When it comes to cleaning up a hoarding house in Glendale, there are usually a few challenges involved. The house is in a terrible state, there may be state or city entities requiring the cleanup, or there may be a new owner who has to clean and sanitize the house for use. Whatever the reason, getting a hoarder house cleaned takes a lot of effort. At Eco Bear, we know exactly what we have to do to restore a hoarder house back to livability. 

What Is a Hoarder House?

A hoarder house is a house that is overflowing with items due to having an occupant who is unable to throw anything away. This person is called a hoarder. The hoarder is different from the collector. The collector collects items and keeps them nicely laid out, even if there are tons of them. People who live in cluttered homes are people who’ve learned to live in mess, but they’re not hoarder. 

Hoarders are completely different from these people. They are unable to resist bringing everything they find into their homes. These items could be small appliances, old newspapers, or pieces of garbage. Over time, the mass begins to take over every room in the house. Pretty soon, the home is packed floor to ceiling with garbage, trash, furniture, clothes, and anything else the hoarder holds on to. Once it reaches this excessive point, the hoarder is living in squalor.

Why Is Hoarding So Hard To Treat?

Hoarding is recognized as a mental illness. It’s extremely difficult for doctors to treat because the people who have this mental disorder often don’t believe that there’s anything wrong with them. 

What Does a Hoarder House Cleaning Crew Do?

A hoarder house cleaning clew isn’t your typical cleaning crew. These professional cleaners have to not only clean the house from top to bottom, but they also have to rid the space of all biohazardous waste. Biohazardous waste in a hoarder house is probably the key reason the house should be professionally cleaned. 

What’s Biohazardous Waste?

According to OSHA, biohazardous waste is waste that’s been contaminated with bloodborne pathogens. These pathogens find their way into blood, bodily fluids, human waste, animal waste, and many other items. Once inside, they have the ability to infect anyone the waste comes into contact with. Any site that has biohazardous waste must be cleaned, disinfected, and sanitized due to state and OSHA guidelines.. 

Why Should You Call for Professional Hoarder House Cleanup?

There are several reasons that you should call for hoarder house cleanup vs doing it yourself.

The City May Require It

Sme hoarder houses have reached the point where the city or local authorities needed to get involved. The hoarder may have been given an order to have the house professionally cleaned by specialists. This is usually done when someone has filed a complaint. It could be a family member, or it could be a neighbor. Once the city has come out to the house and seen the chaos, they’ll set up a date by which the house has to be clean. If the hoarder doesn’t comply, they could be evicted.

The Hoarder May Have Requested It

Sometimes hoarders get to the point when they say enough is enough. They’re ready to reclaim their lives and their homes, but they’re not sure how to do so. They may reach out to a cleaning company to make themselves accountable and to help them with the detailed and involved cleaning process.

New Purchase

Many people in California purchase real estate “as is.” Hoarder homes often fall under this category. The new owner can’t do anything with the purchase until they have the house cleaned and sanitized from top to bottom. This is where we come in. We not only clean the house from top to bottom, but we can make sure that it’s completely safe for habitation, whether you’re moving in yourself or renovating the home for sale or for renting. 

Whichever scenario you fall under, we can help you start the process.

What Are the Steps of Hoarder House Cleaning?

We’ll first assess the site, doing as much of a walkthrough as we can so that we know what we’re dealing with. We’ll then put together a plan of action.

Next, we’ll throw out all waste, including biohazardous waste and regular trash. We’ll make sure that both types of trash remain separate so that there’s no cross-contamination. 

We’ll wash down the site with special, government-approved cleansers and disinfectants. This will help ensure that we’ll kill off germs and viruses and that we’ll eliminate bad odors. We’ll use machines like ozone machines to combat the smell if odors are really intense. 

We’ll transport and dispose of all of the garbage and biohazardous waste. 

We know that this is a big job. Reach out to us and feel free to ask us any questions that you have.