Natwerk Designs

how can i get my place looking pristine like HGTV -- living in squalor instead :(?

hi how can i get my house like ones feature on hgtv, u know pristine lookin -- here my problems fruit flies in kitchen over fruit basket and dirty dishes in sink pile mile high lol pet feces smashed in carpets (have 4 pet mice, 2 ferrets, 3 cats (strays) and 2 dogs all running loose) about 10 - 15 cigarette burns in couches (didn't do it, ex bf and his felon friends did it) 3 bikes and car parts from 2 cars sitting on back patio old fridge that dont work sitting in corner of living room also it SMELLS horrible but is empty excess bags fill with old sanitary pads that is now thrown out but the smell linger in 'great room' front steps is cracked and hard to walk up made of some type of stone w/ roaches in downstairs bathroom (raid spray don't work on em) human urine stains in carpet and on loveseat in great room holes in wall and can see into neighbors hooked on but put up tarp in it so it dont get too cold in lv. room smells badly of vomit in a half bath that the toilet is filled w/ black feces and don't flush smells badly like pot in basement area (again where ex bf and his 2 friends was livin half a year ago) can i still host valentine party here or should cancel and have at lil cousin's small apt?? ty ** oh forget -- there is a broken window in front of house where a bullet went through when ex bf friends was playin with gun now the broke glass is littered in foyer area

Public Comments

1. http://www.hgtv.com/dream-home/index.html
2. Get friends to help you cart out anything you haven't used in the last 6 months and head to the nearest dumpster. Consider calling in professional cleaners to do the dishes, shampoo the carpets and furniture. Get rid of some of the pets since you clearly aren't motivated to clean up after them. Go to Target or Bed Bath and Beyond and get some slipcovers for the worst of the furniture. Call the landlord and have him make some basic repairs or call a handyman if you own the place. And try not being a slob- since you can't blame it all (a bag of sanitary napkins, bleck!) on your ex.
3. Clean up what you can--sweep up or vacuum up the broken glass since it is dangerous. And hire a home organizer, explain the problem so they know just what they will be dealing with (do not minimize things, they will need to know there is pet feces and stuff). It'll cost you but after they (and you, you'll need to help so you know exactly how much energy, time and effort it takes to clean things up) are finished, your place ought to be tidy and nice.
4. Please. Do Not. Have a party in this hellhole. Please get into the habit of cleaning up things as soon as they happen. That glass should have been swept up the day it broke. Also, the bag of sanitary pads (are you serious?) should have been thrown away immediately. Pet messes need to be cleaned up as soon as the pet drops it. Wash all dishes at least once a day. Keep fruit in the fridge to cut down on flies. If you can, take a week off work and do nothing but clean this house. If you don't have money to hire help, you can do it yourself, but it's going to be a long, hard week. Break it up into sections. Hit the kitchen first and wash all the dishes. Throw away old food and clean and scrub out the fridge. Scrub down all surfaces. Scrub the bathrooms and get the toilet fixed. Open all the windows while you are cleaning so bad smells can escape. Put slipcovers on furniture with burn holes. Rent a carpet cleaner and clean the carpets and urine-stained love seat before slipcovering it. Cart out garbage, car parts, unused bikes, old fridge. You will have to hire someone to fix the holes in the wall, the cracked step, and the broken window. Also, call an exterminator to get rid of the roaches. They will not leave because there is too much garbage for them to feed on and now there are too many and they are too strong. And please do not let it get this bad again. Do a little cleaning every day or every few days; clean up messes as soon as they happen. Do not let human animals in your house if they are going to burn your furniture and smoke weed.Maybe cut down on the number of animals.