Hoarding House Cleaning

Hoarding House Cleaning Services

Helping a hoarder clean their home is not an easy task. Significant planning must occur before the project even begins. Here are some tips on how to help someone you know who suffers from hoarding get the proper house cleaning they deserve.

1. Permission – Hoarding house cleaning is not advised when the hoarder is not aware of it. While you may be trying to help the hoarder get a jump start, or avoid an emotional confrontation, it is actually detrimental to the emotional state of the hoarder to do anything with their possessions without their permission. Talk intimately with the person in order to get to the root of why they are hoarding certain things and to make them comfortable with parting with these objects. It is always best to remember that hoarders have an emotional attachment to each object in their home.
2. Safety First – When rummaging through piles and heaps of unknown and potentially dangerous items, it is best to be prepared. Wearing heavy duty gloves and boots, coveralls and respirators are essential when tackling hoarding house cleaning. Dangers like broken objects, hazardous materials, pet and human waste and other harmful substances could lurk within the piles around the house.
3. Slow and Steady Wins the Race – It is not wise to approach hoarding house cleaning with a gung ho attitude. Throwing every object away is most certainly not the answer. No matter how bad the hoarding situation may be, there are always salvageable items amongst the garbage. It is important to discuss these items with their owner, allowing them to decide what stays in the home and what can be donated to a local charity.
4. Inspect Food, Dishware, Flatware and Paper Products – Oftentimes, hoarders allow food to rot and expire. Inspect each food item carefully as wrongful consumption can be deadly. Ensure all dishware and flatware are cleaned, sterilized and ready to come in contact with healthy food. Also, paper products like toilet tissue, paper towels and plates and paper cups should be inspected for possible contamination.
5. Call the Professionals – When the task seems too daunting even for a determined group of people, it is best to contact the hoarding professionals. Address Our Mess will provide compassionate, dedicated technicians who are certified to handle any hoarding house cleaning situation.

Overall health of the hoarder and their family and habitability of the home are the key factors to a successful hoarding house cleaning project. Before undertaking the project, inspect the different levels of hoarding to make sure you are ready to handle anything you may uncover. Hoarding house cleaning is the first step to a successful transition into happier, healthier living.