Hoarding can be a challenge to overcome for both hoarders and their loved ones. But with the right assistance,
and a little understanding, a hopeful solution isn’t far away.
Why do people hoard?
There is not just one, clear-clut reason that someone might hoard. Hoarding disorder is a severe, complex mental illness that can have devastating long-term effects on the hoarder and their loved ones. Many mental health issues such as trauma, depression, anxiety, and OCD can contribute to a hoarder’s need to compulsively collect.
Fear of not having something when it is needed, or an extreme emotional attachment to something can often lead hoarders to develop advanced disposophobia that makes downsizing their collections nearly impossible, leading to serious health risks down the road.
Pitfalls of DIY
hoarding cleaning
It can be tempting to just simply hold an intervention, throw everything away, and express your concerns for your loved one’s lifestyle in an attempt to help them better their situation. Unfortunately, the extreme anxiety of disposophobia can make it incredibly difficult for a hoarder to let go, and they are likely to become combative.
Even if you manage to discard a few things, they will stop at nothing to replace it to make the anxiety of traumatic loss go away. In severe cases, a hoarder home may downright be too dangerous for an untrained person to enter and attempt to clean at all.
10 Reasons to Hire a Professional
Hoarding Cleanup Service
1. Perfect planning. Recovering a hoarder’s home requires a bit more than simply dusting and organizing. Get a full assessment of the situation from an expert who can design a custom plan.
2. Two heads are better than one. Taking on a hoarding cleanup is a lot of work. Don’t wait until you’re in too deep to realize you need help. Hire a professional from the very beginning and there will always be someone ready to lend a helping hand with clutter removal.
3. Expert advice. Like it or not, nobody has all the answers – not even you. There might be obstacles during a hoarding cleaning that you cannot overcome on your own. But, a professional will have the knowledge and experience to come up with solutions for any situation.Â
4. Compassionate care. There is more to recovering a hoarder’s home than just clutter cleanup. Hoarders require the non-judgemental, understanding approach of a professional who can help them work through tough decisions in a safe and respectful way.
5. Protect your relationships. The stress of a hoarding cleanup can become tense for everyone involved. Having those tough conversations with your loved one will be a lot easier with a professional who can guide you through the process and help mediate the situation.Â
6. Innovative solutions. DIY cleanups can be limited in what options are available to you. Professional hoarding cleaners are well prepared to meet your needs no matter what obstacles arise, and in a much more streamlined manner than if you were to do it alone.
7. Easy waste disposal. Packing things up and hauling them away can start to become a grueling task if you’re doing it on your own. But, with a team of professionals it’s easy-breezy.Â
8. Handyman capabilities. If you discover holes in the walls, stained floors, or other damages in the midst of your cleanup, it might be difficult for you to fix it all. Professional hoarding cleaning services are more than just a cleanup crew, they’ll make your home look as good as new!
9. Better perspective. It’s easy to get tunnel vision when you’re doing all the work by yourself. Working with a team of professionals gives you a bird’s eye view of the cleanup, so you can make the bes/t decisions available to you.Â
10. Top of the line equipment. A hoarding cleanup specialist will have the best tools and supplies to get the job done. Don’t burn out your household vacuum trying to do it all when there is a professional locked, loaded, and ready to go!
Advantages of hiring a professional
hoarding cleaning company
1. Discretion. This is a big one. Protecting your privacy during a complete overhaul of an overpacked home can be a challenge without the proper training. The right team of professionals will be able to assist you without drawing too much attention.
2. Safety first. The results of a severe hoarding stockpile can have a negative impact on the safety of the home. Fire hazards, obstacles to trip over, and potential structural damage can make hoarding cleanups dangerous. A professional will know exactly what to do to keep things safe.
3. Save time. It can take a lot longer than you think to clean up the clutter that accumulates in a hoarder home. Getting help from a team of trained professionals can definitely speed things up.
4. No unwanted guests. Pest control problems are often an under-anticipated aspect of hoarding, but the fact is where there is clutter there is usually something living in it. Don’t get caught off guard. Professional hoarding cleaning services should always be ready for bed bugs and other creepy crawlies living in the clutter.
5. Peace of mind. Worrying about your loved one’s health is stressful enough. Rest assured that you’re in good hands when you hire a trained professional, and let them worry about getting things done.
What to do after the clean up
Hoarding cleanings are not a set-it-and-forget-it thing. It’s important to empower your loved one with the toolkit they need to avoid simply re-accumulating another hoard. Organizing the home so that there is a place for everything, and every need is accounted for, is a great step to help hoarders maintain a clean home. Creating a cleaning schedule, and sticking to it, with them can also help encourage healthy habits. Most of all, make sure to check in from time to time to let them know they have your support.
Conclusion
There is no shame in needing help, especially with so much on the line. If you suspect your loved one has an issue with hoarding, contacting a professional is the best thing you can do to turn their life around.
Quick Estimate Request
SERVICES WE OFFER
JUNK REMOVAL
CLUTTER CLEARING
HEAVY DUTY CLEANING
PEST EXTERMINATION
