Collector Care Interviews:Tony Leonardini Owner of Bay Area Bio Clean

Bay Area Bio Clean Blog

Tony Leonardini has been General Manager of Collector Care for quite some time now, and has decided to go into business for himself! We have always used Tony for our large jobs, especially the ones that can get gross.

Whether it is rat infested, squalor-ous, moldy, etc. We can count on Tony to get the area cleaned and disinfected. Tony pays amazing attention to detail, and takes a lot of pride in his work.
In addition to being efficient and trained, he is incredibly compassionate and caring. Our clients love working with him, and trust that he will get the job done.

I have never seen Tony flinch at a sight or smell, which has always impressed me. We smell some smells Collectors, this is really hard to pull off (there is a gag reflex involved)!!!
Most of us have seen an episode or two of "Dexter" and might have a convoluted idea about what a crime scene cleaner actually does. Keep reading to find out what a crime scene cleaner does and why you would ever want to hire one.

Rachel: What does a crime scene cleaner, or extreme cleaner do? What exactly are you cleaning?

Tony: A crime scene cleanup technician is a trained professional who cleans Biological hazardous waste. This can include suicide, homicide, blood, and other trauma related bodily fluids. An Extreme Cleaner is a person who cleans up situations that require Personal Protective Equipment or PPE. These situations are commonly animal hoarding, hoarding cleanup, mold, rotten food, human and animal/rodent feces and urine. 

This is a rat infested garage cleanup.

Rat feces and urine cleanup

Rachel: Why would a professional organizer hire a crime scene cleaner?  

Tony: Most Professional Organizers contact me when they encounter hoarding situations where the amount of property is beyond them, or just the types of property is too gross or foul. Often these types of homes have rotten food, rodent urine, gross filth, and squalor conditions.

Thanks to Bay Area Bio Clean these sharps were removed and disposed of!

Rachel: Why would anyone else hire a crime scene cleaner?

Tony: Sometimes tragedy strikes and we are left to deal with the messes. Whether suicide, decomposition, blood, vomit, squatter in a home, deceased pet, or any other trauma scene cleanup a Crime Scene Cleaner is the right person to call. 

Rachel: Tony thank you for letting us know about your new business, and hazmat up brother!

Collectors, thank you for stopping by our Collector Care blog on crime scene cleaning! If you need to hire Tony Leonardini please call him at 925-596-8894 or visit his website at www.bayareabioclean.com.

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer (and blogger) For Collector Care

Collector Care specializes in hoarding disorder, chronic disorganization and professional organizing. We  love what we do, and  provide realistic expectations and timelines. Please visit our website at

www.collectorcare.com  or call 925-548-7750

Tweet us on Twitter : Like our Facebook page : Pin with us on Pinterest

Collector Care Chronicals: Extreme Cleaning and Hoarding Cleanup

Here at Collector Care no job is too big or small! What happens when squalor or squatters take over a foreclosed or abandoned home? We come in and clean up, that's what happens! I love hearing real estate agents and home owners gasp at the makeover of  the home after one of our deep cleans.

When we arrived to the location of our job we rang the bell but no one answered. I knocked softly, and then harder. Tony gave three hard "police" knocks. "Collector Care, we are here to organize your home this morning" I shouted in my high pitch voice. Shuffle shuffle shuffle we heard some noise behind the door. A small round shadow peeked through the crack of the door "Just a minute!" she shouted "I need to get dressed!" From the crack of the door 50 fruit flies escaped, and we could smell it was a level 5 hoard. We put on our hazmats suits and finished our coffee (not in that order). 15 minutes later she came back to the door, flung it open, and retreated to the back of the house. Taking that as our invitation, we entered the home. The smell of rotten food was overwhelming. It hit us right in the face like a baseball bat when we walked in. Barely getting the front door a foot open, we shimmied in sideways onto two feet of garbage in the foyer. I caught my balance on the side of the wall that was completely covered in black mold and spider webs. Phew, That was a close one, she had a full size broken mirror with glass on top of the hoard and I almost stepped down directly onto it. The commotion of us coming in caused three cats to scatter in all different directions, sending piles and piles of paperwork into avalanches throughout the front room. I think it was the front room, but I could not see any furniture. It was all covered in what looked like clothing, paperwork, food, garbage and human waste. Yes Collectors, when you are an extreme cleaner your nose can tell the difference between human waste and animal waste. I am a mom with pets also. Ok so, we still don't know where our client is but we have our bearings and it aint a pretty sight. "Good morning!" I shouted trying to figure out where she was (my clients love my high pitched voice by the way - especially first thing in the morning).

Our entire crew of six was now at the front door waiting for our instruction - and we needed to all come in and begin work. "In here!" I heard her grumble from the kitchen. You see, she was not excited to see us. Her landlord had told her that she had to clean her place up in 30 days or get out. She had lived there 20 years and the thought of moving elsewhere paralyzed her. She had two days left when she called us. There she was, in her robe, hair a mess, making herself toast in a squalor-ous (or at C2 we say "hoarderific" ) kitchen. My eyes scanned around and saw cockroaches, rat droppings, fruit flies and their droppings, silverfish, lots of pain killers, a ton (literally!) of unopened mail dating back to 1990, 4 trays of rotten strawberries (that's what I smelled!), and the rest kind of just blended in. The garbage heap was quite higher in the kitchen, at this point we were both about 3 feet up. I heard the crew coming in, and setting up in the front room. "The bathroom is broken. I am going to take a nap. Do what you have to do. Take everything but the cats." And there she went with a basket of strawberries in hand. I could see her go into her bedroom (she could not close the door on us due to the garbage) and lay down on top of a completely soiled mattress.  Within minutes I realized what she had meant about her bathroom. There were five gallon buckets throughout the home filled to the brim with human waste. By the end of the day we counted 15. There were cat boxes all over the place, with human waste inside of them. Some were overturned and soiling whatever was below and around it. Bedding and clothing were mixed in, jewelry, bags and bags of loose pocket change, food wrappers, rotten food and rats nests. Full size black widow families were in every corner of the ceiling, draping down there webs to the doorknobs of closets that had not been opened in years. Just another day at Collector Care. Determined to fix the situation we busted our tushies yall, and needless to say we pretty much flipped the place. Her inspection three days later passed, and the landlord personally called with extreme gratitude and amazement. Do you think your situation will shock us? Doubt it. We are non-judgemental, well trained and discreet. Our efficiency and attention to detail is what I pride our company on, as well as being sensitive to all of our clients needs. Call us. We are here to help.

Collector Care Professional Organizers & Extreme Cleaners
Serving Northern California, and anywhere else in the world.
www.collectorcare.com 925-548-7750 rachel@collectorcare.com
Licensed. Insured. Bonded.
Proud ICD Subscribers, and NAPO members.

4.5 Natural Remedies To Keep Pests Out of Your Hoarded Home

Hello my Hoarding Disorder Collectors out there! I absolutely love working with you all. However, I don't like working with all the unwanted bugs and critters in your home. One problem I come across a lot are pest infestations. I have personally dealt with bed bugs, roaches, fruit flies, black widows, mice, rats and raccoons. I come home with random bites and swollen marks all the time.

And - I know you don't like waking up with a mouthful of fruit flies. I know you know something is scratching every night in the other room.  Let's talk about some easy, inexpensive solutions to help keep those critters out.

Disclaimer: We are not exterminators, we suggest that you please seek professional pest control help first.  Unfortunately (we hear this a lot ) pest companies will not come out and help you if there are not pathways, or clear access in your home. If you find yourself overwhelmed, try these natural remedies:

1. Essential Oils: Using essential oils such as lemon, orange, clove, peppermint, and mint around the home will deter most bugs as they are turned off by strong odors.(apartmenttherapy.com)
2. Organic Ant Control. Spray ants with vinegar water. The low pH kills them without
   
   damaging most furniture. This is a great way to clean surfaces while you’re at it.
3. Silverfish. Aromatic spices like sage, bay leaves and cloves are easy repellents for silverfish, because of their strong smells. You can put these spices inside porous sachets and use hooks to attach them inside your closets or behind your washing machine. You may also fill some decorative baskets with these sachets and lay these baskets near your baseboards.
4. Rodents. Peppermint and Peppermint Oil. In just about every home remedy circle, you will hear that mice cannot stand the scent of peppermint or peppermint oil. Soak a cotton ball in the oil of peppermint and place it at a suspected entryway.
5. Remove Food Supply. These pests are here for your crumbs and left

We hope you try out these natural home remedies for the pests in your home. If you still need help call us, and we will come over and help you. We will help you clear a path for maintenance repairs and pest control. We will throw away your urine/feces/whatever infested stuff and deep clean and sanitize your home for you. We will wash the fruit fly droppings of your walls and scrub your kitchen and bathroom clear of silverfish. That's how we roll. No judgement. It's time you start living a little better Dear Collectors, try starting with clearing your home of unwanted pests. 

www.collectorcare.com rachel@collectorcare.com 925-548-7750
Collector Care Professional Organizers are Licensed, Bonded and Insured.

Collector Care Collaborates With Extreme Cleaner Tony Leonardini

Welcome Tony!

Tony Leonardini has recently joined Collector Care. He is our General Manager and Estimator for our Northern California branch and definitely deserves a spot on our blog.

He is my right hand man when it comes to anything having to do with Collector Care. 

He builds custom garage and closet solutions for our clients. He  is a skilled plumber and handyman, and has brought sinks and toilets to use after many years. His dedication to our company is apparent and I could not think of anyone else that I would rather work with on a daily basis. 

Besides his charm and good looks - Tony has a heart of gold and it shows. He honestly wants to help.
Without further ado, I bring to you - Tony Leonardini! 

Rachel: Tony you have quite the extensive background in this field, what made you decide to expand into organizing?

Tony: I decided to enter this field to share my former experiences with peers and clients. I want to teach what I have learned as well as learn what others may be able to teach me.
 

Rachel: Why did you decide to collaborate with Collector Care?

Tony: I really like the Holistic approach that Collector Care and its employees take with their clients. I knew that I would be a perfect fit for the company.

Rachel: Who do you favor in this field? Why?

Tony: Honestly I favor all the Organizers and extreme cleaners in the field that genuinely like helping people in need. However, to answer your question directly, Cory Chalmers is high on the list, as is Dr. Michael Tompkins.

Rachel: Who is your ideal client?

Tony: My ideal clients are people who are overwhelmed in life either by physical or emotional clutter.
 

Rachel: When you aren't clearing large estates or cleaning up squalor, what do you do for fun? (Those two are pretty hard to top on the fun factor)

Tony: I enjoy spending my free time with my daughter. I love camping, fishing, and just about anything outdoors. I also like to watch movies and go for motorcycle rides.
Rachel: Thank you for letting me put you on the spot Tony! I am glad you stopped by our Collector Care blog and I hope you become a regular on here. 

To learn more about Tony Leonardini and Collector care please visit our website www.collectorcare.com or call 925-596-8894 and reach Tony directly!