ginmar ([info]ginmar) wrote,
@ 2008-07-25 13:50:00
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Entry tags:stuff

City Inspection
The city inspector told us that the City Attorney almost never pays claims on damage caused by police raids, and that sheriff's office won't either. Well, fuck that. They broke three doors and one window on her house, and they damned well will pay for it if I have to get everybody from the ACL to the Southern Poverty Law Center involved. This lady works seven days a week.

She won a seven-day reprieve, which is much more workable than the stupid weekend period they were going to give her. I swear, I think the city inspector liked to fuck with her; when she talked about how the police didn't have to fix up their damage and the city attorney almost never paid out, she looked almost smug at the little poor people.

The house needs to have mold scrubbed away with bleach, there's plumbing problems, and electrical problems. She's got all stuff that she needs to do and she works seven days a week. People are cleaning now, but it's hot and muggy. I'm dead. I still haven't slept. Hopefully I'll get to Animal Ark today.


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[info]sajia
2008-07-25 07:45 pm UTC (link)
My hero. Stick it to them!

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[info]ginmar
2008-07-25 07:47 pm UTC (link)
The way they steam roll over these people is just infuriating. The lady doesn't speak good english. There's no way she'd navigate the bureaucracy.

I'm nobody's hero. How can you watch this happen right across the street and not do anything?

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[info]stardragonca
2008-07-25 07:59 pm UTC (link)
Apparently someone can.:(

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[info]nekosensei
2008-07-25 09:47 pm UTC (link)
*smirk*

I take it you're referring to the guy with the cameras? :)

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[info]stardragonca
2008-07-25 10:08 pm UTC (link)
Not specifically. But shit like this happens, so someone can stand it, apparently.

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Borax
(Anonymous)
2008-07-25 07:57 pm UTC (link)
I've used a damp rag dipped in Borax powder to get rid of visible mold. (I live in a crappy trailer house with leaky doors.) It works better than bleach (lasts much longer), and is almost as cheap. Plus if you are careful, it is less of an inhalation hazard. They can find it in the laundry isle if the mold comes back (assuming that it's not a reoccurring water leak.)

I'm pretty tired of city's basic response to the the problem of crime in poverty level neighborhoods = get rid of the poor people. It's not ALL the poor people in my neighborhood committing theft and robbery and assault. It's the life-long meth dealer (crime goes down when he's in jail) and random migrating young thugs who have either just graduated or dropped out of school and are at loose ends (or beginning a life of crime.) Or its the habitual drug/alcohol abuser, or domestic violence instigator.

All of these prototypes exist in rich neighborhoods too. That's why fenced neighborhoods don't make you safer.

compcat

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Re: Borax
[info]ginmar
2008-07-25 07:59 pm UTC (link)
Thanks for the tip. I have some mold in my basement, too, and I'm going to get some borax to fix it. You know any product names?

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Re: Borax
[info]crwilley
2008-07-25 08:10 pm UTC (link)
The one I remember was called "20 Mule Team" - but it's a pretty generic product. You're just as likely to find a box labelled "Borax Powder".

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Re: Borax
[info]ginmar
2008-07-25 08:44 pm UTC (link)
Okay, thanks.

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Re: Borax
[info]xviragox
2008-07-25 10:41 pm UTC (link)
Careful with the borax, it can be dangerous to pets.

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Re: Borax
[info]fidelioscabinet
2008-07-25 08:11 pm UTC (link)
The classic brand is 20 Mule Team, but there's also Boraxo.

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Re: Borax
(Anonymous)
2008-07-25 08:12 pm UTC (link)
I think the whole name is 20 Muleteam Borax (or similar), but if you look in the laundry isle, it is usually next to the large box of laundry baking soda. Check the high shelves. If water seepage is the problem, eventually you need to stop wherever the water is coming from. (Ha, I'll never fix that stupid door.)

I learned this from the guy that sells odorxit's newsletter, and for me it has worked longer than the bleach. (I also use borax as it was intended, for the laundry, and to keep fleas in the carpet down.) As far as I know, there is only the one brand. You used to be able to buy boric acid in the pharmacy, but not anymore. Plus it was more expensive.

I googled it for you http://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/index.cfm?page_id=55

compcat

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[info]elestirne
2008-07-25 08:15 pm UTC (link)
I work for a city. The city constantly receives claims from people over everything from damage to their cars caused by potholes to sewer backups in their house. The city has insurance for those very things. You need to find out who in the city is responsible for insurance claims--they will usually be much more helpful than either the inspector or the attorney. Try a City Secretary or Clerk's office to start. Those phone numbers should be available on any city's web page. If the inspector is the one claiming that the city doesn't typically pay damages, she (most likely) doesn't know what she's talking about and is just trying to intimidate.

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[info]ginmar
2008-07-25 08:25 pm UTC (link)
She's definitely trying to intimidate.

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[info]lindajdunn
2008-07-26 01:03 am UTC (link)

1 gallon of water
4 oz. Pinesol
4 oz. Mr. Clean
4 oz. OUTDOOR bleach

I'll omit the boring story about how I know this.

Note that the reason you use Mr. Clean (tm) and Pinesol (tm) is because you don't want to mix certain chemicals. Unfortunately, I forget which chemicals.

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(Anonymous)
2008-07-26 03:36 am UTC (link)
According to P&G's Materials Safety Data Sheets for Mr. Clean Bathroom Liquid and Bathroom Spray, mixing either one with chlorine bleach will lead to the production of chlorine gas - not something you want to be inhaling. Some of the other Mr. Clean products may be safe to mix with bleach, but the risk of getting the wrong one makes this a really bad idea, especially with only the brand name specified.

Bleach and ammonia is the most famous mixture to avoid, but there are numerous other chemicals that react with bleach to form dangerous fumes - in general, I would both check out an MSDS and call the manufacturer prior to mixing any cleaning product (or anything else for that matter) with bleach.

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[info]rabidsamfan
2008-07-26 08:34 pm UTC (link)
Double the "no ammonia plus chlorine bleach" from me. In fact, I never mix household chemicals at all if I can avoid it. Use one, wait a few hours until things are dry, and then maybe use the other, if the first one didn't work.

There are oxygen bleaches as well as chlorine bleaches, but I don't know how safe they are with ammonia either.

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(Anonymous)
2008-07-28 06:25 pm UTC (link)
Assuming that the active agent in your oxygen bleach is hydrogen peroxide, you may catalyze hydrogen peroxide decomposition, especially if you have hard water, which produces oxygen and heat - in that case, I'd be most worried about the heat causing the ammonia to evaporate. So, not as bad as with chlorine bleach (you can't produce chlorine fumes without chlorine), but still probably not a great idea.

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[info]xanath
2008-07-26 05:06 am UTC (link)
. . . /aghast

Where do you live, Hell's Half-Acre? Don't answer that.

I hope you get some sleep today, and that your neighbor gets some help.

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