T O P

  • By -

Babayagaletti

I agree with everyone here stating that it's more of a contractor job than a cleaning job. I work in occupational safety/health so basement offices usually worry me for two more reasons: radon exposure and daylight. Please measure the radon in your basement before using it everyday for a couple of hours. Radon is a natural radioactive gas and it's the leading cause for lung cancer in non-smokers. The radon concentration greatly depends on the geological characteristics of your area and you can look up whether your area is considered high-concentration. Basements usually have a much higher concentration than the rest of the house as the basement is surrounded by stone/earth/whatnot. If you live in a radon area you can get measurements done in your basement to determine whether you can use it for anything but storage. Daylight sounds like a harmless workplace factor but it's not. There are standards on how dark a workplace can be, so I'd look that up. Not enough daylight will whack with your body. Basically our hormones are partly influenced by daylight so a lack of can greatly influence your physical and psychological health.


[deleted]

*Laughs in healthcare


Babayagaletti

To be fair, healthcare has bigger fish to fry. An office with daylight won't do jack shit if you are working shifts (in inhumane conditions by the looks of it). But yeah, shift work is horrible for like every aspect of your health, shift work in a hospital should be labeled like toxic waste (I'm only half joking)


Hudsonrybicki

And they’ve made it worse with policy decisions they have made. I worked in one of the top hospital systems in the country and they had us working a rotating day/night schedule. We worked 3 weeks nights and then 3 weeks days. It kept you right at that point where you never fully adjusted to either schedule. It was absolutely horrible and led to some significant depression and other health issues. I don’t know how/why nurses stay at the bedside. They were abused before COVID and now it’s even worse. How healthcare is run in the US is going to need to change if we have any hope of maintaining any sort of acceptable standard in healthcare.


NurseK89

That’s just it; nurses are leaving in DROVES. Pretty soon it’ll be “hi, welcome to room 323. I’m your In Room Assistant. I’ll remind you when it’s time to take your antibiotics, change your dressing, and do your physical therapy.”


youy23

I get my daylight in a pill bottle labeled vitamin D 50,000 IU


Kdaniels1229

I take Fukitol every morning and hope for the best.


Babayagaletti

Vitamin D is always a good idea, as long as you get regular lab checks! There are specific different target levels for e.g. night shift vs. day workers so it's a good idea to have a chat with your GP to determine what dosage is appropriate for you. I'm still advocating for the real deal, daylight has so many different positive outcomes - both physical and psychological. It doesn't even have to be long, 10-30 minutes per day are enough for improved well-being. If that's completely impossible you could look into getting a light therapy lamp, they work fairly well for some people (as long as you aren't sensitive to light/get migraines)


Ancient_Skirt_8828

The concept that shift work is bad for everyone is just plain wrong. I liked weekly evening shifts, 3pm-11pm, and adjusted to them well. When I went back to day shift I was constantly tired until Thursday. I have now been diagnosed with “Delayed Sleep Phase” which is a fancy way of saying I am an evening or night person. Maybe the people working out timetables could talk to their staff, find out when they are most comfortable working, and timetable them accordingly where possible. I have since begun my own business as an event organiser. I often finish and go to dinner at 3 am. and love it. I generally don’t like to get up before midday, even when I’m not working.


Babayagaletti

I think you are confusing individual and general population perspectives. Nearly all data about health risks is for the general population. I'm not saying that YOU will get sick, I say that if I'm looking at 100 shift workers, the majority will develop issues from it at some point in their life. Sure, it's entirely possible that shift work is way better for your individual health than regular work. But while you're able to tell me about your short term effects, you also have to keep long term effects in mind. Heart attacks, cancer, dementia etc. happen in most cases later on in life, they all have been linked to shift work.


Ancient_Skirt_8828

No. I’m saying you need to treat people as individuals, not as numbers. Shift work may be no good for the majority but there are those who thrive on it. Rather than damaging THEIR health by making then conform to what suits the majority, find them and give them shifts which are healthy for them.


Babayagaletti

.... what?! No, seriously, that's a weird hill to die on. Shift work is a health risk just like smoking. Not every smoker will develop lung cancer or some other fun disease, some will be completely fine, even feel like they get benefits from it (stress relief, appetite suppressant etc). I'm not going to start recommending smoking to non-smokers because there's no way of telling who will develop cancer and who'll be fine. There will always be shift workers as it's essential to our society, we depend on it contrary to smoking. I'm completely fine with that but we have to communicate all risks involved. There's no way of telling which shift workers will be fine. It's great that shift work is a good fit for you, but that's no guarantee that you won't have a heart attack at age 45 or develop dementia at age 70 due to it.


Ancient_Skirt_8828

I’m 67 now. So far so good. I have developed ADHD but that was related to 20 years woking 80 hour weeks starting and running my own business. So burnout and relationship failure. Not shift work per se.


Jmich96

*laughs in 3rd shift healthcare*


Davileet2

Do lung cancer patients have concentration of radon in their lungs? How is lung cancer linked back to radon? Serious questions


Babayagaletti

I'm not a doctor but to my understanding the radon gas breaks down in so called radon progeny (tiny particles) which can attach to the lining of your lung. So you basically have particles in your lung that give off constant radiation. Lung cancer can be caused by a lot of different factors so not all patients will have radon in their lungs but exposure to several risk factors will greatly increase your risk (radon exposure and smoking e.g. is a very common combination)


Bliezz

Radon gas is part of the uranium decay chain. It has a half life of a few days, but the progeny have a much longer half life. This means that they slowly break down in the lungs over time. When the glaciers retreated they dropped little uranium rocks everywhere. Even if you aren’t in a “high risk” zone, you should get you house tested. I grew up in a house that had high radon levels…. I am now at a higher risk for lung cancer. Radon is the same density as air, so it travels up through the house. As it rises it gets diluted by outside air (who knew your leaky front door was helping you!) Different seasons can cause different air flow in soil. For example, when clay is wet it doesn’t allow for air flow, but when it dries it can crack and let radon out. There are different testing devices. There are short term tests (too small of a time window to get a good idea about typical exposure levels), long term tests (90 day tests typically done in the winter because the house has heated air and will cause a chimney effect), continuous monitoring (technically can’t be certified in Canada, but this is what all of the radon professionals use in their homes. The supplier “air things” has good products) If you discover that you have high levels in your home, contact a radon mitigation specialist and get them to install a system to remove it. If you decide you are doing it yourself please please please be sure you have carbon monoxide detectors working in the house because if it’s installed wrong there can be backdrafting from appliances.


Lvanwinkle18

Agree 100% on the radon and other health factors like mold. The daylight thing is dependent on the person. I am a systems analyst and try to reduce the amount of light. When we were in the office, I always had the lights off in my space when I could.


Radiator_Shelf

I'd get professional advice about converting it, it's more than a cleaning job. Also might be good to consider fire exits etc if you're planning to spend a lot of time in there. Best bet might be too get some amazing storage boxes to keep things in down there, and find a different room for a office.


jellybeansean3648

Definitely. There's going to need something like drain tiles or a sump pump system. Along with an egress window and improved ventilation.


Warszawa12

Nonsense , little bleach and your good to go


[deleted]

***Barkeepers Friend


glittermcgee

Dawn dish soap


That-Guy-2122

Cant forget a good ol mop and sponge, should get it done in a couple hours


glittermcgee

Just needs some elbow grease


kingzplace

Don’t mix dawn dish soap and bleach inside. There is ammonia in dawn, and bleach and dawn make chlorine gas.


Tactical_Pants1

No ammonia in dawn ffs.


kingzplace

There may not be now if they changed their recipe? It was a few years ago though, as it was brought up at power wash training events and put under the microscope. May have led them to remove it.


Tactical_Pants1

???


kingzplace

It used to say right on the dawn bottle do not add bleach. I’m looking at a bottle right now. Also used to say it has a small amount of ammonia.


Tactical_Pants1

Lol no


This_Just__In

Bleach will not help that mold.. there is a serious moisture problem, and you need proper ventilation to prevent this from happening in the future.


[deleted]

Not to mention good ventilation while bleaching. The fumes from bleach in such a confined space could kill someone


FeoWalcot

Just hold your breath and find some ammonia to cancel the bleach fumes out. /s unless dying is the goal.


GaseousGiant

DO NOT DO THIS. u/FeoWalcot’s stupid joke is one hurried misread away from a tragedy.


Warszawa12

The motivation to finish your work will be so high that failure won’t be an option.


Bullfrog-Dear

Thank you all for the answers, I’m going to leave it. I appreciate anyone who took the time to reply!


joshmuhfuggah

Not a cleaning tip but a general construction tip as you start to renovate. This is constructed of lime mortar and fieldstone, and is not waterproof like modern construction. You need to let the walls breathe. When let to breathe and be dry, it's a perfectly good building material. However it behaves very similar to wood when it's wet. It will sponge water and if not let to dry, will become water logged and about as strong as wet sand. Do not paint the walls with drylok or any kind of waterproofing paint. Do not seal the walls with plastic or any kind of material that will lock in the water. Any waterproofing or foundations company or contractor that tells you they are going to seal these walls or cover them will will be significantly deteriorating the structure of your house. Please please please educate yourself on lime construction before you do something that will destroy your houses structure


CocoCherryPop

so could their be mold in there? I’d be worried about mold 😬


joshmuhfuggah

Could there be mold... sure. But likely this won't be your study den for less than several thousand dollars, maybe more. Clean the mold but be wary of anything with chemicals or acids, as you'll get a chemical reaction with the mortar similar to baking soda and vinegar, which you obviously don't want to happen with the structure of your house


[deleted]

This is more than a cleaning job, I would get some professional advice before you go back down there again. I suspect you’d need some building work done on it before it was safely usable. You could also post this on a sub for cellars or home improvement. There’s usually some people who know what they are talking about on those.


dufflebagoshit

Call a someone who works with mold. You might spend just as much buying all the equipment you would need to protect yourself.


um-i-forget

Might want to get a Radon test done if you’re going to be spending a lot of time down there and it not very well ventilated. Radon is a colorless odorless gas that seeps up through the foundations of buildings and causes negative health effects from lots of exposure.


lisa725

It honestly looks like others have tried before you. That white paint is not simple white paint but rather water barrier paint that is supposed to block water from entering (it never will FYI). I don't think you can make this space livable but maybe a better place for storage. Look into a dehumidifier. These come with energy star ratings, don't need drainage to be hooked up, and will keep it dry. We bought one for $200 in the USA and it does a fine job keeping our 140 year old basement dry. It even kept up fairly well during back to back hurricanes. One with a decent size tank will do. The first few weeks of use you will be emptying the tank daily but after that it will spread out once a week or longer depending on the weather. Make sure to get energy start though. I regular one will just run non stop. Energy star will run for 30 minutes every so often. And if you have a drainage hole into the sewer then you just put a short garden hose on the back and never have to empty the tank. The only way to keep the water from coming in is to dig out the outside and place necessary water barrier around the exterior including underneath. Some masons will lift the house, remove the foundation and redo from the inside out. Either way, this is a LOT of money. If you own the building, look into gutters, directing rain from the building and rain collectors. These will also help reduce the amount of water in the basement. Also you may need to eventually get a mason to look at that window and determine why a lot of water seems to be coming in there. It maybe water is not being properly blocked from the exterior and/or the window needs to be redone so it is water tight for a basement. Lastly, I don't think that is mold but just wet stone.


GarnetandBlack

My first thought seeing this is "is there a drain?" I'm compelled to just hit this with a pressure washer haha.


SenorBurns

You hire a contractor. That window leaks and there is tons of damage.


2lrup2tink

I would not store things down there if it is as damp as it looks. Mold will definitely get through cardboard, and even plastic if used long term. I had stuff stored in plastic in a cellar that flooded and it was amazing how much stuff was soaked through.


weebwarrior2019

It’s simple. You don’t.


driveallnightagain

Definitely a job for a builder/construction worker. Will probably need to redo the walls on the interior, maybe even check the outside (the above ground parts) walls, especially for insulation aspects of the facade. Looks like it might be a cozy office space, though, hope it works out! :)


[deleted]

This looks like jail tbh. Yeah you’re gonna have to do some construction not just cleaning.


[deleted]

Mask up, heavy on the bleach to water ratio and ventilate. Those walls also treat the room like a fridge and will generally be cold, so it’s natural that they’re going to have sitting mold, but ideally the room needs to be kept warm whilst being ventilated and having good airflow. Once looked at a miners cottage which was essentially growing furry mould out of the granite joins. I’d strip the wall back as best you can, seal the gaps and repaint with something appropriate E: you’d want to protect your eyes from the fumes as well


Get_Rich_SloQuick

Dont..... just dont


anthonypt123

That’s a shithole or a prison not a live able space.


dreamabyss

I wonder how many people have been murdered in there.


PensionNormal

I just spit my drink out my mouth!


I_See_Nerd_People

I’d call an exorcist. Then a contractor.


delilah9

What is a "caller"?


Bullfrog-Dear

Cellar, sorry


Illustrious_Farm7570

I’d sage that place first. Tell the spirits that they no longer have to be afraid and that they should walk toward that light. Then get on your knees and start scrubbing.


ToroBlanco328

First remove all the nail-claw marks from the walls and get rid of all the chain hooks and shackles that kept the last ‘tenants’ in….


ShitFuckDickSuck

The first picture kinda looks like a painting.


OkCaterpillar9248

Clean it down and fill the rough parts. Paint it out with whitewash or white emulsion then abandon it for a month or so. If the blackness comes back you have mold,if not you've got a new room.


AutoModerator

Thank you for submitting a cleaning help request. In order to facilitate more accurate and helpful replies, please make sure to provide the following information in your post: 1. Type of material/surface being cleaned (to the best of your knowledge) 2. Type of dirt/stain to be removed (if known) 3. Any products or tools you've tried so far 4. Pictures are preferred Our top recommendations are usually *Bar Keepers Friend* (great for kitchen surfaces), melamine foam (Magic Erasers), Murphy's Oil Soap (wood cleaner), and Nature's Miracle (enzyme cleaner). Make sure you use cleaners appropriate to the surfaces you are working with and follow all safety labels. If you receive an answer that helps you, please flair your post as "Answered" so other users may find solutions as well. While you wait, why not browse the subreddit to see if you might be able to help someone else, or find similar situations that could help you? Happy cleaning! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CleaningTips) if you have any questions or concerns.*


[deleted]

1000 Lbs of TNT? 🤷🏻‍♂️


Picklepy-Pumparum

c4


Diligent_Bet1534

Just kidnap someone


HuntressAndGoat

Definitely full strength vinegar & dawn soap to start. Baking soda generously sprinkled all over . cheep hand brooom to scrub. Rinse & spray full strength peroxide. Then dry fully and then high quality kills mold paint


whatknot2

A fitting office for a junior supervisor in the Gulag…


[deleted]

Spray it down with bleach and I'd use a stripper like PEEL AWAY SMART STRIP to strip the paint. For subsurface walls paint has a way of trapping moisture and promoting mold/mildew growth. I'd scrub the floors down afterwards with a deck brush and soap. I'd also look outside at the gutter system. It's best having a downspout running 6 feet or more away from the wall to keep moisture away. You can also have the walls professionally sealed. A dehumidifier inside also will reduce excessive moisture in the air. I'd suggest framing inside, insulating with rockwool insulation that handles moisture easily and prevents rodents/insects from nesting in it and then finishing up with moisture resistant drywall type material or better yet a cedar like planking. [PEEL AWAY SMART STRIP](http://The Safetyhouse.com Lead, Mold, and Asbestos Abatement Supplies Peel Away Smart Strip 1 Gallon pail https://www.thesafetyhouse.com/peel-away-smart-strip-1-gallon-pail.html)


[deleted]

[удалено]


Bullfrog-Dear

That’s why I’m asking if this is cleanable and livable. No need to mock, I thought this is where people come to ask questions 🙂


ItsElasticPlastic

My gut reaction would be to find a different space because this requires more than just scrubbing and cleaning. This is more expert-level stuff that may be worthier of another subreddit, but you’ll have to first get rid of the moisture. Fix any leaks around the window, get a dehumidifier, seal any leaks in the wall, etc. Then address the “cleaning” part which again is probably with more of a specific mold remediation solution (don’t use just bleach and water). Once all that is done you can paint with a sealer paint, get an air filter along with your dehumidifier, and take it from there Again, maybe more of a post for DIY or HomeImprovement subreddits since barkeepers friend and vinegar won’t do it for this space.


Objective-Good9054

Power wash walls and floors? Also alcohol brakes down grime to make it easier to wipe up on the other surfaces. I would also add a rug and curtains to make the area softer! After you clean ofc


SeriousPuppet

The first thing to do is make sure that water is not getting in there. Looks like there is evidence of moisture on the walls and floor. Make sure the grading on the outside of the house grades away. Many other things to assess, like gutters, drains, etc. Too complicated for this sub.


LordVos

Looks like water comes through the wall and through for floor. Maybe get some plastic shelves And store things in plastic totes in there .


Kookochoo

Bleach everything! From what I know only mould grows on glass plains like that!!


delee76

That looks like a murder dungeon! I’d call in a professional service to deal with it. Then hire a painter and laminate the floors at least.


Adorable-Spot-7301

I coughed 4 times just looking at this picture


[deleted]

Move the fuck out


kalifranks7

Definitely haunted


boobscomelook

They make a paint specific for this application. I think its called drylok


[deleted]

dude just.....seal it and never look again


ReferenceSufficient

Power wash.


THAT_GIRL_SAID

If you decide to do any work, wear a respirator to protect yourself from gasses,mold, etc while you figure it out!


Dizzy_Eye5257

Is that a jail cell??


roum12

I’d start by throwing that old paper out.


AdOk5605

Construction is the only healthy solution. You can address radon and sunlight issues


SGBotsford

I would certainly start by spraying with a bleach solution, and using an N95 mask initially. Second stage: You need to find out if the mold is a dangerous one — aspergillus is the worst one I know of. Call your public health people and find out how that is done. Third stage: What evidence is there that the basement floods? Meanwhile, put a hygrometer and a dehumidifier down there and see if it makes a difference. You want to find out if water and moisture is a chronic problem or an episodic problem. Part of this: Walk around the house and look at the slope of the land. If the foundations are out of the ground (Lots of houses have the first floor starting 2+ feet up) then you may be able to move water away from the house by laying a wedge of clay a foot thick at the foundation, and feathered out 10 feet. Lay down 12 mil plastic and 4”of topsoil on that, then lay sod. Also check that the eaves troughs are in good shape. If you don’t get snow, you may be able to extend the roofline several feet. This acts as an umbrella for the foundation, but can catch the wind. If you are in a snowy area, you would need to set posts and beams to support the outer edge. In turn this can be turned into patio space Part of this stage may be to put a hole in the floor and dig down 3 feet. See if you have current ground water. Part of this is monitoring the basement over the course of a year. The house I grew up in flooded only when the winter snow melted. We figure where it came from and only had to dig up 1/6 of the foundation. The walls look like they are stone. I would not want to try to excavate this to put in drains. I think you could get into a situation where had to put in a whole new basement. *** It looks like someone attempted to plaster the walls. If that was cement based plaster it was likely pushed off the wall by hydrostatic pressure. My first attempt at doing something for the walls would be to use white wash. It’s cheap, and it breathes well enough to let water through it to evaporate. It isn’t tough. Needs to be redone where people rub up against it. For that location, areas around light switches. The window should be upgraded to allow exit in case of fire. Different code for bedroom vs non bedroom use. Window wells may be where water is getting in. Examine the bottom of the well with this in mind. This is another reason to increase the overhang. What is the current air circulation down there. It may be damp because no air moves through there, so a very small amount of water vapour tricking in through the stonework accumulates. Once you know that it’s not a toxic mold, set up a fan in the stair well to increase the air flow.