If you think someone you know is suffering from hoarding disorder, it can be hard to know when you should intervene. When their hoarding puts themselves and others in danger, you must talk to them about getting help.
ICE Cleaning is a specialist cleaning company that can provide discreet and quick hoarder clean up services. Its technicians can remove all unwanted possessions as well as provide any other required services, such as pest control, decontamination, and odour removal.
Keep reading to hear from the experts about the signs of a serious hoarding problem.
They struggle to do everyday tasks
People that hoard lots of possessions often stack them up in disorganised piles in their rooms, along hallways, and on surfaces. Their belongings can quickly take up a lot of space and might make it hard to walk around their home, enter certain rooms, or do essential tasks like cooking or bathing.
Their home is unsanitary and contains unpleasant odours
Cleaning a hoarded property is very hard as it is difficult to access all the surfaces. Dirt can quickly accumulate, pest infestations might occur, and mould could grow without being noticed. These conditions are dangerous to live in and can cause serious health problems.
The hoarder is withdrawing socially
Hoarders can often feel embarrassed by the state of their home, and may not be comfortable inviting people over. They might argue with family and friends about their hoarding problem, and could stop leaving their home or seeing people, too.
There is a high risk of physical injury
Large, unstable piles of belongings can easily collapse on someone, hurting or trapping them. Should any possessions be left on the floor, people could trip and fall, as well.
They are unable to throw things away
In extreme hoarding cases, throwing things away can cause a lot of distress. They might feel the need to save items, including those you deem useless. Hoarders also could find it very difficult to make decisions and may put them off.
In summary
Although the hoarder’s property can be putting their health at risk, you must not clean out their home for them. This will be a very upsetting experience for them, and may make the situation worse.
Instead, get them help to ease their hoarding disorder. Then, when they are ready, you can bring in professional hoarder clean up specialists to safely tackle the hoard and decontaminate the property.
ICE Cleaning’s technicians have lots of experience removing excess belongings from hoarder’s properties, all the while minimising the stress that comes with hoarder cleaning. They are available nationwide, 24/7, 365 days a year.
To find out more about their wide range of services, visit their website.