Where to start? Lodger gone, mess left

Paige

Poor you, thats disgraceful. I would replace the duvet and pillows. Pillows are on special offer at Sains at the moment pack of 2 for £3.49 and I think the single duvets are reduced to £9.99 and double to £12.99. Paige X

Lillibet_2

The damage to the wall : is it wall papered, painted? Plaster damage or can you see masonary?

If, hopefully, it's "only" deep plaster damage then it's relatively easy to repair : fill gouges using either very fine polyfiller or if you haven't got any & the damage isn't anywhere you are likey to want to hang picture s or shelves (i.e put fixings in) fill with toothpaste! Let it dry for at least 24 hours then sand over the finish (with an emery board if you haven't got any sandpaper) & dab in paint, use a sponge so that it blends in better.

If it is wall paper then you can only polyfill & re-paper I'm afraid unless you coudl paint or draw the wall paper design over the polyfiller or stick a peice of furniture in front?. If it is through the masonary then you MUST use a proper filler like polyfiller. Toothpaste woudl eb fine to fill nail/screw hoels or paster gouges but not anything more serious.

Also if the walls are painted then you could try & remove the black marks with a solution of stardrops & a scratchy washing up sponge, this shouldn't harm the paint if you are careful.

Best advice to get rid of the smell is clean & leave the windows open as much as possible, fresh air is the worlds best nuteraliser & it's free;)

Good luck & hear's a (((hug)))

Uniscots97

Lil_me, I'm afraid I took the cowards way out and hid at my neighbour's (who has been great with tea and sympathy) so I didn't have to face him. His Dad is lovely and I wouldn't want to embarass him. The whole family has come down on my side. I'm sure it'll filter back to his side of the family just how bad it was. Most of my friends were disgusted when they saw the mess he'd leave me with before he moved out.

Unfortunately it'll make me very wary of helping a friend/relative again.

Uniscots97

Thanks for all the tips. The hole is through the plasterboard. Thanks for the tips on how to fix this. Thankfully the room is emulsioned. I might end up repainting the white glossed shelf in the bathroom as its all scratched. Its just been one thing after another the last few months and extra lay out is not what I need. I don't think I want him back in the house. His idea of clean and mine seem totally separate. He obviously never hoovered his room so why tell me he did? Its nice having my house back to myself.

spiddy100

Did you take any pictures of the rooms Unixgirl? I know right now you just want it clean and not to have to think about him but it might be worth having some evidence if you decide you want to chase him up for some kind of reparation.

I'm so sorry this has happened It amazes me how unaware of their surroundings some young men can be, but it's just horribly selfish of him to take advantage of you like that.

If it was me I think I'd do what Angchris said and redecorate the room, slap some paint up so it looks completely different to how it was before.

angchris

breath a long deep sigh of relief! and be thankfull that it only lasted for a few months and that it has only affected 2 rooms and its nothing that cant be fixed, some landlords have their whole house trashed and it costs them thousands and they cant get the tenant/lodger out!:eek: sit down with a cuppa and just put it down to experience and enjoy the solitude of an empty house :j

jessicamb

What a nightmare! You really do have my sympathy.

If there is a load of mess in there I would suggest starting at the doorway and working your way in - that way you can see the progress and hopefully it doesnt all get on top of you.

Like one of the posts above I would throw out the bedding and replace it if it was a bit grotty

It will be lovely again when you are done

Big hugs

Uniscots97

Thanks guys, you've all helped and you've cheered me up.

MrsTinks

Look at it from the positive side He's gone out of your house, you can "reclaim" your domain and not have to put up with the uncertainty and irritation of knowing he's not looking after your property
Cleaning and minor repairs seems like a minor price to pay to get rid of him! And who knows if it filters back to him or his parents he might even have the good grace (or have been kicked into it) to appologise and give you some money towards the repairs

As for cleaning a manky toilet then Cola seems to work wonders although I personally swear by vinegar (if needed then soak some loo roll and cover the inside of the loo with it - next morning any gunk will usually just come straight off

Uniscots97

Hi Tine, I have a huge bottle of white vinegar. Will this do the trick? So far the loo has had three coats of toilet cleaner and a third of a bottle of neat Dettol down it.