Extreme Hoarding Cleanup and How GSD Junk Hauling Can Help!

Several times this year (2024) we have been tasked with helping with extreme hoarding clean ups. We are not experts in what causes extreme hoarding but we are really good at cleaning up the effects. The types of extreme hoarding we have dealt with fell into these categories: clean ups for property investors, clean ups for landlords, and clean ups for family members of the hoarder.

Clean Ups for Property Investors and Landlords

The first two are easiest to clean up. For the property investors and landlords, our process is simple. We assess the situation and formulate a game plan. This involves choosing which rooms of the house to clean out first. We usually choose the garage or the room closest to the front door for the easy access they provide to our workers. As we are assessing each room, we take note of anything that can be recycled, any hazards, and anything hazardous, such as chemicals, feces, etc. After we get the plan together, we start working our plan until the house is empty. Sometimes the customer will instruct us to remove any appliances.

Clean Ups for Family Members of the Hoarder

When doing extreme hoarding clean ups for a family member, our process is a little different. For these clean ups, we do a walk-through with the customer to find out what needs to go, what stays, and what items we need to be on the lookout for during the clean up process. Items such as heirlooms, keepsakes, or anything else the customer may want to keep. Differentiating between trash and anything that may be of value to the customer sometimes becomes difficult, so if we have a question about an item, we will ask the customer if it stays or goes.

Walk-Through and Planning

During the walk-through, we also look for anything that can be recycled, potential hazards, and anything hazardous, such as chemicals, feces, etc. We also communicate with the customer any hazards present and what PPE we will be using to do the extreme hoarding clean up of the house. After the walk-through, we begin working our plan to compassionately and efficiently remove the debris from the house. During the planning stage we also find the easiest exit to remove the debris whether it be the front door or the garage. Our extreme hoarding clean up is similar to our whole house cleanout service. Here is a good resource to learn about hoarding. Reach out to us if you live in the north Alabama area and would like to learn more about our extreme hoarding clean up service. We would love to help!