Buying a new home is a stressful process. Your house is probably the single most substantial financial investment you’ll make in your lifetime, so you want to make sure it’s an investment you believe in and are comfortable with. However, sometimes things slip through the cracks in the middle of the home buying chaos. For instance, in 2013, an Oregon family unknowingly bought a house that was formerly used as a meth lab.
Common signs your home was a meth house
It’s helpful if you can make this discovery before purchasing the home, but most people don’t know what signs to look for that will signal to them that their potential home was once used to manufacture methamphetamines.
Here are some of the most reliable indicators that your house was once a meth lab:
Strong odors of acetone, paint thinner, and freon (these smells are similar to cat urine or rotten eggs)
Empty containers for antifreeze, paint thinner, acetone, ether, alcohol, and other chemicals
Excessive amounts of cold medicine packaging
Used coffee filters with colored stains or strange residue
Destroyed lithium batteries
Added or upgraded ventilation systems
Covered or darkened windows
What are the symptoms of living in a former meth hosue?
If you’ve already purchased your home but have noticed health issues in your family, there are a few physical signs that you can keep an eye out for. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, exposure to methamphetamines can produce symptoms similar to those experienced while taking meth.
These symptoms include the following:
increased attention and decreased fatigue
increased activity and wakefulness
decreased appetite
euphoria and rush
increased respiration
rapid/irregular heartbeat
hyperthermia
What’s the next step?
If you believe your home has been contaminated by methamphetamines and the manufacturing of this drug, your first step should be to get a meth test. If this test comes back positive, hire a decontamination team to remove all traces of the methamphetamines from your home and property.
Old decontamination processes required the gutting of entire homes to thoroughly clean out the substances, but luckily technology has advanced to the point where the cleanup is fairly non-invasive.
Our Los Angeles meth decontamination experts have all the tools, licenses, and equipment to ensure that your property is completely clean when we are done. We will test your property before and after we clean it to make sure that everything is as it should be.
At Burns Environmental Services, our cleanup process is non-corrosive, non-hazardous, and gentle on your home. So that once we’re through with your home, you can quickly move back in, worry-free. If you have suspicions about your home and would like to learn more, visit us online or give us a call at (800) 577-4009.