Located near Palm Springs in Riverside County, La Quinta, California is a great place to hike, play golf, go biking, and visit art galleries. In addition to the casino and tourism industry, there are many service industry jobs in the construction, landscaping, retail, and hotel industries.
What Is Hoarding?
Hoarding is a mental disorder that causes a person to have difficulty in discarding items because of a perceived need to save them. A person can hoard anything or everything.
Someone that has hoarding disorder might start to neglect their homes and property to the point it becomes a health issue and an eyesore. Many times neighbors will file complaints or a family member will have to intervene. Either way, the hoarder property will have to be cleaned up.
Hoarding in La Quinta, California
When entering a hoarder’s property, you can find all kinds of things like old newspapers, magazines, used appliances, clothes, trash, useless junk, and stuff picked off the street.
Hoarders can become neglectful of maintaining their property. Their homes can become dirty with grease, food debris, and trash. This causes bug and rodent infestations.
Sooner or later, this situation becomes a major health issue and has to be dealt with. Cleaning the hoarder’s property in La Quinta could take a professional hoarder property cleaning company.
Hoarder Property Cleaning in La Quinta
There are numerous steps that need to be taken when cleaning a hoarder property and getting it habital again. Not only will the property have to be cleaned, but there will probably be damage that has to be repaired. Cleaning a hoarder’s property requires the following steps:
- Evaluate the Situation
- Create a cleaning strategy
- Prepare a staging area
- Move everything out to the staging area
- Gather cleaning supplies
- Protect yourself from health issues
- Clean and sanitize the property
- Repair the damage
You’ll need help when you clean this property. There could be heavy furniture, boxes full of items, and appliances to move. Or you could hire a professional hoarder property cleaning company.
The Staging Area
The staging area is where everything from the property will be moved to. If working with the property owner or family members, this is where the items will be sorted.
Having two separate areas can help, one for trash, and one for items that will be kept. If it looks like there will be a lot of trash including large items, you might have to get a large dumpster.
It can be difficult if dealing directly with a hoarder since everything is of value to them. Having other family members involved can help.
Gathering Supplies
Once you’ve assessed the home, you can determine what supplies you will need. It’s not only cleaning supplies you will need, but also protective gear to keep yourself safe. There can be numerous health risks in the home. A list of supplies includes:
- Heavy-duty trash bags
- Empty boxes
- Mops and buckets
- Brooms and dust pans
- Cleaning cloths and sponges
- Medical grade sanitation cleaners
- Commercial grade deodorization products
- Vacuum and extra vacuum bags
- Ladder and tools
- Biohazardous waste containers
In addition to these supplies, you will also need the following to keep yourself safe from possible health issues.
- Eye protection
- Dust masks
- Disposable gloves
- Heavy duty boots
- A smock or overalls
You should also have a flashlight, bug spray, and a first-aid kit handy.
Health Issues to Be Aware Of
When cleaning a hoarder’s property, there can be numerous health issues you have to look out for such as:
- Mold and mildew
- Leaking chemicals, biohazardous materials, and flammable materials
- Dead rodents
- Rodent droppings
- Spider bites
- Noxious fumes
- Needles and other sharp items
- Asbestos
- Falling stacks of hoarded newspapers, magazines, and other items
- Broken glass
The health risks cannot be understated. If you should come across rats, you could be bitten. And rats carry rabies. Coming into contact with mice droppings or even dust from their urine or droppings can cause diseases like Hantavirus.
This health risk could be in the home or in the staging area. Rodents and spiders can live in old furniture, appliances, boxes filled with items, and any other dark quiet space.
You might also encounter mold, which has its own health risks. If carpeting, tiles, or walls have to be removed, you could release mold spores into the air.
Cleaning and Sanitizing
Once everything has been removed from the home, you can begin to clean. You might find leaking chemicals in the home, and all chemical residues need to be thoroughly cleaned.
Mold has to be removed and killed. Carpeting that is not damaged will have to be sanitized and shampooed.
Repairing the Damage
Repairing the damage is the final step. There is a possibility that the carpeting and carpet padding will have to be removed and replaced, especially if they have mold or any kind of spills on them.
If there is mold on any tiles, there could be mold behind the tiles, and they will have to be replaced. Portions of sheetrock or walls with water damage or mold will also have to be replaced before the home becomes livable again.