How a property actually gets cleared

1. Free estimate — day zero

You call or submit the form. We ask about square footage, what you know about the property's history, whether there is a transaction deadline, and whether anyone has already tested. For a lot of properties — especially apartments and standard single-family homes — we can scope accurately from that conversation plus photos, and issue a written estimate the same day.

If the property is complex or you want us on site, that visit is also free. We do not charge for estimates, and we do not send a commissioned salesperson to sit at your kitchen table for two hours.

2. Assessment and sampling

You cannot remediate what you have not measured, and you cannot certify a property without a documented baseline. A certified consultant collects surface wipe samples from defined 100 cm² areas across the property — living spaces, bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, HVAC returns and supply registers, and any area with visible staining or odor.

Samples go to an accredited laboratory. Results come back in 2–4 business days measured in micrograms per 100 cm². Colorado's residential cleanup standard is 0.5 µg/100 cm². Limited-exposure areas such as attics and crawlspaces are allowed up to 4 µg/100 cm², and previously painted-over surfaces up to 1.5 µg/100 cm².

If the property was used to manufacture methamphetamine by the P2P method, additional thresholds apply: iodine at 22 µg/100 cm², lead at 40 µg/ft², and mercury vapor at 1.0 µg/m³. We test for these when the property history or visual evidence warrants it.

What the numbers mean in practice

3. The written work plan

Before anyone touches the property, you get a work plan: which materials are coming out, which surfaces are being treated, how containment is set, how waste is being handled, and what the clearance criteria are. This is the document that protects you. It is also the document a county health department will want if the property is under an order.

The final price is locked at this stage. If we discover something genuinely unforeseen — asbestos in the flooring we are pulling, structural rot, undisclosed hoarding — we stop, document it, and re-quote that portion before proceeding. You will never get a surprise line item after the fact.

4. Decontamination

The physical work, in order:

• Containment and negative air. Affected zones are sealed and put under negative pressure with HEPA filtration so nothing migrates to clean areas or outdoors.
• Removal of contaminated porous materials. Carpet, pad, contaminated drywall, insulation, window coverings and affected soft contents. Methamphetamine residue absorbs into these — surface cleaning them does not work, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing.
• HVAC decontamination. Ducts, plenums, coils, blower and filters. The air handler is the single most common reason a property re-fails clearance after someone else's "remediation."
• Chemical decontamination. Remaining hard surfaces — framing, subfloor, cabinetry, fixtures — are washed with appropriate detergent and oxidizing solutions, then rinsed. Repeat cycles where readings warrant.
• Encapsulation where appropriate. On surfaces that cannot be brought under standard by washing alone, sealing is applied — but only as a documented, standards-compliant step, never as a cover-up substitute for cleaning.
• Manifested disposal. Contaminated material leaves under proper waste documentation. You get the manifests.

5. Clearance testing

Post-decontamination sampling is collected and analyzed the same way as the baseline. This is the moment the job is either done or not done. There is no negotiating with a lab result.

We recommend — and by default include — third-party clearance testing by an independent certified consultant rather than self-verification. It runs $550–$1,400 depending on how many samples the property needs, and it is the difference between a certificate a buyer's attorney accepts and one they don't.

6. Certification and documentation

On passing results, you receive a complete package: baseline lab results, the work plan, photo documentation of every phase, disposal manifests, post-decon clearance results and written certification that the property meets 6 CCR 1014-3 cleanup standards.

This package is what you hand to a lender, a buyer's agent, a title company, an insurer, a tenant or a county health department. Keep it — it travels with the property, and it converts an ugly disclosure into a resolved one.

How long the whole thing takes

Got a closing date? Say so on the first call. Our 48-hour rush mobilization exists for exactly that, and we would rather build the schedule around your deadline than explain later why we missed it.