So based on the meth homes I have been cleaning up lately, I was coming to the conclusion that most meth homes are the rentals or bottom-enders that are trashed. Yesterday I got an education. I checked out two places that, according to the tests taken by other home inspectors, came out positive for meth. One is a 4-plex, the other a small home - both in Utah County.
They Sparkled
Neither of these showed any sign of dirtiness or meth contamination - this week.
Both of them had been renovated. The 4-plex had four cute and benign little living spaces, all dressed up nice, with excellent paint condition and newer carpets. Even the decor was nice in these units. No stains, no trashiness, nothing. Yet it tested positive for meth. Seems they had painted and carpeted since the bad renter moved out.
Same at the home. The new buyers were investors who had gone through the place and replaced almost everything. The kitchen, bathrooms, paint, carpet, everything. The one area they hadn't replaced was the area that tested positive for meth - the duct system.
What To Add to My Psychosis Check-Sheet
I often tell people that new paint and/or carpet can be a bad thing. You only get to see as much history as the paint is old. Often, when the paint is new in an area, I'll wonder why out loud. It's kinda backwards thinking, I know, but it's the right thing to do when you're in the business of being a professional pessimist.
Now I've added to that psychosis. So now, when I see new paint and carpet my new question is: Why? Are they covering over or replacing the stained conditions that formerly indicated a meth house?
That whole "why?" thing. Amazing what it opens up when you think things are so easy.
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