Hoarding.  

By definition, hoarding is the practice of collecting and/or accumulating something.  That something can range from mail to clothing to books to obsolete technology and even to trash.  Usually, the “hoarder” doesn’t start out that way but becomes victim to their own best intentions of saving something that might be needful or wanted later which builds over time, spiraling into something completely out of control.  

I chose this topic for our next blog in part due to how our clients who contract with us to help with excessive gathering/hoarding initially feel about having us in their home, how family members feel when they inherit such a situation, and the experience of others walking into a difficult hoarding or excessive gathering situation.  

For the resident, there tends to be a lot of guilt and shame as well as anxiety, depression, isolation, and just feeling overwhelmed in general.  For family members, landlords, and others who are left to deal with the aftermath of such a situation it is often overwhelming.  We have had calls from family members who just don’t even know where to start or how they will deal with everything in the home.  Homeowners/residents sometimes reach out and then then do not follow through due to the impact the situation has on their mental well being.  It is just a tough situation all around.  

Thus, I wanted to share the other side of it.  Our experiences here at Pacific BioResponse Services:  both my own as well as comments and experiences of my employees as we do this type of work.  

Dealing Head-on With the Challenge

First and foremost it is not easy to do.  It is labor intensive, demanding, and sometimes even dangerous.  There are things that are difficult to see and to clean up.  Severe hoarding situations can be dangerous due to stacks, as well as build up of biohazard contaminants (such as feces, animal remains, etc.)  

Because of this, the cost involved can be high.  It is something we do our best to keep down as we want to help and truly feel for those faced with that cost.  At the same time, we must be cognizant of the intensive labor involved which requires specialized training and equipment in order to appropriately remedy the conditions faced in this type of work as well as considering the risk involved.  As a team, we talk a lot about how overwhelming it probably got for the person(s) living, or having lived there, and truly feel for them.  We know that these situations tend to isolate people and that there are a myriad of mental health issues that can not only cause but that also can be a result of living in a hoarding situation.

Rewarding in the End

As difficult as it can be to do this type of work and as physically and emotionally draining as it can be, for us, the rewards far outpace the difficulties. Seeing a homeowner cry and thank us that now they have their life and home back is immensely rewarding and touching.  That now they feel like they can better keep up on things.  To hear them talk about seeing a light at the end of the tunnel after so many years of having little to no hope that they could ever have a place that felt like a home again.  To watch the transition from fear and anxiety to hope and happiness.  To see them smile.  It is all so worth it.  

To find items that they have been looking for and to show them their lost treasures is a joy.  There are homes where we have found items of significant value.  Sometimes things they knew about but sometimes things that they did not.  Items from the estate of their parent or left by their significant other.  From family heirlooms to bags of cash, we find all sorts of things while doing this work.  That also makes it interesting for us.  We are not only cleaning and getting rid of excess and trash but it is a bit of a treasure hunt.  

We delight in the expression of our client as we show them things that they might want to keep, that they have asked us to look for, or things they forgot about but that we find which might be of value, whether monetary or otherwise.  

Our Employees Go Through This With You

I cannot tell you how many times my employees have mentioned to me about how good they feel when doing this work.  They love to see people’s reactions to their work.  They talk about how good it feels to give somebody their life back, to help a family dealing with loss, to have them not need to worry about how to clean the home, etc.  

I think one of the hardest things for my team is the jobs when we feel like we are leaving a job undone.  We do what the client wants us to do.  Sometimes, we go in and clean the home in its entirety.  Other times we are only asked to clean certain rooms.  We tend to become invested in our client’s wellbeing.  As we progress, we begin to worry that the areas not cleaned will start to grow, and that the home, over time, will return to a similar state to when we were first contacted.  The concern and compassion expressed by employees is heartfelt.  

We know that it is so much easier to keep something up that is clean than it is to clean something that has been let go.  We also understand that there are reasons that people might want us to only clean certain areas.  It might be financial limitations.  It could be that the family only wants a boost so that they can feel like there is hope and that they can finish the rest.  Sometimes they just want a clean area so that they can shift things and go through things in other rooms.  Sometimes it is all that the resident can handle emotionally.  Whatever the reason, we are there to do what we are hired to do with compassion, and without judgment.  While it is true that we prefer to “finish the job” we understand that this might not always be what we are hired to do.

The hope and joy we can give the resident/homeowner and family members drives us forward and brings us a sense of peace and accomplishment in a job well done and for service rendered.  One of the sweetest overheard comments after a hoarding job was of the grandchildren of our client who said, “Now we can come visit grandma!”  What an amazing gift!

Let Us Help–It’s What We’re Here to Do!

If you are dealing with a house that is unmanageable, whether you live there or it otherwise is now your responsibility to deal with, give us a call.  I am happy to discuss it with you and will come visit your home at no cost so that we can talk about what you need done.  I work hard to put the occupant and/or family at ease.  We do not judge and we understand how difficult this can be.  

Our goal here at Pacific BioResponse Services is to approach this work with compassion and professionalism.  We want you to know that there is no shame in asking for help.  Call us and start the process of getting your home back. Let us help you deal with this overwhelming situation so you can get back to focusing on what matters most.