How To Clean A Hoarder's Property - 5 Easy Steps to Follow
Cleaning a hoarder's property can be a challenging and emotional task. It's essential for the well-being of the individual and the safety of the environment.
In this guide, we will explore the process of a hoarder's clean/waste removal. We will give valuable insights and practical tips which will help you tackle this sensitve and demanding undertaking.
1. Understanding Hoarding
Before diving into the cleaning process, you must understand hoarding itself and the causes for it.
Hoarding is characterised by an excessive accumlation of items and the inability to discard them. This will lead to a large amount of clutter which compromises safety/functionality of the living space.
Hoarding is a mental illness, so tackling the problem requires compassion and understanding.
2. Planning and Organising
The first step is to plan out how you're going to tackle the clean and organise the people who are going to help you conduct the clean.
We recommend working room by room, starting with the areas the need immediate attention.
Once you know which area you are starting with first, give each person a role. This will ensure that the cleaning/waste removal is an organised and effective effort.
3. Sorting and Categorising
A challenging aspect of cleaning a hoarder's property is deciding what to keep, donate, recycle and dispose of.
We always recommend going room by room, if you attempt to do every room at once, this could make the process harder and less streamlined.
You must encourage the hoarder to participate in this process. As they will know which items have value be it sentimental or monetary.
Donate any items that are in good conidition and could benefit others. Recycle any items that you can. And dispose of items that are damaged, expired or hazardous.
4. Waste Removal
Once you've decided what is to be kept and whats to be removed, you will need to remove the waste.
In most cases with a hoarded property, you will need to either hire a skip, a van or hire a waste removal service.
Hazardous waste must have a professional dispose of it, as they have the required training and licensing to do so.
As with sorting and categorising, we recommend working from room to room.
5. Cleaning and Sanitising
Once each room has had it's clutter removed and organised, you must begin the cleaning and sanitising process.
Hoarding itself can lead to mould growth, along with potential pest problems such as rodents or insects which come with their own hazardous bacteria.
We always recommend if there are biohazards present within the property, you always hire a professional cleaning service to conduct the works. Biohazardous material is extremely dangerous if handled/cleaned incorrectly. Please do not put yourself at risk if you do not have the knowledge or equipment to address these problems.
Starting a hoarder's clean is an daunting task, which requires a large amount of knowledge and logistical planning prior.
These cleans are time consuming and need a team who know what they're doing.
We understand that it can be stressful for family members and the individual who lives within the property, and that's where we come in to help.
If you feel that you need assitance with a complex clean such as a hoarder's clean, or even just need help with some hoarded waste removal, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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