Compulsive hoarding comes in different forms. It can be your old neighbour’s trash bags we all viewed as worthless but were excessively saved inside their bedroom. This could also be the result of the pile of unused possessions on your cousin’s stairway. Whatever it is, the hoarders feel a dysfunctional attachment to these items.

As you can see, dealing with a hoarder is difficult. They usually argue about the value of the items they piled, neglecting the mould building up around. It can be emotionally draining for both the hoarders and the cleaners. Hence, professional help from providers of hoarding clean up services is needed to clean the hoarder’s house.

To enlighten you about the entire hoarding clean-up service, here are the steps taken by professionals to control the hoarding situation:

Preparation

1. Communicate with the Hoarders and Their Relatives

In this situation, the first thing a professional cleaner would do is thorough preparation. Hoarders have difficulty in letting go of unimportant stuff, making them more sensitive and unwilling to cooperate. Convincing them is hard. They don’t listen to anyone. Even their loved ones can’t fathom their weird way of living.

We can deduce, they don’t realise they have a problem. Thus, communicating with the hoarder ushers respect to them. There’s no harm in asking and listening. Good communication comes with a sense of patience, compassion, and understanding.

2. Evaluate the Place and Create a Strategy

Know the details of each room. Start to assess the situation, like where to start focusing. After this, figure out what are the things needed for the clean-up process.

Just a heads up, risky situations are present in cleaning. So, hiring a professional hoarding clean-up service is recommended. There are unknown threats that you might encounter in the clean-up process like contaminants or pest infestations. You don’t want to expose yourself to these dangers.

3. Keep Yourself Safe Always

Safety is crucial in the cleaning process. So, before cleaning, make sure you are well-protected. Shield yourself from any harm by preparing these things ahead:

disposable gloves

dust masks

first-aid kit

flashlight

sturdy shoes or boots

hard hat

repellent or bug spray

fire extinguisher

And don’t forget to secure a free open space and a suitable exit.

4. Collect the Right Cleaning Supplies

There are cleaning supplies that cleaners bring with them to complete their job. They are used to clean the property and eliminate dirt. If you are planning to clean up the house of a hoarder, bring these things with you:

a set of hand tools

shovel

ladder

big or heavy-duty trash bags

broom and dustpan

cleaning cloths and sponges

mop and buckets

big boxes

cleaning agents and disinfectants

paint

vacuum cleaner

Cleaning Time

5. Make Space for Staging Area

The staging area is where the collected items are categorised. Cleaners gather items here and sort them by category whether they can be reused, donated, recycled, or thrown away.

6. Have a Relaxation Area

Doing an arduous task like cleaning takes a lot of our energy, and taking time to relax a bit is necessary to keep going. This is why professional cleaners always set a space for quick breaks.

7. Begin in a Small Room

Sometimes, a hoarder’s home is dirtier than what you expect it to be. So, keep this in mind before you even start cleaning. The moment you start cleaning, begin in the smallest room. That way, you will feel a sense of progress in the process.

8. Create a Top to Bottom Cleaning Method

In removing things, it is advised to start from the top to the bottom. Expert cleaners know the dirt you dislodged will just fall onto the surfaces below. Surfaces like the cobwebs on the ceiling, countertops, or shelves should be cleaned first. Then, deal with the floor surface afterwards. This method helps to minimise repeating the same cleaning process all over again.

Also, remove everything inside the rooms, including their furniture, if possible, because pests or mould may be hiding on these fixtures. Put these things in the staging area.

After the removal, determine if the items should be eliminated, kept, donated, or recycled.

9. Deep Clean and Repair

After removing all the clutter, it’s time to perform excessive methodological cleaning. This involves either removing all the dirt or repairing broken walls and things. There’s no specific time for this process to end. However, the result is assured to be worth it.

Cleaning is not just a mere physical activity. It is more than dusting the dirtiest part of the house. When we clean, we get a sense of reduced stress after the cleaning process. You don’t only uplift the hoarders and their relatives, but your mood as well. Probably, you will see cleaning as a form of meditation for a positive mental attitude.

Take Away!

The first and last thing to do is to talk with the hoarders. Communicate with them about their reactions. Do they feel alleviated? Or perhaps, do they feel some remorse about the situation? We're not sure. The only thing we're sure about is the feeling of support can alleviate bad reactions. Hence, educating yourself through the first-hand experiences with a hoarder paves the way for you to understand them more.

A Top-Tier Compassionate Hoarding Clean Up Services in Sydney is Just a Call Away!

In everything that we do, we make sure everything adheres to proficiency and empathy. At Deceased Estate Sydney, we take extra precautions in the clean-up process. We understand the extremity of the whole process. That’s why we make sure we are physically, mentally, and emotionally equipped.

If you want to help someone or yourself with the hoarding situation, don’t hesitate to work with the leading professionals of the hoarding clean-up service. Deceased Estate Sydney is available to help you with your cleaning needs.

For further enquiries, please get in touch with us on 0408 629 666 or at [email protected].