The Dangers of Living in a Former Meth House – What To Look For

In homes all across America there is something sinister lurking just beneath the surface… all houses have a history and some of them are dangerous.  In the spirit of the season we’re looking at something spooky here on the BIOClean Team Blog, we’re looking at what can happen when you live in a former meth house and how to identify them. 

Dangers of Living in a Former Meth House

Living in meth houses is dangerous, everybody knows that. The handling of volatile chemicals can lead to explosions and fires amongst other health concerns. What many might not realize is that even when the house is no longer an active meth lab, the health complications are still there. Here’s why.

Methamphetamine is a crystal substance that when heated vaporizes, that’s how people ingest it. That vapor  goes off and into surfaces and as it cools, it recrystallizes. This trace amount increases over time and in the case of homes that used to be meth labs, can leave incredibly unhealthy levels of the chemicals in the walls, ceilings, carpets – you name it. When meth is ‘cooked’ in a home these toxins spread everywhere.This remaining chemicals can harm those living in the home, as they are exposed to the residual meth daily.

In some cases families report constant sickness, inability to sleep, sinus problems that require surgery, babies unable to gain weight. Others have methamphetamine traces show up in their bloodwork without any history of using the substance. Migraines, respiratory difficulties, skin burns, irritation. The list goes on, and these are just the short term effects. The possible long-term health problems are less understood, but no less scary.

Coming down with these illnesses repeatedly, seemingly out of nowhere can seem like something out of a horror movie!  If you have experienced any of these symptoms after moving into a new home, it may very well be that your home’s history wasn’t properly disclosed to you. 

Signs of a Former Meth House

Whether you are looking at purchasing a new home or you’re renting out a property and wonder what might be going down – keep your eyes peeled for some of these common meth house signs.

Stay Alert for Strong Scents

While older homes might have a normal, musty smell, meth homes have a clear scent. Smell for ammonia, vinegar, or a rotten egg smell. These are definitive flags that something is up, if you haven’t bought the property yet now is the time to ask some serious questions.

Ask Your Neighbors

One of the couples we mentioned earlier had no idea until their neighbors clued them in. Talk to your neighbors, they have likely been in the neighborhood longer than yourself and may have seen things that the seller of the property didn’t see (or didn’t want to disclose). 

Test Your Home

If you have noticed any of these signs, or want to get right to the scientific truth of the matter, you can get a test. You can buy a methamphetamine test to test the levels in your home for relatively low costs (some on Amazon for as little as $10 at the time of this writing). Each state has a ‘safe’ limit so check against that number to determine whether your result is acceptable for you. And if that tests proves positive for even a minuscule amount, you are allowed to feel it is unacceptable. It’s your home, you don’t have to go by a recommended safe amount if you don’t feel safe!

While we hope you never have to deal with a situation like these fine people who discovered, perhaps too late, that their home was a former meth lab, it’s worth it to have this knowledge ahead of time! 

Call The BIOClean Team

Get bad news? Did your house test positive for meth residue? It is time for a serious cleanup! We have talked about meth cleanup before, the necessities and how it works. But the long and short of it is: if you suspect your home or home-to-be was a meth house,  get professional assistance and make sure your home is habitable! If you need the help, get in touch! The BIOClean Team is prepared to handle the hard work necessary to rehabilitate properties just like yours. Giving your family peace of mind and a safe place to live again.