So how do we clean a hoarder’s house? Cleaning a hoarders’ house is a task you wouldn’t want to do by yourself. It’s too complicated and may even be hazardous to some degree. In this blog, you will learn how to clean a hoarder’s house, what you need to protect yourself, and the cleaning supplies that you would need.
What is hoarding?
Hoarding is a kind of disorder that is difficult to treat. Unless you can convince the person concerned, you will not be able to touch any single item inside their house. You will see a house full of a variety of things or a house simply full of whatnot. These which we consider trash are kept to what seems they think are useful someday. The cleaning depends on the volume, size, hazards, and more.
How Do We Start?
Daunting as it is, but how do we clean a hoarder’s house? Well, first, we need to evaluate the extent of the mess. Think of strategies on how to tidy up the place and prepare a plan.
People in this situation are unable to recognize which items are useful or not, resulting in a pile of unwanted things. These later harbor molds, dust, insects, and others producing an unhealthy environment. One thing you also need to consider is the cooperation of the hoarder because your cleaning effort might go to waste if he/she hoards again. Try to hire people to help you because cleaning up a hoarder’s house is not an easy task. You cannot do it alone. And besides, this will make the job faster.
PERSONAL PROTECTION
Before starting, be ready to face what’s inside the house. Most importantly, you have to protect yourself by preparing for proper gear and equipment. Wear gloves for you might suddenly encounter insects that may bite you or broken glass which may cut your hands. You would also need an eye protector against dust, as well as heavy-duty boots and a hard hat. A flashlight, spray for bugs, fire extinguisher and first aid kits must also come in handy.
SUFFICIENT CLEANING SUPPLIES
Having sufficient cleaning supplies are important because you do not want to run out of supplies in the middle of your work. But what are the things necessary in the clean-up?
- Trash bags – these must be large and sturdy enough to carry materials to be thrown.
- Boxes – these are necessary for useful items to be kept.
- Pails and mops – you need to clean with water to remove stains or grease on floors and walls.
- Cleaning cloth, sponges, and scouring pads – these are important in making the surfaces squeaky clean.
- Broom and dustpan – this is necessary for removing trash during clean up and this will also help you in walking easily to and from each area without any bother.
- Disinfectants and cleansers – with the help of water and other materials, these will remove germs or microbes.
- Vacuum cleaner – you need this device to remove debris from floors, upholstery, draperies, surfaces, and areas which cannot be reached just by using cloths or sponges.
- Shovel – this helps dig, lift, and moving bulk materials.
- Step ladder – to easily clean high areas inside the house, you can use this without any danger of falling.
- Other hand tools – these should go with the other materials so whenever there are repairs needed, you have something to use.
There should also be an area for segregation. Hence, you should provide an available covered space outside if the work cannot be done in a day.
CLEANING and SANITIZING; But where do we start?
Now we can begin with the cleaning proper. There are several rooms in a house and it is best to start with the small room. Usually, there are no valuable items there so everything may be put in the trash. Moreover, it is important to sanitize the room after for healthier hygiene. Accomplishing this will motivate you in doing more and continuing with the job.
To ensure the cleanliness of each room, everything must be removed, even the furniture. The fewer items in a room, the better. Check for belongings worth keeping in the closets, cabinets, and drawers.
And then, sort out the items and start segregating. Recycle, donate, or discard. Better yet, consider doing a garage sale for stuff that can still be used or in good quality condition. For things that need to be removed, it should be done quickly because the owner might change his/her mind.
After removing all the litter, you can now thoroughly clean the house. In fact, a top to bottom clean is advised for this kind of task. Properly sanitize every inch of the house and this will use an amount of time to achieve the goal. You would need a ton of patience for this. Look over on every spot. Check for needed repairs or repainting jobs. Return the recycled items inside the house when everything’s done.
Having learned the process of cleaning a hoarder’s house, would you really want to go to all of this trouble in your spare time? You would have wasted an entire day cleaning when you could have quality time with friends and family.
Take our advice and let the professionals handle this. Organize It will handle the cleaning and organizing for you so you’ll have time for the more important things in life. Call us now at (239)222-2365 or request your FREE estimate with us today.
