on Yelp
Perhaps the biggest challenge associated with hoarder property cleanup is the process of convincing a person with hoarding disorder that certain items or objects should be disposed of during the remediation. Without an affirmative decision of a person with hoarding disorder to dispose of property, hoarder property cleanup can reach an impasse.
With this understood, there are 10 hoarder property decision-making questions that should be used as part of the overall remediation endeavor. You need to contemplate these questions with each item hoarded or with each type of item included within a residential hoard.
How many of this item do you already have? Is that enough?
The reality is that a typical hoarder will have multiple copies of the same item. In fact, a hoarder may have so many copies of the same item that such an individual is not even able to state with accuracy how many particular things he or she has in his or her possession. The bottom line is that a hoarder nearly always has far copies of an item than he or she should possess in any reasonable world.
Do you have enough time to use, review, and read written material, like books, newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets? If so, when?
Along the same lines as question one, a hoarder typically has items (or multiple versions of the same item) that he or she could not possibly find the time to use. In reality, these items are hoarded for the sake of possessing them without any meaningful regard to using them at any juncture in time.
Have you used the item in the past year? If not, what is the likelihood you will use this item again?
If you have not used an item in the past year, odds are that you will not use it again in the future. There are some exceptions to this general rule. For example, a person might own items that are designed for rare emergency or occasional use. But, again, this question makes sense for the vast majority of things that a person is likely to hoard.
Do you have a specific plan for this item?
In the case of hoarding, a hoarder typically has no plan whatsoever for items contained in the hoard. If you cannot articulate an actual plan for a particular item, there is no need to maintain possession of that item.
Is this item important only because you are looking at it now?
Time and time again, an item a hoarder has in his or her hoard is only important to that person when he or she is looking at it. It has not importance in and of itself. If an object is only important when you are looking at it, that is an item that you can afford to part with as part of hoarder properly cleaning.
If you didn’t already own a particular item, would you buy it again?
In considering an item, you need to contemplate whether or not you would buy it at this juncture in time. If it isn’t something you need or would purchase, you likely should rid yourself of the object or item.
Is the item current, reliable, accurate, and in good condition?
Oftentimes what is hoarded is broken, not working, or completely useless. If you come upon an item that is in bad condition or is not working, there really is no valid reason to keep it. You should part with such an item – and there likely will be many objects in that category in the hoard.
Do you really need it? If you really need it in the future, can you get it again?
If you really think you might need a particular item at some juncture in time in the future, that does not mean that you should keep it. If you can obtain the same item for the same purpose in the future, you likely should get rid of the object you now possess. This particularly is the case if you have multiple copies of such an item.
Do you have enough space for the item? If so, where to you intend to store it?
Hoarding ends up taking a great deal of space. A primary question when considering what items to discard is do you have space for a particular object? When dealing with hoarder property cleanup, the default position in regard to such a question is that you likely do not have the space for such an item.
If an item is important to you, how can you display it in a way that aligns with your preferences?
Finally, many people hoard items because they believe they have some sort of value (when they very well may not). In this regard, you need to ask yourself a question very candidly: Do you have a space where you can proudly display an object in a hoard.
By utilizing these questions, you provide yourself with a helpful framework to consider items in a hoard. These questions provide a valid framework within which you can consider getting rid of items you have been hoarding.
