A cleanup can be a rather daunting task for the cleanup group and the house’s owner. It’s rather shocking as to what someone owns, going far beyond simple clutter. However, hoarders are often ashamed of their situation. No one would ever learn about their hoarding problem since they usually don’t let anyone inside their home. So click here and check one of the best hoarding cleanup services in the biz.
What is Hoarding?
Let’s first take a look at what hoarding is. Many people who watch TV shows about hoarders quickly feel as if they were hoarders, too. However, they usually only notice a small pile of old newspapers and immediately panic about becoming hoarders.
But, there’s an essential difference between just having some clutter and an actual hoarding situation. Everyone tends to accumulate some clutter. Maybe you’re just a little lazy or have little time to tidy up your home regularly. In our modern times, time seems to seep through our fingers. We work, get home, and only want to relax.
Or even, in current settings with more people working from home, you work all day. You could also get routine-blinded by the daily tasks that you don’t notice clutter accumulating. Moreover, the longer you live in one place, the more you tend to accumulate clutter. Usually, this only affects certain areas of your home, like that small pile of old newspapers or catalogs on your coffee table. Maybe it’d be time to bring out the trash.
On the other hand, hoarding is clutter virtually accumulating in every corner and on every surface of your home. Below we listed five stages of hoarding, so read carefully.
The Five Stages of Hoarding
Stage 1
Your home is heavily cluttered, but you can still navigate through your rooms. Generally, your home is still clean and considered safe.
Stage 2
Your clutter has taken over, and it gets difficult to navigate one or two rooms. Maybe you’ll have a small path that leads through the affected rooms. As it becomes difficult to clean your home, odd smells, mildew, or even pet waste can be found.
Stage 3
At this stage, it’s not just one or two rooms that are entirely cluttered. Instead, only one or two spaces are usable. It’s so hard to do some housekeeping that more dust accumulates or even spoiled food.
Stage 4
Only a few areas of your home can be used. Infestations are relatively common at this stage, along with sewage backup and damages by pets.
Stage 5
Your entire home is unusable, including the bathroom and the kitchen, which lead to unsafe living conditions. Having rodent infestations along with fleas or lice is also common at this stage.
Talk to Someone
Like with any other mental illness, the first step is to open up to someone. Even if you had an eating disorder, you’d feel ashamed as soon as you talk to someone. In reality, taking this first step demonstrates a lot of strength. You signal that you’re ready for a hoarding cleanup.
As previously mentioned, TV shows about hoarding have increased the general awareness of hoarding. This type of situation is considered a mental illness as it’s hard for people to let go of anything they own. It could be due to some trauma or some shart trauma from the past.
For example, people who had to experience incarcerations would often develop hoarding habits. Mainly due to the presence of possessions, which is something limited in this kind of environment.
You can similarly observe it in people who grew up in war zones. For example, during times of war, you should always keep your most valuable possessions as close as possible. So remember to put yourself into someone else’s shoes and understand what they went through to develop such habits.
Get Professional Help
Since hoarding isn’t just a symptom, but a deeper-rooted issue, you’d benefit from getting in touch with a coach or therapist. At best, you aren’t in stage four or stage five. The sooner you tackle your hoarding, the sooner you can overcome this uncomfortable situation.
Often, hoarding is connected to fear of loss. A therapist can help you overcome your fears. After all, you will never defeat your worries if you don’t face them. They may appear like a giant monster that’s standing in your way. The more you cower into a corner, the larger the monster will get. It won’t disappear on its own, and there’s only one person who can fight it. With a therapist on your side, you feel less alone and helpless.
Ask Professionals for a Hoarding Cleanup
Taking care of a hoarding cleanup on your own or with the help of friends and family can take weeks. While friends and family can show sentiment and understanding, they have their own lives. In addition, some people can be rather ruthless when it comes to clearing clutter. So, it might be challenging to do such cleanup with friends. Neither do they have the experience to deal with hoarding situations.
A professional crew is trained and experienced in such situations. They are well aware that they can take their time during the cleanup. They will check with you to salvage valuable items as well as those with actual sentimental value. Contrary to your expectation, they don’t just come in and clean your entire home from all of your possessions. At best, your therapist would be present for the cleanup as well. Often, professional hoarding cleanup groups come with a professional counselor to help you through this step.
Parting Words
Once the crew comes in, you don’t have to feel ashamed of your hoarding situation. You’re not the first person whose home they clear up. At first, they will take care of hazards, such as blocked sewages, bad stuff, and pet waste. But, unfortunately, something will, eventually, have to go. Then they go ahead step by step with the hoarding cleanup.