Hoarders cleanup – How to take your home from chaos to calm
If you or someone you know suffers from a hoarding disorder it can wreak havoc on your life, plunging your home into chaos and disaster and leaving you unable to get through doors or from one room to another without struggling through papers, boxes and other random items.
Although on the outside it can appear chaotic and unreasonable many hoarders actually feel a deeper sense of connection with their things and often feel there is value in some items, but what do you do when faced with a hoarder and how do you start the process of cleaning their house without causing more problems or facing difficulty from the hoarder?
Hoarder clean up – Where to start
The process of de-cluttering and cleaning a hoarder’s home should begin long before the first item has even been picked up. From the language used to the agreed timeline, a plan should be created outlining what is going to happen and what approach you’re going to take.
After all, if you simply wanted to remove items or throw them away then you could begin immediately and finish inside a day, but we don’t believe that’s the right approach to take.
Hoarders have a deep connection with their items and a rapid-fire approach where everything is discarded would only lead to raised anxiety and increased hardship.
By creating a plan, agreeing on a timeline and discussing how it will actually happen, you can create an environment the hoarder feels comfortable in and one which helps the hoarder cleanup process to be successful.
Hoarder helpers – What’s the process?
Initially, it may seem daunting but once you have a plan of action you should begin taking things out piece by piece, as the house is cleared one item at a time.
Care should be taken to sort through the items, prioritizing what should be kept and what should be taken out and ensuring that all valuable and sentimental items are kept, along with any important documents or paperwork. For the process to go smoothly there will need to be an understanding that all non-essential items will need to be taken out.
Although it may appear to be only papers, boxes and files, in extreme cases there is also the risk of bacteria, mold, damp or rodent infestation.
Protective clothing should be worn at all times and care should be taken when removing items.
Possible dangers due to hoarding
The traditional risks associated with hoarding are well known:
- Trip hazards
- Increased risk of fire
- Fire exits blocked
- Structural uncertainty
However, there are other risks that are often not considered.
Rodent infestation – Dead and alive rodents and their droppings will pollute the home with toxins and viruses which can be transferred by touch or through breathing in.
Contaminated air – Mildew, Mold, carbon dioxide and cigarette smoke are just a few of the things which can pollute the air and pose a risk to human health. If there are other biohazards present in the home these can also become airborne, leading to further risks to health.
Biohazards – With garbage, animal waste, damp patches or other pollutants in the home the growth of bacteria and bio-hazardous materials is greatly increased. Growth can occur rapidly, posing great risks to anyone that enters the home and those that are cleaning the hoarder site.
All of these risks highlight how important it is to have the cleanup handled by professionals.
Why you should hire a professional
When it comes to hoarders clean up the process can be very demanding, time-consuming and in many cases dangerous.
Hiring a professional gives you the opportunity to let someone that is trained and qualified and understands health and safety regulations to actually do their job.
They will have experience in cleaning hoarders’ homes and will have a proven way of working that actually gets results.
The biggest reason to hire a professional hoarder cleaner is to protect your own safety.
You never know what you’re going to find when cleaning a hoarders home and what type of bacteria may be waiting for you.
Letting a professional, that has protective clothing and safety equipment, do their job is a much safer and efficient way to get the problem fixed.
Call Biohelpers today
Biohelpers have various options available to help remediate the hoarding situation and bring comfort and organization back to your home, ranging from cleanup and organization to a full clear out of a property. Our highly-trained staff are professional, discrete and caring and they will always work with you, not against you, to help you get the desired result.
Our work complies with OSHA standards and everything we do is backed by our own personal satisfaction guarantee policy. When it comes to hoarder cleanup, Biohelpers are your number 1 option.
Don’t take our word for it
Want to see a real-life case study of how we handle hoarder cleanup? Click here to see a real-life case study and see how we can help you.
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