Help and Information for Non-Hoarders

Hoarding Tips and Help for Non-Hoarders

As the friend and/or loved one of a hoarder, you may have already experienced what it is like to walk into a hoarder’s home. While the images you see on television can be disturbing, it is nothing compared to the reality of walking into it.

The situations that you see on hoarding TV shows are drama to keep you glued to the edge of your seat. These shows work to find people (hoarders and/or their families) who are at their wits end and low on funds. The show then helps them, all the while sacrificing their privacy, dignity and self-respect.

This is not a situation that any hoarder wants to find themselves in. Hoarders will typically take painstaking measures to ensure that no one ever finds out about their situation. The embarrassment and humiliation of neighbors or anyone else knowing would be too much for them to bear.

Information for Non Hoarder

So, how do you, the friend and/or loved one wanting to help them, deal with the situation appropriately and get the hoarder the assistance they need? Research is going to be the first step.

Your initial reactions to the hoarder’s living situation will set the tone for how effective the clean-up is going to be. That is why it is vital to learn all you can about hoarding. Being prepared and knowing what sort of things to expect can be the difference between a successful intervention and a ruined relationship.

First and foremost, it is critical to understand that hoarding is not the result of a messy or lazy person. Hoarding is a psychological illness, closely related to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and is estimated to affect between 3-15 million people. It affects people of all ages, genders and socioeconomic backgrounds. Just cleaning out the house is not enough to effectively help the hoarder.

Read Hoarding Books To Help

Books are a great place to begin learning what you can about hoarding. As the issue of hoarding is thrust further into the spotlight, more informative books are being written to help educate people. These books will help prepare you for the different situations that you will find yourself in while helping your loved one, as well as teach you how your reactions and behavior will affect the clean-up. The hoarder wants to feel understood and not demeaned. To realize that they value all of their belongings and it is not as simple as just throwing away what you regard as trash.

Learn From Online Hoarding Web Sites

The internet is full of knowledge! You should search hoarding to familiarize yourself with pictures of homes that hoarders live in. You can see before and after pictures that will help you appreciate that there is light at the end of the tunnel! Many Universities and Mental Health Facilities have done extensive research on hoarders and hoarding situations. These are the best sites to visit. Sites of Hoarding Clean-Up Companies should be used in conjunction with these other professional sites. These sites should be your next step to get the help you will need to successfully help the hoarder in your life.

Hiring A Hoarding Clean-Up Company

These are companies that specialize in and are certified in offering assistance to hoarders and their loved ones to turn their cluttered living space back into a safe, clean home.

There are lots of companies that claim to help clean-up hoarder’s homes. Because hoarding has gained national attention, many businesses have started this as a quick money maker. Unfortunately, not hiring the right company can backfire and cause the hoarder to refuse any offers of help.

Junk Hauling Companies are the most common culprits. They arrive at your job (often late), have employees that have not been properly screened, that are not trained and have virtually no experience in dealing with hoarders or their homes, treat the home disrespectfully, are not prepared for the situations they will encounter and advertise in large letters to the neighbors and the world, that the house is filled with “junk.”

This scenario will completely derail the clean-up that is so desperately needed. It is essential that you find a company that specializes in Hoarding Clean-Up and is not a fly-by-night organization. The reliable company will have been doing these types of jobs for years and have reference available. Their employees will have passed rigorous background and drug tests. These employees will be trained and certified on Hoarding Clean-Up. They will be prepared for any situation they may encounter and they will treat the hoarder, their home and their belongings with the utmost respect. Researching to find this caliber company will ensure that the clean-up process go as smoothly as possible for everyone involved.

Finding out that you have a friend or loved one with a hoarding problem can be very overwhelming. Preparing yourself can make this difficult process go smoother and be more effective for the positive outcome so desperately needed.

Address Our Mess specializes in hoarding cleanup and has educated and trained staff to deal with all types of hoarding situations, weather it's animal hoarding, feces cleanup, clutter cleaning or other type of specialty cleanup, we are here to help.

Wed, 07/11/2012 - 08:39 by Kenneth Donnelly