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Hoarder property cleanup is a challenging endeavor. One of the most demanding aspects of hoarder property cleanup is preparing a hoarder for the process. Convincing a person with hoarding disorder can prove to be a herculean task in some instances. As a consequence, there are some strategies to employ in preparation of a cleaning hoarder property. For example, a person should consider developing a decluttering pros and cons list as a means to prepare for hoarder property cleanup.
Pros of Undertaking Hoarder Property Cleanup and Decluttering
Safety Concerns
On the pro side of the list related to undertaking hoarder property cleanup and decluttering, perhaps nothing is more significant than addressing safety concerns. The reality is that a residential hoard presents a variety of safety (and health) risks to a person with hoarding behavior or hoarding disorder. These include:
- Presence of biohazards in a residence that can cause disease
- Physical risks presented by items and objects piled about a residence
- Heightened risk of slipping and falling
- Damage to the physical structure of a house that can present risks
- Inadequate access in and out of a residence where hoarding is occurring
Impediments to Socializing
Hoarding presents a significant impediment to an individual with hoarding disorder’s socializing. As hoarding behavior progresses into hoarding disorder, a person who hoards will have less and less contact with other people.
- First, an individual who hoards will not let people into his or her residence
- Second, a person with hoarding disorder will be less inclined to socialize with others in locations outside of the home
- Third, ultimately a person with hoarding disorder will isolate in his or her home, ending all real contact with people in the proverbial outside world
Dealing with hoarding has the ability to turn all of this around. When a person with hoarding disorder makes the decision to remediate a hoard and declutter a home, that individual will gradually feel like returning to socializing with others. This is likely to include opening up his or her now cleaned up residence to friends and family.
Financial Problems
Hoarding oftentimes results in a person experiencing financial issues. These can come in a number of different forms and can include:
Some hoarders go on spending binges and expend inordinate amounts of money buying stuff
Oftentimes a person with hoarding disorder ends up unable to maintain gainful employment
These types of issues can be rectified with professional treatment for hoarding disorder and the decluttering and cleanup of the residence of a person with hoarding disorder.
Emotional Relief and Recovery
Professional mental health treatment is called for when an individual has hoarding disorder. This type of professional support and assistance can get an individual with hoarding disorder on the pathway to a healthier life.
In addition to professional mental health treatment, undertaking hoarder property cleanup and decluttering can also be emotionally beneficial to a hoarder. Returning a person with hoarding disorder’s home to a livable condition provides what can prove to be profound emotional relief for a hoarder. It is a key step on the pathway to recovery from hoarding disorder.
Cons of Undertaking Hoarder Property Cleanup and Decluttering
There are some recognized negative attributes associated with the decision to undertake hoarder property cleanup and decluttering. At the outset, it is important to note that these so-called cons are manageable. Moreover, the positive aspects associated with hoarder property cleanup and decluttering significantly outweigh anything on the con side of the list.
Emotional Discomfort
Hoarders do have a profound attachment to the items they accumulate. This is at the very heart of what clinically is known as hoarding disorder. As a consequence, when confronted with the prospect of discarding or disposing of items they have collected, a person with hoarding disorder is likely to have a significant emotional reaction. At a minimum, a person in this position will experience emotional discomfort. In the worst case, a person with hoarding disorder will experience an extremely profound, negative emotional reaction to even the thought of decluttering and hoarder property cleanup.
As has been mentioned previously, there are mental health professionals that specialize in working with people with hoarding disorder. Therapists and counselors are invaluable in aiding and assisting people with hoarding disorder address and deal with these emotional responses to cleanup and decluttering.
Intense Work
There is no doubt that taking on hoarder property cleanup is tough work. With that said, there are hoarder property cleanup professionals that can undertake such an endeavor in a safe and thorough manner.
Expense of Professional Hoarder Property Cleanup
Some people balk at retaining a hoarder property cleanup professional, worried about expense. The fact is that there are hoarder property cleanup companies like Eco Bear that charge very reasonable fees for services. They offer complete transparency in regard to their fees.
