When someone begins to hold onto a large number of items in their home, it’s not long before the house is filled from top to bottom with miscellaneous items. Collecting items and hoarding shouldn’t be confused, however. It’s important to note that hoarding is a serious condition and with it comes negative financial, social, emotional, and physical effects on the person hoarding the items and those around them.
When it’s time to help your loved one clear out their hoarder house, you must tread lightly. It’s always best to seek out the help and advice of a therapist who specializes in hoarding cases. From there, you can then begin to clean a hoarder’s house.
Here are several steps to take if you need to help a hoarder.
Rent a Skip Bin
A hoarder’s house will most likely have an overwhelming amount of items inside of it. Trying to fill several trash bags of items without a bin to place them in is not an efficient way of clearing out all the trash. Instead, you can streamline the process by renting a skip bin like those at Blu Skips.
These bins can be placed outside of the home for easy waste disposal. All items, both big and small can be thrown into the bin and removed from the house. Trash bags filled with small trash items can then be thrown into the bin as well.
Gather Tools and Supplies
Once you’re ready to start the cleaning process, you’ll want to have all the right cleaning tools and supplies for the job. Remember, this isn’t a normal house cleaning task. Cleaning a hoarder’s house requires heavy-duty trash bags for small items, tools for repairing or disassembling items, gloves, masks, disinfectant products, cleaning products, and more.
Visit the house before the day of cleaning and determine what type of supplies you’ll need and how much of it to ensure you have everything the day of.
Start the Conversation
Unfortunately, you can’t open the door and jump right into throwing everything away. You’ll need to have a gentle conversation with the hoarder about cleaning out the house. It’s a good idea to note how safety and health are a top priority.
You should also take the time to let your loved one know that you’re not there to judge them, only to help ensure their home is a safe place. Allow them to feel in control of the cleaning process the entire time as to not overwhelm them or cause anxiety.
Clean One Room at a Time
Once you’re ready to start cleaning you should take it room by room. If you try to tackle the entire house at once, then you can become overwhelmed as well. Create a cleaning schedule and set goals.
Depending on the size of the house and how bad the situation is, it might take several days to complete the project. Take it one step at a time and stay on task to remain on schedule.
Take Control of the Hoarder House Today
Is your loved one’s hoarder house taking over their lives? Help your loved one take back the control today by beginning the hoarder clean-up process. Follow the steps listed here in this guide and remember to stay patient for the best results!
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