Zia Later Junk & Trash Removal, an Albuquerque junk removal company is on a helping hoarder’s mission. Like the more than 5 million people in the US affected by hoarding disorder, there are people in Albuquerque dealing with a hoarding affliction. The company is here to help them overcome the malady. Please read on to learn more about this problem and why it’s so important to act on helping hoarders deal with this tough issue!

A home can quickly become a hostile, dangerous environment for you and your family if too much stuff is accumulated. Perhaps, you feel overwhelmed by the prospect of cleaning up after someone with hoarding behaviors.

Where do you even begin?

If you’re wondering how to execute a hoarder cleanup with care for physical and mental health, you must read this blog post.

Step 1: Learn about Hoarding Disorder

Now, before going into details about working on it further, you need to have some clarity on hoarding disorder and how does that affect your loved one.

Hoarding is not merely messy or disorganized, it is a complex mental health issue.

Some key things to know:

• Like trauma, anxiety, depression or OCD, hoarding finds a breeding ground in us when we experience psychological dysfunction. There are underlying psychological reasons for the behavior.
• Hoarders go through and become very attached emotionally to their possessions. It hurts like hell to throw stuff away.
• Over the years, your stuff starts piling up. High throughput cleanups can appear too scary and unmanageable.
• Hoarding is a dangerous behavior that potentially leads to falls and fires, unsanitary living conditions, and pest/rodent infestations.
• Individuals struggling with hoarding disorder feel intense shame regarding clutter. Cleaning up can certainly be quite a humiliating matter.

This is especially true since even police raids are often poorly-received and merely heighten distrust and anxiety when accompanied by forced cleanups or simply throwing things away.

But, the more you know about hoarding and its complicated emotional effects, the more equipped you are to help your loved one through cleaning things up.

Be gentle, kind and considerate of how they might feel.

Step 2: Assemble Your Cleanup Team

Do not try to clean it up alone.

Hoarding disorder needs both practical and emotional treatment from professionals. Assemble a team including:

Therapist who specializes in hoarding: A therapist specializing in this field can help you work through the underlying factors developed by your hoarding behavior. Inquire about cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which is the most widely used form.

Cleaning or decluttering specialists: Trained in hoarding situations, these cleaning or decluttering specialists can help determine what items should be sorted and discarded. They help avoid burnout on caretaker.

Hazardous material removal: Homes with extreme hoarding may require specialists to dispose of unsanitary waste, chemicals or biohazards.

Friends and family: You can find a volunteer here who will help you with de-cluttering and finding the mental space to let-of. Getting them to comprehend hoarding sensitivity

The person who hoards: If possible, get your loved one involved in decisions about the cleanup process.

The scale of a hoarding home should not deter you from reaching out for help. We have experts that can safely take on the most severe end of things.

Step 3: Make a List of What to Declutter

Stage an intervention and develop a written cleanup plan. This provides structure and clearly defines roles, tasks, priorities, and goals.

Key points:

• Before anything else, set health and safety above all. Prevent fire hazards, blocked exits or pest infestations and unstable stacks
• Aim for achievable targets per session – one room or filling a dumpster. Do it slowly as you may get overwhelmed.
• Get regular sessions planned ahead of when clutter begins to build up again. Consistency is key.
• Establish the cleanup role of each person. Match talents to tasks.
• Create a donation station at your home – it makes sorting keep vs donate much easier.
• Stock your supplies – Gloves, dust masks, containers, labels and cleaning articles.

A detailed plan alleviates some of the anxiety and provides a roadmap for all stakeholders. Change goals as we make progress.

Step 4: Prepare the Collector

An intervention and cleanup can be a profoundly violating experience for the hoarder, after all. Empathetic conversations to prepare your end-user and relax him.

• Discuss the cleanup plan and how you will handle decision making with care associated. Stress it is a matter of safety and health
• Encourage them to voice concerns and identify any particularly meaningful possessions.
• Tell them that you will take good care of things and throw away the least possible.
• Tell them you are in the process of making a living environment – not stuffing him into change.
• This will happen slowly, just remind them of this. There are no overnight fixes.
• Keep lines of communication open

Step 5: Sort and Declutter Methodically

When you actually sort the hoard, be methodical about these:

• Establish work zones: Address immediate safety concerns. Make sure exits are clear, remove tripping hazards, take perishables out. Hazmat gear may be needed.
• Establish work zones: Break cluttered spaces into work zones Tackle smaller spaces first
• Organize stuff into categories: Group things in bins and label them as you empty out spaces. e.g., garbage, donation, sale, mementos,
• The simplest removals come first: A clear trash bucket up front builds momentum without immediately confronting heart-wrenching choices.
• Have regular intervals: Micro breaks will prevent weariness and irritation, which lead to rash decisions.
• Review disposals together: Gently progress your loved one through the review and approval of the disposals. Avoid forcing decisions.
• Get documentation: If you have anything with emotional ties, ask to take photos before throwing out. This can provide comfort.

Be systematic, be slow, and accept your loved one. Do not force it, pushing only pushes back; this creates mistrust and resistance which only slows progress.

Step 6: Get Rid of Items in a Responsible Way

Disposal is a huge part of a hoarding home cleanup. For the junk removal, donation pickup and hazmat disposal, you will probably have to hire outside organizations.

• Schedule frequent pickups before clutter re-accumulates.
• Hazardous wastes such as chemicals, unsanitary debris, needles or asbestos must be managed by specialists.
• You may donate used stuff if you wish. Items that are useful can be sold and repurposed.
• If it is a keepsake item, talk about how you can store them (e.g., in a bin or offsite storage unit) so that they do not clutter your space again.

Step 7: Continue Alongside Continuous Support

Now, most of the decluttering has been done but that was only half the work.

Helping through the emotional pain, and making life changes will be needed to maintain any small measure of cleanup success if the hoarding disorder is really serious.

Continue therapy: You might need more than one counseling session to tackle underlying issues and shift hoarding thoughts/behaviors.

Establish new habits: Set-up organization systems, clean your space on a daily basis, and do routine decluttering to avoid re-building up.

Give hope: Be supportive during this challenging journey of getting used to not having the items that have been hoarded.

Acknowledge progress, however small: Celebrate every success – even if it is as simple as filling up a donation box. Mark your progress.

Relapse is part of recovery: Mark a curve ball. Answer as calmly as practicable, and return to cleanup preparation.

Frequent Check-ins: Stop by to check on progress. Help out if problems with clutter arise again.

Propose lifestyle alterations: Identify changes that would help minimize acquiring impulses, such as steering clear of the shopping channels.

Reach out for support groups: It helps to connect with others who are in the process of recovering from hoarding; there is strength in numbers.

Remain in close proximity to and continue to provide to them, the emotional support they require. It takes time to change lifelong habits.

Final Thoughts

Only with love, dedication and professional help will their living space become decluttered, along with the path to restoration.

This type of action might sound like a heavy lift, but in our experience, it works very well after you take that first step. Call for backup, take your time, and approach with empathy.

The folks at Zia Later Junk & Trash Removal are here to help families and friends work together to solve a loved one’s hoarding problem. Give us a call today at 505-225-9187 to schedule an appointment today!