The owner of a specialist cleaning company has revealed the extraordinary scale of one recent job, in which workers wearing hazmat suits removed around 4,000 empty wine bottles from a Melbourne home.
Kristjan Tuul, a firefighter and founder of Melbourne Property Clean-up, documented the operation in videos shared on social media. The footage showed members of his team navigating through several metres of accumulated rubbish.
The property had been left vacant following the resident’s death. Outside, an overgrown garden was buried beneath piles of empty bottles that extended along the path to the front door. The company soon nicknamed it “the wine house”.
Wearing a mask, Mr Tuul carefully picked his way across the bottles before entering the property, warning viewers that the conditions inside would be difficult to see.
“This one isn’t the nicest, so if you don’t like anything nasty, you’d better tune out,” he said in the first video.
“It’s never a good sign when you have to enter a property this way.”
Inside, every room was filled with knee-high mounds of glass bottles, general rubbish, unwashed plates and soiled possessions.
Clearly taken aback, Mr Tuul climbed over the debris and stood on a coffee table to demonstrate the height of the piles.
Workers removed approximately 4,000 empty wine bottles during the clean-up
Melbourne Property Clean-up founder Kristjan Tuul and his team spent two days clearing the property
“We’ve been doing this for 15 years, so we’ve encountered just about everything,” Mr Tuul told the Daily Mail.
“It wasn’t the worst job we’ve ever taken on, but it was certainly close. My first reaction was shock, followed by sadness that someone had been living in those conditions.”
Although the client had warned him that the clean-up would be demanding, Mr Tuul said the reality was far more severe than he had expected.
“You could say the situation had been under-described. Spending two days in full hazmat suits made for extremely hot and sweaty work,” he said.
In footage from the operation, Mr Tuul said the kitchen had clearly gone without cleaning for an extended period. He also described finding “a lot of biological waste” in the bathroom.
His team spent two days removing the 4,000 wine bottles, biological waste and years of accumulated grime from the house.
For the second video, recorded as the work continued last week, Mr Tuul returned to the property in a full protective suit.
“That’s an unbelievable number of wine bottles. It’s genuinely heartbreaking to see how someone was living here,” he said.
The property was dubbed “the wine house” by Mr Tuul’s cleaning company
Mr Tuul estimated that about 70 cubic metres of rubbish was removed
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According to the business owner, the clean-up generated an estimated 70 cubic metres of waste.
The bottles did not qualify for Victoria’s 10-cent container refund because of their condition, but Mr Tuul said he arranged for them to be sent for recycling.
For Mr Tuul, the job underlined the importance of staying connected with family, friends and neighbours.
“Behind every closed door is a story we may know nothing about. Those struggling most are often the least likely to ask for help,” he said.
“Take a moment to contact a family member, friend or neighbour you haven’t heard from recently. Ask how they are really coping, listen without judgement and remind them that they are not alone.
“We come across heartbreaking situations far too often. If sharing our work encourages even one person to reach out before it is too late, then it is worthwhile.
“A brief conversation, a little compassion or a helping hand can change someone’s life.”
Alongside their firefighting duties, Mr Tuul and his team prepare and clear properties for sale, renovation and demolition.
Their work includes deceased estates, hoarded homes and properties being emptied by families who are downsizing.
“My grandfather was a hoarder, so my interest in this kind of work developed naturally,” he said.
“Because of their shift patterns, many firefighters take on second jobs. The work can be physically demanding and dirty, but it is rewarding, especially when you see the transformation at the end.”