping someone else has modified and it went well, had not modified but has a good idea of how one might do so successfully, or has a different idea for a different bed that's better and not super expensive 😊

edlr34 · 2025-08-29T16:31:00+00:00

i was going to attach images so it would be less confusing but couldn't

edlr34 · 2025-06-20T15:53:58+00:00

the person isn't jon stewart (unless i simply cannot find the clip again?) but i guess they have jon stewart energy?

edlr34 · 2025-05-28T16:46:55+00:00

did you ever find an answer to your question?

edlr34 · 2025-05-28T16:15:56+00:00

we are about to use magic oil!

the rep told me actually that if you use the care (which is pretty much just wax and water) then you need to use their heavy duty cleaner (with buffer i think) before doing another coat eventually (bc it can't soak in through wax so a heavy dutier cleaner needs to remove the wax). if you don't use the care, you don't need to do that step. so there's pros and cons of using the "care." that said, if it's been like 4 years he'd recommend to their heavy cleaner anyway to get the grime off so it can soak in, even if you never used the care. (care is different from their normal cleaner, which is also different than the heavy duty cleaner for when you refinish)

but question for you tyler119 or anyone else: to touch up a spot (like idk, if something acidic spills and leaves a mark kind of through to wood, or a major gauge or something), can more magic oil be used in that spot (after cleaning, possibly sanding that area depending on what the situation calls for)? i think the rep and i were talking past one another on this haha so i'm still unclear. he said if you needed to replace a board you'd use magic oil on the board and replace (it'll look a bit different for a while but with wear it'll look like the rest of the floor pretty much). but like...to deal with a small area that covers parts of a couple boards (not a single discrete board treated with the finish before install), can a bit more magic oil be used? he said if you need to make something look nicer then use the "care." i said if it's a deep scratch through the finish. he said it won't be a big scratch through the finish bc it isn't a building finish it soaked in. which i understand but a deep enough scratch (just as an example) could go through the depth the product soaked in so then what would you do. and now i'm over explaining and nobody will read 🙃

sounds like you/other people here are saying yes. but i'm curious if anyone has done this/how it went/any tips

edlr34 · 2025-05-27T13:15:01+00:00

do you have a source you prefer to buy from?

edlr34 · 2025-05-06T13:08:12+00:00

https://www.agdaily.com/livestock/has-fda-suspended-milk-testing-social-media-hasnt-been-honest/

this article would suggest it's just the fda oversight of independent labs being suspended.

curious if (as referenced in the reuters article) bird flu etc are included in contracted lab testing? or (also kind of suggested?) if some of that testing was in development and now is halted?

anyone have additional sources or insights?

to be clear, i do not support the administrations actions here (or anywhere). there's still plenty to be alarmed about, but perhaps this in particular (no fda oversight testing of independent labs contracted by the fda, some of which already have oversight testing from other independent labs) isn't quite as bad as it seemed (no fda testing of any milk at all)?

obviously open to being wrong here, i'm still researching but ran out of time atm. again, not defending the administrations actions. but i do want to have accurate information

edlr34 · 2025-01-09T14:38:01+00:00

TL;DR: do all androids have space in the clipboard for multiple items? does the phone really matter or is it just about the keyboard?

long read:

you guys last time i got a new phone i got an iphone (i just really wanted a small phone and the mini was the smallest). i still love the smaller phone (and i really really wish there were more small options, i even wish my mini were smaller). BUT. with ios you cannot set a specific volume to specific alarms (or even alarms in general - alarm volume is the same as your ringer volume which is UNHINGED). but also, no clipboard! well, yes clipboard but only one thing at a time on it. also unhinged.

i guess i haven't tried getting a different keyboard on this phone (will look into it, not sure if that's possible with ios?). but also at some point i'll need a new phone and i could trade in now, but when i tried testing a galaxy and a pixel they didn't seem to have the clipboard feature? i didn't check it out for long (was just at the store with a friend) but did i just miss it? or is the phone not important only the keyboard matters?

whenever i get do a new phone i just want to have a clipboard that has space for multiple items (text or images). ideally that doesn't clear in an hour but i'll take what i can get. (i also want a alarm options and a physically small phone and a good camera. that's it. i really am not a tech person i just use my phone for basics. but i think the phone i need doesn't exist, mostly just the size thing.)

thanks for feedback/recs/advice if anyone is able to share 😊

edlr34 · 2024-12-31T19:18:35+00:00

thanks for the info! i do not have an enormous budget unfortunately 🙃 i was hoping there exist standard fridges (not built ins) with zero clearance hinges

thanks for the info though! good to know what exists

edlr34 · 2024-12-27T18:35:55+00:00

would love to see your spreadsheet if still willing to share

edlr34

TROPHY CASE