Meth Decontamination and Home Renovations: Safely Updating Contaminated Spaces

 
 

The sobering reality is that many New Zealanders are using methamphetamine. It’s now one of the most commonly used amphetamines, with an estimated 45,000 adults partaking in a 12-month period, according to a 2019/20 New Zealand Health Survey.

A New Zealand Police National Wastewater Testing also revealed that nearly 10kg of meth was being consumed weekly in that same period, with the Eastern, Northland, and Bay of Plenty police districts reporting the highest per-capita use. This information is alarming from a health perspective but can also be devastating for homeowners.

Meth contamination can cause thousands of dollars of damage to the average property, especially if levels reach higher than 1.5µg per 100cm2 in high-use rooms and 3.8µg per 100cm2 in limited spaces. Above these limits, homeowners must undertake cleaning, decontamination, and, sometimes, full renovations to ensure their properties are habitable for themselves or their tenants.

Learning that your property is meth-contaminated can be overwhelming. However, having all the facts can give you the confidence to get the decontamination process started. Here’s what’s involved in safely updating your contaminated spaces.

Inform Yourself

Having a fundamental knowledge of meth contamination can put you in the driver’s seat for this significant journey you’ll be on for the next while. The more you know about what meth contamination is and what decontamination looks like, the easier it can be to make informed choices.

Current evidence suggests that methamphetamine residues can remain on surfaces, flooring, and upholstery after cooking and smoking. These surfaces can also desorb the residue over time, which means the residue can become airborne. Airborne residue tends to be higher around the central contamination areas.

It can also be essential to educate yourself on current remediation techniques. Many existing cleaning protocols aren’t necessarily evidence-based. Some studies have found that alkalised hydrogen peroxide can remove >80% of methamphetamine from painted drywall surfaces, vinyl floor tiles, non-porous galvanised metal, and glass.

A number of cleaning products can be used to clean non-porous surfaces, but recontamination is possible with porous surfaces. Replacing rather than cleaning porous surfaces like carpets, drywall, upholstery, and curtains can be more cost-effective in many situations.

Prioritise Testing

Meth testing companies can test each room in your house to see how intensive your decontamination processes must be. Without test results, you won’t know whether cleaning from top to toe is enough or whether you need to look at stripping out materials.

Hiring a meth testing company can be the first step in the decontamination and cleaning process. Fortunately, a number of operators like Chemcare provide this service nationwide.

Start Cleaning

Your results determine what you do next. If your home was found to have low levels of meth contamination, up to 1.5µg per 100cm2, you can request a triple-clean process from meth cleaning professionals. This describes cleaning a room or home three times to reduce or eliminate meth from the space entirely.

Strip Out Building Materials

Sometimes, meth contamination can be so severe that stripping out building materials is the most cost-effective option. Non-porous materials can be challenging to clean, and there are no guarantees that meth residue can be removed from all materials to ensure a space is within safe meth levels.

If this is the outcome of your meth test, creating a safe home can involve stripping out porous materials. These include:

  • Carpet

  • Carpet underlay

  • Ceiling tiles

  • Insulated ductwork

  • Exposed insulation

  • Furnishings

  • Curtains  

Fortunately, you can safely decontaminate hard, non-porous materials, rather than removing and replacing them, such as:

  • Plasterboard

  • Ceilings

  • Hard flooring

  • Doors

  • Countertops

  • Cabinets

  • Metal ductwork

  • Furnaces

How to Know Your House is Contaminated

While many would-be homeowners used to look for more apparent issues like leaks and structural problems before buying a house, New Zealand’s meth problem now means that meth is another item to add to your checklist.

You can’t tell a house is contaminated just by looking at it, but there are actions you can take before signing on the dotted line:

  • Request meth testing

  • Ask the listing agent if they are aware of any meth use/production in the property

  • Talk to your lawyer before making an offer

  • Make meth testing and a satisfactory result a condition of your offer

  • Refer to the LIM report if the council has been alerted

Request Meth Testing and Meth Decontamination Today

New Zealand’s meth issue means that many homes are now contaminated due to cooking and smoking. Low contamination in a home means it’s often still safe to live in, but high contamination can be cause for concern.

If you suspect or know your house has been contaminated, it’s time to get the experts involved. Contact Chemcare to find out more about meth testing and meth cleaning. You can then enjoy peace of mind knowing your home is safe for your family or your tenants.

Karan Kikani