Hoarding clutter can be an overwhelming condition to overcome. Many dangers arise when hoarding clutter becomes part of an everyday household. Along with physical dangers like fire hazards, room and doorway blockages, rodent and insect infestation, and becoming trapped under fallen piles of items, hoarding clutter also creates a variety of mental and emotional dangers.
Clutter cleaning providers estimate that between 2 and 5 percent of the US population suffers from hoarding clutter in their homes. This translates to between 6 and 16 million people who live with the debilitating condition in the US alone. Hoarding clutter cannot be ignored as the condition can cause the destruction of lives, families, and friendships.
When a person finds themselves hoarding too much clutter, or a friend or loved one uncovers the condition in someone important in their lives, finding the path to a healthier life can be difficult. Knowing where to start is key to the ultimate success of the recovery effort.
In many cases, helpers of hoarders are unsure why their loved one has created this situation for themselves. Hoarding is a condition that does not develop overnight. Instead, hoarders spend years collecting items that eventually turn to overwhelming piles and heaps of clutter. Usually, a traumatic event triggers the hoarding condition. However, it is hard to define what makes an event “traumatic” in the mind of a hoarder as different people respond uniquely to situations that happen in their lives.
The Official Do’s and Don’ts for Hoarding Clutter is the perfect place to start when setting out on the road to recovery. This interactive guide allows helpers of hoarders understand why their loved one is so attached to the clutter in their home. It also provides guidance on how to communicate the dangers of hoarding to their loved one. At the same time, the guide helps hoarders understand why people are trying to help them and the emotions they may be feeling during the recovery process.
While hiring a hoarding cleaning service provider is the best way to get a head start on the organizing and sorting process as well as creating an opportunity for the property to be fully sanitized and deep-cleaned, hoarders and their helpers may find Decluttering Tips helpful in an effort to get a head start on recovery. By committing just 15 minutes a day to a particular area of a home, people hoarding clutter can start to feel empowered by the fact that they are taking over their home and that their home is no longer taking them over.